Member Article

mima launches business engagement loan scheme

In a bid to build links between art and business, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima), have launched an art loans scheme - and businesses have already started to sign up.

US chemical company Huntsman was the first to sign up for the deal, hiring seven artworks including paintings, photographs and works on paper to display in their new premises in Wynyard for 12 months.

mima Development Manager Rachel French, who leads on the gallery’s business partnerships, said: “We are delighted to have Huntsman on board as our first loans scheme business, and we are already attracting interest from other local companies on the range of flexible new corporate opportunities we are offering.

“We firmly believe in the power of great art to inspire creativity and innovation in business. We hope that Huntsman’s employees will really enjoy being surrounded by these art works on a daily basis.”

As well as the loans scheme, mima’s new business offer includes partnership and sponsorship opportunities, team building and creative sessions, and venue hire in a range of spaces within the gallery.

Huntsman have recently moved into the facilities at Wynyard, and company president Simon Turner hopes that the new artwork will be welcomed by the company’s staff.

He said: “We are a successful global business that strives for high performance and to that end we strive to align ourselves with other successful high performance organisations.

“The decision to work with mima was straightforward as they clearly demonstrate excellence in what they do and they are part of our local community, which aligns with our aims.

“We wanted to take advantage of having one of the UK’s leading galleries for modern and contemporary art on our doorstep to deliver something special, in the form of original art and expertise, for our employees.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .