Solicitors’ support for art festival

8:20am Thursday 27th March 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

SOLICITORS Humphries Kirk are sponsoring Dorset Art Weeks from May 24 to June 8.

The new agreement follows on from a first collaboration with festival organisers, Dorset Visual Arts, at the last event in 2006.

Richard Cossey, marketing manager for Humphries Kirk incorporating Trevanions, said that the company recognised the value of linking art and business.

"For Humphries Kirk incorporating Trevanions, our support of Dorset Visual Arts is a key element of maintaining a strategic high profile throughout the county, not simply as a firm of solicitors, but as a local business that is interested, both personally and commercially, in supporting creative communities in the wider sense.

"I am constantly amazed at the tenacity and resourcefulness of the team at Dorset Visual Arts as the number and quality of the events that they put on to support artists and makers continues to grow."

The package will involve Humphries Kirk becoming the headline sponsor for the 2008 event as well as the 2010 festival and includes support of Dorset Visual Art's other initiatives during 2009.

Other backers and sponsors include The Arts Institute at Bournemouth, Breeze Volkswagen and south coast radio station, Wave 105.

The 2006 Dorset Arts Weeks generated more than £1.1 million in sales with artists enjoying over 100,000 studio visits.

Simon Pirie, a director of Dorset Art Weeks, said: "At first glance there appears to be a great chasm between a solicitors firm and an arts organisation like Dorset Visual Arts.

"But surprisingly many of our aims and objectives are very similar and together we can generate greater awareness about our brands.

"We're delighted to have Humphries Kirk's support once again and look forward to building the foundations of a new collaboration with a high profile educational facility like The Arts Institute Bournemouth."