Arts Focus: Make a Deposit, See Some Art

This is a column written and sponsored by Arlington Arts / Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

Showing up to an art studio open house on Columbia Pike was the moment of inspiration for a new relationship between business and art. Up until then, Arlington Community Federal Credit Union (ACFCU) had not considered itself a likely venue for original art. Nor did the members of the Columbia Pike Artists Studios (CPAS) imagine that their work would transform a financial institution into a place that displayed their commitment to the community.

But through Arlington Economic Development, connecting ACFCU headquarters with the studios is evidence of the collaborations being made through CPRO and the County. With the current number of commercial art galleries in Arlington being very limited, the time to rethink spaces proved timely. So the art came to the headquarters lobby and to a branch on Glebe Road.

Creative Economy initiatives in the U.S. and around the globe have been built on people already in place and businesses already thriving. At Americans for the Arts, the pARTnership movement paves the way for businesses and creatives to forge new partnerships that go way beyond philanthropy, sponsorships and donor support. With toolkits, success stories and more that put creatives at the forefront of everything from Advancing Corporate Objectives and Strategies, Fostering Critical Thinking and delving into Corporate Social Responsibility, the value of the relationships is changing.

Now in its second season of exhibiting artists work in the lobby gallery, ACFCU has taken its mission to serve Arlington to a new level. Businesses looking for their own inspiration can visit the open house at CPAS on December 2 and 3.