Creative Saskatchewan’s Investments Could Support Your Business: Commercial Art Galleries
Provided by: Megan Jane, Manager of Marketing and Communications, Creative Saskatchewan
As a SaskGalleries member or follower, you may have heard of us before – but with the Government of Saskatchewan recently announcing not one, but two substantial funding increases to Saskatchewan’s film sector, you’ve probably heard the newly re-branded Creative Saskatchewan come up in conversation a lot lately. Allow us to re-introduce ourselves, and the opportunities we offer to Saskatchewan commercial art galleries.
Creative Saskatchewan is the economic development agency for Saskatchewan’s creative industries. Think of us as Dragon’s Den for artistic entrepreneurs – including business owners like yourself – if you’ve experienced commercial success by selling fine art and have a strong business case for why your venture is ready for the next level, we can support that with several funding programs designed to propel your contribution to Saskatchewan’s economy.
We like to think of ourselves as the fairy godmother for creative entrepreneurs, converting creativity into cashflow and propelling creative business owners as they create, perform, innovate, and export in their pursuit of commercial success – but the simple truth is we invest in real opportunity.
The entrepreneurs we fund must meet our eligibility criteria and provide a solid application outlining their business and marketing plan to account for a return on investment for the people of Saskatchewan. Applications are then thoroughly screened by our team and an assessment panel made up of industry experts. It might sound intimidating, but it’s an excellent exercise for any business owner to go through, our team is here to support you, and the rewards are tenfold. We invest heavily in Saskatchewan’s best and brightest, just take a look at our awards last year here and our most recent commitments here.
Creative Saskatchewan offers many programs for the creative sectors, but below we’ve highlighted a few that may be of particular interest to owners and operators of commercial art galleries:
· Market & Export Development Grant
o This program helps cover costs associated with marketing your product or service, such as print or digital advertising, hiring a publicist, promotional materials not for sale, and more.
o This program helps cover the costs of travel expenses to specific market opportunities, for example if you have been invited to sell at an art fair.
o If you’re looking to expand or make the business side of things run more efficiently, this program is for you. For example, hiring staff for a specific project or investing in new accounting software.
o This program can support your efforts to better understand, interpret, and capitalize on market forces affecting your sector. For example, conducting market research, or exploring new technologies.
· Craft & Visual Arts Production Grant
o Are you an artist yourself? This grant invests in eligible Saskatchewan artists and craftspeople producing craft and visual art with commercial intent.
So, what does this mean for you?
1 – If you own or operate a Saskatchewan commercial art gallery, come and talk to us!
If you or someone you know runs an art gallery for profit, know that when the time is right, we are here to support your flywheel. Our Program Advisors are happy to provide information for anyone considering applying to our programs.
2 – If you work with Saskatchewan artists, let them know our funding can help cover expenses associated with YOUR offering.
If you service folks that operate in this space, keep us in mind if our programming might help creative entrepreneurs with the costs associated with your service offering. For example, if an artist is invited to attend an art show to showcase and sell their work, this could be an eligible expense in our Market Travel grant.
Lastly, Creative Saskatchewan serves as the official film commission for the province, and we expect to be working closely with SaskGalleries in the near future to highlight Saskatchewan artwork for film producers’ consideration in set dressing.
In the articles that follow, we’ll do a deeper dive into each of our grant programs that are relevant to you.
More information can be found on Creative Saskatchewan’s website, creativesask.ca. Our team can be reached during regular business hours at office@creativesask.ca or by calling (306) 798-9800.
