(Pictured are Airporter director, Jennifer McKeever and Customer Advisor, Gemma Wild)
AIRPORTER, the company who provide coach links to the Belfast airports from Derry, has linked up with visual arts charity Creative Village Arts to launch a new scheme to support artists working in the North West.
Jennifer McKeever, Director of Airporter, explains, “When we re-decorated our reception area in our Derry bus depot, I was keen that we should show some original artwork from artists working in this region, to make the environment more attractive for our customers and also to promote the rich cultural identity of the North West to travellers.
“After turning to Creative Village Arts to help us select some canvases, we were persuaded that the best way of helping to promote our regional artists was not just to buy a few works to put on our wall in a one-off gesture, but to create an on-going “Art Bank” programme.
“This means that we will be making a regular investment in artwork; leasing works from local artists for a set period of 6 months at a time, and then rotating them with new works and new artists.
“This scheme has been structured by CVA to not only meet our needs, but also to help promote and sustain the artists’ community working here in the North West.
“It means that our customers will get to see new works and new artists every six months when they visit our reception area, creating a more positive image for Airporter and a good customer experience.
“At the same time more artists will be able to earn a fee, and have their work seen and promoted to new audiences than if we had just bought a few canvases for a permanent display.”
Janet Hoy of Creative Village Arts says: “We are delighted to be working with Airporter on this initiative, and are so appreciative of their positive attitude towards helping sustain artists in this region.
“This “Art Bank” demonstrates how businesses can work with creative communities in a mutually supportive way, and we are looking forward to creating an exciting gallery wall in Airporter’s reception area with the involvement of our very talented artists working here in the North West.”
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