Split is amicable, but could impact funding
The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is divesting its interests in the Arts and Business Council of Rhode Island, a move that will give the organization more independence but make its job “a little more difficult,” according to the organization’s leaders.
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Charles T. Francis, chairman of the Chamber’s board of directors, said in an interview last week that the organization will no longer fall under the governance of the Chamber, which has provided an office and services to the council since its creation nearly 17 years ago.
“The Arts and Business Council and the Chamber have decided to go separate ways,” Francis said. “We wish the council the very best … I think they would like their independence, and we’ve helped them to get their independence.”
Council Executive Director Peter N. Bramante said the group views the change as a positive one that could give it a greater, re-energized face in the community.
“We’ve been grateful for our affiliation with the Chamber,” Bramante said. “That connection to the business community has been an important one that we think will continue. But now, we will be a direct go-to for the business community and our member organizations.”
The most immediate and physical change resulting from the divestiture is the location of the council’s offices. In the upcoming weeks, the council will complete its move from the Chamber to the Dorrance Street home of ArtTix, a service of the council that provides information, marketing and ticketing services for arts and cultural organizations in the region.
The council’s advisory board, which includes several past and present members of the Chamber’s board and staff, will become a governance board with power over the council’s direction. James DeRentis, executive vice president of retail banking and marketing for Bank Rhode Island, will serve as chair of that board, Bramante said.
The level of the members’ involvement also will likely increase, he said.
“I think the independence that comes with this divestiture from the Chamber is going to create a greater investment from the members on the board,” Bramante said.
Other changes are not immediately known. Bramante said the arts council would lose the services provided by the Chamber, and fund-raising efforts will have to increase as a result.
However, Bramante said the Chamber will complete the three-year, $25,000 grant that it provided to the council to help pay for the ArtTix program.
Created in 1989 as a joint effort of the Chamber and the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, the council runs programs and services geared to increasing the capacity of arts and cultural organizations in the state. Services such as ArtTix, Arts After Hours and The BVA Consultancy Match Program provided networking and promotional opportunities.
One group that has benefited from the council’s existence is the Rhode Island Philharmonic, whose president is WJAR-TV General Manager Lisa Churchville. In addition to her role at the philharmonic, Churchville also has served as president of the Chamber’s board and as a member of the council’s advisory council.
In many cases, she said, the Chamber was able to help the arts community with “back office” functions, such as branding, marketing and box office management. Leaders within the community also gave their support by volunteering for the organizations.
“Many of the volunteers became board members, advocates, donors or supporters,” Churchville said. “The arts organizations benefited from their expertise.”
While the relationship between the council and the Chamber is changing, Churchville said, it does not mean that the connection is over. In the past, the Chamber has fostered other organizations, such as the Rhode Island Sports Council and Leadership Rhode Island, and then helped them to forge their own identity.
The situation with the council is no different, she said.
“This is a long-term, close relationship,” Churchville said.
