21c Museum Hotels and Humana recognized at Americans for the Arts BCA 10
Cover photo: Fit For Life mural series depicting Natchez "Health Heroes" created through a collaboration between IDEAS xLab artists and Humana Inc. Illustrations used to create the murals by Koren Shadmi through support of a NEA Our Town grant.
On October 11, 2017 - the Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) honored ten companies for their exemplary partnerships with the arts at the 13th Annual BCA 10 held at the Central Park Boathouse in New York City. Greater Louisville boasts two recipients, 21c Museum Hotels and Humana Inc., recognized for transforming their workplaces and community through the arts.
“We’re showing the rest of the country what’s possible through the arts,” said Christen Boone, Fund for the Arts President & CEO. “Greater Louisville’s world-class arts and culture community are only as successful as the creative companies that grow and innovate here. Fund for the Arts is incredibly grateful for the vision and support of both 21c Museum Hotels and Humana as they help drive a stronger, more competitive community through the arts.”
In addition to recognizing the ten organizations, the gala shined a spotlight on the overall economic impact the arts have on the national economy. The arts and culture industry generated 4.6 million jobs with $27.5 billion in revenue from local, state, and federal government according to the 2017 Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study. The annual gala also celebrated the life of the late David Rockefeller who founded the BCA in 1966 with the belief that the arts are essential to free enterprise and human achievement.
21c Museum Hotels leverages the arts and historic preservation to drive commerce and transform communities. Today, the company operates seven museum hotels and eight restaurants with more than 70,000 square feet of museum space with works from more than 2,500 established and emerging artists. In 2016 alone, the organization hosted more than 1,500 community arts and culture events from public art tours to yoga and theatrical performances. Fund for the Arts nominated 21c Museum Hotels.
“Laura Lee and I believe in the transformative power of contemporary art,” said Steve Wilson, Co-Founder and Chairman of 21c Museum Hotels. “We are so proud to have built a business using contemporary art as the foundation, and we’re humbled to be honored at the 2017 BCA 10. As we continue to grow 21c Museum Hotels, we remain committed to collecting, commissioning, and sharing the work of contemporary artists from around the world in our communities.”
Humana has been a stalwart supporter of the Greater Louisville arts community since 1975 through its volunteerism and financial support. In that time, Humana has contributed more than $40 million to the arts in Louisville and around the country while maintaining the longest partnership between a corporation and arts organization in the United States. The Humana Festival of New American Plays is a world-renowned event that draws an annual estimated 34,000 patrons. Humana engages in groundbreaking arts and health research by enlisting the support of creative economy producers as resources for advancing Humana’s Bold Goal initiative, which aims to achieve a 20 percent improvement in public health outcomes for Louisville and other cities by 2020. In 2016, a group of Humana Digital Experience Center volunteers created the Louisville Arts Link, a mobile app that serves as a central arts calendar for the region. IDEAS xLab and Fund for the Arts jointly nominated Humana.
“Humana and our thousands of employees are proud of our long tradition of supporting the arts, in our hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and throughout the country,” said Bruce D. Broussard, Humana Inc. President and CEO. “We believe the arts play a vital role in making our communities active magnets for talent, as well as contributing meaningfully to quality of life and economic growth.”
"Both as artists and social innovators, IDEAS xLab has worked closely with Humana on several groundbreaking health initiatives from New Orleans and Natchez, to right here at home in Kentucky,” said Theo Edmonds, co-founder of IDEAS xLab. “As co-chair of the Culture/Social Impact committee that is helping to guide their Bold Goal work in Louisville, I can attest to the compassionate, creative thinking that they bring to collaborations as we work together to support communities in achieving their best health possible."
About Fund for The Arts
Fund for the Arts is a regional nonprofit with the mission to maximize the arts to drive economic development, education, and quality of life in our community. The Fund conducts one of the oldest united arts campaigns in the country and supports world-class institutions, community organizations and arts in education. Fund for the Arts leads collective action across the arts and cultural sector to deliver greater impact in our community. For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org.
About IDEAS xLab
IDEAS xLab is an artist innovation group with a single driving philosophy: Health is culturally created. Over the past 5 years, IDEAS xLab has created over 80 artist residency projects with artists from more than 8 states and 6 countries. IDEAS xLab uses culture as a catalyst for building healthier communities and inclusive economies where everyone has chance to thrive based on their abilities. Visit ideasxlab.com.
ABOUT 21c MUSEUM HOTELS
Much more than just a place to spend the night, each 21c Museum Hotel is an inventive union of genuine hospitality, thoughtful design and culinary creativity — all anchored by a multi-venue contemporary art museum with rotating, curated exhibitions, interactive site-specific art installations and a full roster of cultural programming. Conceived by founders Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson as a place where the art of today provokes thought, engages conversation and inspires action, 21c Museum Hotels, founded in 2007, has grown from a single community revitalization project in Louisville, Kentucky, into a hospitality brand, management and group operating seven hotels and eight restaurants in six states with others under development. Now with more than 75,000 square feet of exhibition space, the multi-venue 21c Museum is North America’s only collecting museum dedicated solely to the art of the 21st century. Follow on social for the latest updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For a full roster of hotels, restaurants and current exhibitions, visit 21cMuseumHotels.com.
About Humana
Humana Inc. is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.
To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:
- Annual reports to stockholders
- Securities and Exchange Commission filings
- Most recent investor conference presentations
- Quarterly earnings news releases and conference calls
- Calendar of events
- Corporate Governance information