Arts Sponsorship in the USA and Germany

"Art is the signature of a civilization."(Beverly Sills)In times of heated discussions about the allocation of public money, thereduction of funds for cultural organizations in Germany is often demandedby critics and feared by numerous arts institutions. Whatever one's opinionmay be, here, we are talking about the cultural identity of a people. Hence itis important to explore alternatives to raise money in order to ensure thefinancial basis for the promotion of the arts. In this context it suggests itselfto look at successful financing models in foreign countries.Moreover, corporations are facing increasing difficulties in addressing theirstakeholders effectively. Constant information overload by the media is ahuge challenge for external corporate communications. Yet also internal communicationstrategies play a crucial role in order to reach the highest possibledegree of staff satisfaction and consequently optimal output.In view of these aspects, this paper draws a comparison between arts financingand particularly arts sponsorship in Germany and the USA. It is focusedon the political and social integration of the arts in society on the one handand the promotion of the cooperation between the arts and the businessworld on the other hand. Three practical examples are presented: theStuttgart State Opera, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the San FranciscoOpera.