AkzoNobel, the world’s largest paint company, has entered into a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the Cleveland Museum of Art in support of the museum’s broad-based community and educational programs, as well as its special exhibitions.
Under its Glidden® paint brand, AkzoNobel will sponsor community arts events such as Parade the Circle, the Chalk Festival, and the Winter Lights Lantern Festival; educational activities including the museum’s distance-learning program, Art-to-Go interactive exhibits and school tours; and its VIVA! & Gala Performing Arts Series. In addition, the company’s Glidden brand will be the official paint used for the museum’s special exhibitions.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for AkzoNobel to support arts and education in Northeast Ohio while also adding color to the community in which we work and live,” said Erik Bouts, CEO, Akzo Nobel Paints LLC, the company’s U.S. paints division. “Glidden has been a proud member of the Northeast Ohio community since 1875. And we are privileged to partner with the world-renowned Cleveland Museum of Art, one of our area’s most prestigious cultural institutions, in its efforts to provide greater access to the arts for community residents and students.”
Museum Director David Franklin said, “As we continue to undergo an exciting time of expansion at the Cleveland Museum of Art, we greatly appreciate the support of our corporate sponsors such as AkzoNobel. We look forward to working with the company and its employee volunteers in our shared mission to improve our community through the advancement of the arts.”
Jeffrey Strean, director of design and architecture for the museum, said, “Glidden paints are ideally suited to showcase a variety of works of art. We will use the wide-ranging and vibrant Glidden color palette to complement the presentations in our exhibitions and enhance the experience for our visitors.”
Events and programs to be sponsored by AkzoNobel include:
Parade the Circle, a spectacular display of bright costumes, giant puppets, stilt-dancers, handmade masks, and colorful floats bringing international and national guest artists together with Greater Cleveland artists, families, schools and community groups in an annual parade at Cleveland’s University Circle
Chalk Festival, a yearly event that allows hundreds of children, adults, community members and professional artists to show off their colorful sidewalk chalk creations in a tradition that draws inspiration from chalk drawings popular during the Renaissance in Italy
Winter Lights Lantern Festival, a day of seasonal music, gift shopping, workshops and lantern lighting inspired by centuries-old, cross-cultural traditions of ceremonial lighting displays to celebrate the holiday season
The museum’s award-winning distance learning program, which allows students from all over the country and beyond to view art and artifacts from the museum’s renowned collection through live videoconferencing while sharing in conversations with museum educators
Art-to-Go, which brings museum staff and volunteers to schools, offering students a unique hands-on experience to see and touch works of art up to 4,000 years old, along with interactive discussions about various cultures, time periods, and artists’ materials
The museum’s VIVA! & Gala Performing Arts Series, bringing a varied line up of renowned global musicians, dancers and other performers to the museum’s newly renovated Gartner Auditorium
The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 40,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The museum is currently in the midst of a $350 million building renovation and expansion project that, when completed, will significantly improve the presentation and interpretation of the collection and enhance the experience for visitors. Historically, when the campus was fully opened, the museum welcomed approximately 500,000 visitors annually. The museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, performing arts and art education and annually acquires more than 300 works of art. Free admission to the museum has been a hallmark nearly since its founding and continues today.
About AkzoNobel
AkzoNobel is the largest global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals. We supply industries and consumers worldwide with innovative products and are passionate about developing sustainable answers for our customers. Our portfolio includes well known brands such as Dulux, Glidden, Sikkens, International and Eka. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we are a Global Fortune 500 company and are consistently ranked as one of the leaders on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. With operations in more than 80 countries, our 55,000 people around the world are committed to excellence and delivering Tomorrow’s Answers Today™.
About AkzoNobel’s US Decorative Paints Business (Akzo Nobel Paints LLC)
Within its U.S. paints business, Akzo Nobel Paints LLC produces a portfolio of well respected brands, including Glidden®, Glidden Professional™, Ralph Lauren® and Devoe® paints; Flood®, Sikkens® and Synteko® wood care products; plus Liquid Nails® adhesives and caulks. Products are sold through company stores, national/retail outlets, distributors and independent dealers in the United States and Puerto Rico as well as exported internationally.
Media Contact:
Eric Stasiowski
Director – Communications
440-591-3767
eric.stasiowski@akzonobel.com