SIA Alfor is a company that sponsors innovative art and theatre projects in Latvia. For four years, SIA Alfor has actively supported experimental cultural projects to foster development in the arts. The owner has a direct interest in the arts and believes in supporting new talents and ideas. SIA Alfor's patronage began with small projects and has grown to include large nationwide events. Research involved interviews with cultural institutions to identify projects for support. The main goal is financial and organizational support for innovative projects to advance the entire field. Successful strategies have included open competitions in visual arts and theatre, resulting in over 15 new theatre ideas and an exhibition of 45 young painters in 2007.

1. Categorie:
Sponsoring campaigns
Title of campaign:
SIA Alfor's support for innovative art and theatre projects
short common description of the campaign::
During the last years state institutions in charge of culture (mainly, Ministry of
Culture) continuously mention and remind of rather slowly arising tradition of
culture patronage. However, they usually mention some good examples and one of
them is SIA Alfor which for at least four years continuously and actively supports
innovative art and culture projects. The reason for that basically is the owner's
direct interest in arts and belief in new talents and the necessity to support their
ideas, allow them to express and implement those ideas. According to the opinion
once expressed by the owner of SIA Alfor - they're ready to support those projects
which are to experimental and risky and therefore do not usually get support from
the "serious" state funds, etc.
Their patronage "career" was started with several small projects supported,
however, up to now it's grew in a couple of nation-wide events with long-term
influence in society.

2. research work done during the campaign:
Research process mainly involved direct in-depth interviews with the possible
partners, project initiators, etc. - Latvian National Art Museum, modern art
exhibition-hall "Arsenāls", New Theatre Institute of Latvia, etc. Some of them had
their own ideas and projects ready, however, in some cases we went together with
SIA Alfor with our own project ideas and searched for professional
implementation.
strategy:
The main goal of the company is financial and organizational support clearly
aimed at innovative and experimental culture projects which foster further
development in the whole field, not only supports one artist, and that's it.
One of the most successful measures used proved to be competitions - both in
visual arts and theatre, thus two main directions were clarified in 2007 and
continued in 2008 on a broader, more national scope:
- open competition for innovative theatre projects - the producers could apply for it
and a professional jury, including the owner of the company himself, evaluated
them and gave support to three most promising ones;
- unique, though in 2007 restricted competition for the young painters - the idea

3. was chosen because, as there is no Contemporary art museum in Latvia yet, the
performance of the younger generations can not be fully seen and evaluated by the
society, thus SIA Alfor supported gathering the most promising painters and
establishing a common exhibition opened in autumn 2007.
These projects were accompanied with public communication measures involving:
- media events for culture journalists mainly - openings of the exhibitions,
announcement of the results of the theatre competition, etc.;
- direct communication to producers and artists in order to foster their activity and
applications;
- public voting for their sympathy among the young painters;
- accompanying events such as graffiti performance in front of the exhibition hall
"Arsenāls", etc.
Results of the campaign and evaluation::
During 2007 more than 15 new ideas for theatre performances were presented
thanks to the competition organized and supported by SIA Alfor and more than 45
young painters presented in the common exhibition in "Arsenāls".
In addition, more than 800 people voted for their favourite artist in internet portal
TVnet as well as a significant amount of publicity was achieved in central media,

4. including TV, radios and daily newspapers and their culture sections.
As a result of last year's activities the Minister of Culture together with the
Director of the Latvian National Art Museum signed a 10-year contract with SIA
Alfor on organization of a nation-wide bi-annual competition for the artists which
is something unique in Latvia. (In the attachment - Minister of Culture, Director of
the Museum and the owner of SIA Alfor in the press conference announcing the
competition at the very beginning of 2008.)