As preparing for her next private art exhibition in Helsinki 2024, artist Sini Kunnas wanted to uplift the role of an individual arts patron and to not so much focus on designing sponsorship plans.

Art events often have funders or cooperators, but the patron is still an important role of patronage for the arts. Art events have a valued meaning for invited guests, who can visit the art event away from their office or usual roles at other places. Patronage of the arts is a concept many of us remember from the Renaissance artist life stories.

Funding an artist while simultaneously giving artistic freedom to the art work, is a way to support new ideas and to enhance variety into arts expression. Sponsors demands or expectations may put pressure on the artist. The art work has true value when it is created freely.

Patronage can be, for example, in a form of funding an arts show, the art work itself or even in commissioning art. When art is bought directly from the private art show or studio, the art is certainly genuine.

Arts works made by hands are an object of a creative process, which inspires as a window into the artist´s spirit. Loneliness and stress eases as artists are supported to do their work with less pressure to fund self.

The art offered for audiences eyes can be experienced at the exhibition on location as well as in the internet. As an artist can invite someone to be their patron, can the selection enable the cooperation to be free from too many differencies in artistic views.

Mr. Reggie Rusan was invited to be a patron of arts to Mrs. Sini Kunnas´s art exhibition “Water is a Feeling” at the Eva International Art Gallery in Helsinki 13.2.-3.3.2024 by the artist herself, who felt joy and honor from Mr. Rusan´s respect through the support.

Sini knows Reggie through their cultural event cooperations and membership with the British and Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce in Helsinki, where Mr. Rusan was also a longtime board member.

These parties share similar values in supporting diversity, equal rights and creative freedom. Even Finnish Sini Kunnas and American born Reggie Rusan have different cultural backgrounds, openness to see and hear World ideas has created also a long friendship with trust.

When similar values meet, an honoring collaboration is possible across nations. Reggie and Sini have produced many cultural events supporting diversity and skills-first– thinking in business with arts cooperation.

In this video (duration 17 min.), Mr. Reggie Rusan and artist Sini Kunnas speak of their thoughts of this patronage for the art show. The video may be interesting to art students considering to accept a patronage for the arts or whom are just beginning their negotiations to find a suitable one.

Those, who may consider to become a patron for arts, may feel delighted of this role in a time, where the social media enables gallery event sharing easier than ever. Art works remain after our time for many generations.

A patron can use his or hers own name publically as the supporter – instead of having a company sponsoring. The artist can create an own event for the patron during the art show. Networking the artist´s connections with the patrons invited guests can lead to new cooperations after.

This form of collaboration between and artist and patron may offer new contacts to the gallery from factors, who might not know art events before.

Please see videos of the exhibition and of the patronage here:

Artist Sini Kunnas in photos with husband Rauno in New York 2023 and by ocean speeches at schools.

Lives in Lapland, Finland. By profession artist, ocean advocate and emotional security adviser. The art exhibition “Water is a Feeling” (“Vesi on tunne”) has 12 new paintings of world water subjects and the Lappish waters.

Contact: artistsinikunnas@gmail.com/ Tel. +358(0)409300203.

Contact to Mr. Reggie Rusan: rusanreggie@gmail.com

Contact to the gallery: eva@evainternationalartgallery.com