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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Saskatchewan’s RuBarb Productions and K+S Potash Canada win Business for the Arts’ artsVest™ Outstanding Partnership Award Partnership to be celebrated at the 2014 Canadian Arts and Business Awards at the newly opened Aga Khan Museum in Toronto (TORONTO, ON – September 16, 2014) Business for the Arts, Canada’s national charitable association of business members who support the arts, announced today that Moose Jaw theatre company RuBarb Productions Inc. will receive the artsVest Outstanding Partnership Award to be presented at the Canadian Arts and Business Awards, held November 14, 2014 at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. artsVest is a sponsorship training and matching incentive program of Business for the Arts and delivered in Saskatchewan with funding from Canadian Heritage and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport. The program offers sponsorship training workshops and resources to small and medium-sized arts and culture organizations to help them secure local business investment and develop new revenue streams. The artsVest Outstanding Partnership Award recognizes an exemplary partnership from the national artsVest program. The winner receives a cash prize of $5,000 to add towards the partnership. “RuBarb Productions and K+S Potash Canada are working together to enhance quality of life in the community of Moose Jaw and our growing province,” Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport Mark Docherty said. “With financial support from K+S Potash, RuBarb Productions has made live theatre even more accessible to families. They’ve been able to offer subsidized tickets to children and have also introduced the K+S Family Pack and the K+S Family Matinee. The Family Pack provides theatre goers with one free child’s ticket for every three regular tickets purchased and the Family Fun Matinee provides each child in the audience with a free gift. Congratulations to these two organizations on an outstanding partnership.” “Business support for the arts is essential in shaping attractive communities with vitality,” said Glenn Hagel, Board President, RuBarb Productions. “Support from K+S Potash Canada has been huge for RuBarb Productions to make professional live theatre part of the cultural future of Moose Jaw. K+S are lead actors on the Moose Jaw stage.” “We're delighted to congratulate RuBarb Productions and K+S Potash Canada on winning this year's artsVest award as well as on their successful collaboration,” said Nichole Anderson, President and CEO of Business for the Arts. “The artsVest program continues to show what can be achieved when the arts and business sectors come together to create meaningful partnerships that benefit the community and help grow the economy.” Founded in 2006, RuBarb Productions Inc. is committed to building a legacy of high-quality live theatre in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. They serve the community and surrounding area by supporting the development and growth of cultural activities and events, and by being a leading contributor to the dramatic, musical and artistic standards of the region. With over a century of mining experience, K+S Potash Canada supports the local community through the involvement of children, family and youth, and is a first-time artsVest sponsor. Their sponsorship of RuBarb Productions helped subsidize tickets for children to events such as the annual summer Broadway musical Singing' in the Rain. With their assistance, RuBarb Productions has established the K+S Family Pack, which includes one free child's ticket with the purchase of three regular price tickets, and the K+S Family Fun Matinees where each child in attendance receives a special gift. As K+S expands its mining in the Moose Jaw area, their goal is also to contribute to the community's quality of life. This unique partnership will continue to be nurtured and developed well into the future. Since the expansion of the artsVest program across Canada in 2011, a total of 1,913 partnerships have been created between arts and business, of which 1,181 are long-term. Since the first introduction of the program in Ontario in 2002 to 2014, 2,334 businesses have partnered with 678 cultural organizations through artsVest – 1,509 of these businesses were first-time sponsors. A total of $4.06 million in matching funds generated more than $9.96 million in private sector sponsorship and resulted in an influx of more than $14.02 million to the cultural economy. artsVest currently operates in Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. For more information on the program, visit www.artsVest.com. About the Awards  Each year, the Canadian Arts and Business Awards bring together Canada’s foremost business and arts leaders to celebrate the extraordinary contributions made by individuals and companies who have shown outstanding commitment to the arts through philanthropy, volunteerism and innovative partnerships. For more information, visit www.bftaawards.com. About Business for the Arts Founded in 1974, Business for the Arts is Canada’s only national charitable organization of business members who support the arts. Our vision is to inspire Canada’s business community to partner with the arts to ensure a thriving cultural sector. We connect, educate and invest to bridge the gap between business and the arts. For more information, visit www.businessforthearts.org. For more information, please contact: Christine Amendola Communications Director Business for the Arts 416-869-3016 ext. 231 c_amendola@businessforthearts.org