KC Chamber adds honor for artists, creatives to its awards lineup; emphasizing arts’ impact on economy, culture
February 21, 2024 | Tommy Felts
A new award planned for the KC Chamber’s Small Business Celebration in June is expected to honor an entrepreneur who has put their artistic talent to work as a small business, said Vicky Kulikov.
Audience-goers listen to a panel on capital access during the KC Chamber’s 2023 Small Business Celebration; photo courtesy of the KC Chamber
The first-time Luminary Arts and Creative Small Business Award is set to be announced alongside four other high-profile specialty small business awards, as well as the coveted Mr. K Award/Small Business of the Year title, said Kulikov, small business director for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
“Artists don’t always see themselves as small business owners ; yet they are running small businesses just like the restaurant down the street or the tech company around the corner,” she explained. “We want to celebrate them and let them know that the KC Chamber and the greater business community supports them and appreciates them.”
Click here to learn more about applying for the award.
The KC Chamber sought guidance from ArtsKC, Regional Art Council, and other key arts and creative businesses and organizations to gain an understanding of how the chamber’s engagement can best serve for-profit arts and creative businesses in the region.
“Artists and creatives are a vital part of the KC business community and the region’s economy,” Kulikov said. “It’s very important to shine a light on them for being an integral part of our economy and deepening the culture of the region through their art.”
The award is open to:
- Artist-founded and/or artist-run businesses that produce original work and products, whose owner maintains individual ownership of their intellectual property;
- An individual artist business with exceptional talent and creativity, in any discipline, whose small business has shown outstanding growth, innovation and artistic influence; and
- A KC Chamber member with a profit-seeking business related to fine or creative art who is headquartered in the Kansas City metropolitan area and employs one to 250 people.
In addition to this specialty award, artists and creatives may also review the eligibility criteria and apply for the Mr. K/Small Business of the Year Award. Applications also are open for:
- Emerging Business Award
- Small Business Equity Award
- Weida Award for International Small Business of the Year
- Legacy of Kansas City Award
Click here to apply for any of these honors. The deadline for applications is March 20.
Direct questions about the Luminary Arts and Creative Small Business Award to Kulikov at kulikov@kcchamber.com
A one-hour virtual Small Business Application Workshop is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 5. The event is set to feature KC Chamber officials and a panel of past winners, Top 10 recipients and judges.
Click here to register or learn more about the application workshop.
The KC Chamber Small Business Celebration has been a business community mainstay for more than 35 years and is recognized as one of the largest Chamber small business celebrations in the United States.
RELATED: IT firm honored as ‘Emerging Business of the Year’ finds inclusive welcome in Kansas City
Featured Business
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Sandlot scores endorsement by one of KC’s favorite players; how the deal puts this brand on a base path to the big leagues
Kansas City’s only local hat maker, Sandlot Goods, announced Thursday its first professional athlete endorsement — from Royals infielder Nicky Lopez — in a hit aimed as a major play in the brand’s home run strategy. “We are incredibly excited about our first major league endorsement,” said Chad Hickman, founder of Sandlot Goods. “The first…
Despise doggie duty? It’s only No. 10 on startup’s list of pet peeve tasks people don’t want to do themselves
One in four Kansas City residents say they’ve become worse at handling awkward tasks since the pandemic began, according to a new survey by local services marketplace Airtasker. Among the most biting tasks KC wants to avoid: picking up dog poop from someone else’s lawn. Airtasker, which acquired Kansas City-based startup Zaarly in May 2021,…
Overland Park startup wins four pilot projects through NXTUS health competition
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA…
Inside-the-box thinking: Veteran entrepreneurs craft memory care tools to engage dementia patients
The founders of one of Kansas City’s celebrated small businesses are launching a new solution for dementia care: a curated, monthly subscription box full of themed engagement activities and tools designed to improve patients’ quality of life. Prairie Elder Care’s Michala Gibson and Mandy Shoemaker originated the idea for the Connectivities subscription tool during the…