CONCORD, N.H. — The Business and Industry Association will honor the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts for its decades-long effort to support and promote the arts.

NHBCA, a statewide membership organization, will receive the 2021 New Hampshire Advantage Award at BIA’s 108th Annual Dinner and Awards Celebration, presented by Eversource, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel. Three recipients of BIA’s Lifetime Achievement Awards, who will be announced next week, also will be honored at the Annual Dinner.

The New Hampshire Advantage Award honors businesses, organizations or projects that enhance New Hampshire’s special character and quality of life in meaningful ways.

NHBCA summarizes its work in the statement “Connecting art and commerce: Fueling the creative economy.” Its newest and innovative tool to expand access to the arts embodies that. NHBCA’s augmented reality art, AR+ art by NHBCA App, makes art more accessible by taking original artwork and displaying it digitally in the world around you through an app on your phone. The new technology will be on display during the Annual Dinner’s reception.

“It puts the art in the palm of someone’s hand,” said Tricia Soule, NHBCA’s executive director. “They can interact with amazing pieces of art anywhere. It allows us to promote art and culture not just in New Hampshire but well beyond. It gives a much greater opportunity for the organizations and artists to gain exposure to a much wider audience than they might otherwise have.”

For more information, including how to get the app, visit www.nhbca.com/ar-art-app.

AR+ art by NHBCA App is part of NHBCA’s mission to advocate for the value of the arts in economic, social and community development, and facilitate people and projects that enhance engagement in the arts. NHBCA began in the mid-1980s when a group of business leaders recognized the need for greater support for the arts. The effort soon had the support of then-Gov. John Sununu. Soule said support from businesses has led to greater opportunities to experience and promote the value of the arts.

“The work we are doing is to create opportunities to bring together artists, art and business leaders and help them to have a dialogue and develop more of a common language,” Soule said. “The intent is to have a greater understanding how they can work together and how the arts benefit all of us.”

NHBCA’s outreach efforts include its Artful Networking events and Business in the Arts Awards, both of which use the augmented reality app to bring art to life. The group held its 37^th annual Arts Awards event virtually this past June due to safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Coming through the pandemic so many people had to embrace technology in ways they never imagined,” Soule said. “God willing, we’ll all be able to come together again after the pandemic, but I really believe a lot of technology is here to stay and our AR+art platform gives such a dynamic way to engage with the arts.”

For nearly 40 years, NHBCA has leveraged the influence of New Hampshire businesses to expand the reach of the arts.

“For us it’s so important to collaborate and bring together diverse partners from all sectors, the arts industry, technology, travel, all sorts of different businesses,” Soule said. “It elevates the arts and all of us and creates shared experiences among people from different backgrounds.”

Last year’s New Hampshire Advantage Award winner was Granite United Way. Other past honorees include CASA NH, Girls Inc. of New Hampshire, University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, New Hampshire Public Television, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, New Hampshire Humanities Council, New Hampshire Food Bank, Easter Seals New Hampshire, 2-1-1 New Hampshire Partnership, New Hampshire Political Library and a core group of supporters that worked to prevent closure of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process.

Tickets for BIA'S 108th Annual Dinner and Awards Celebration, presented by Eversource, are $1,500 for a table of 10 or $150 per person and may be purchased at BIAofNH.com/events. For more information, call (603) 224-5388 ext. 101. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, email Lora McMahon.

Sponsors for this year’s annual dinner include:

Presenting – Eversource

Livestream – Bank of America

Audio Visual – Catholic Medical Center

Program Sponsor – Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics

Dessert – GZA GeoEnvironmental

Event parking – Well Sense Health Plan

Registration & Name Badge – Eastern Bank

Centerpiece – Rath Young and Pignatelli

Wine – The Mountain Club on Loon

Wi-Fi – United Healthcare

Hors d’oeuvres – Cook Little Rosenblatt and Manson

Platinum – BAE Systems, Bank of New Hampshire, CGI Business Solutions, Cirtronics Corporation, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, Fidelity Investments, Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc., Liberty Mutual Group, McLane Middleton Professional Association, Rasky Partners, Sig Sauer, Inc., The RiverStone Group, Unitil, Waste Management, People’s United Bank, Maloney & Kennedy PLLC

Media – New Hampshire Business Review

Newspaper – New Hampshire Union Leader

Gold – Anheuser-Busch, Inc., AT&T Services, Inc., C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., Exigere Networks Inc., Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hinckley Allen, Millennium Agency, Nathan Wechsler & Co., PA, Novocure, Watts Water Technologies

Silver – Anagnost Investments, Inc., Baker Newman Noyes, Casella, Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC, Fiduciary Trust of New England, The NHHEAF Network Organizations, Liberty, Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, New Hampshire College and University Council, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, Inc., Northeast Delta Dental, Onvio LLC, Orr & Reno, PA, Planet Fitness World Headquarters, Sojourn Partners, Sprague Energy, TD Bank, Verizon, Vitex Extrusion/Momentum Manufacturing Group

Exhibitor – Littleton Coin Company

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About the BIA: The Business and Industry Association is New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce and leading business advocate. BIA represents more than 400 leading employers in a variety of industries including manufacturing, technology, professional services, financial services, health care, hospitality and tourism, public utilities, higher education, insurance, and many others. Member firms employ 93,000 people throughout the state and contribute $4.5 billion annually to the state’s economy. While proud of its many large members, 69% of BIA members have an annual payroll of $3 million or less. Through advocacy with state legislators and regulators, BIA works to promote a healthy climate for job creation and a strong New Hampshire economy. For more information, visit www.biaofnh.com.