Luke Woods

Blue Moon Brewing Company’s slogan—“artfully crafted”—went beyond their appreciation for craft beer, and included their dedication to art as a key component of success.

On March 1, Blue Moon took to the skies of Brooklyn, NY, to celebrate the lunar new moon, promote their beer, and raise money for Americans for the Arts through a Twitter campaign. The Colorado-based company, easily recognized by its orange-colored Belgian White ale, enlisted artist Heather Gabel and Johalla Projects, a team of Chicago-based creatives, to bring public art to the people of Brooklyn's DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood. The installation was designed to call on art and beer-lovers alike to support a mutual cause.

Heather and her team created a multi-faceted art display, which featured complete indoor and outdoor attractions. The first feature, a compilation of ambient music emitting from a set of speakers in Old Fulton Plaza, setting the mood for the event. This mood was then reinforced by the cosmic graphics display that danced on the walls of the DUMBO Archway and Archway Café. The centerpiece for the event was an enormous, glowing sphere moon suspended overhead in the Plaza.

Blue Moon

The idea—a fairly new and untapped social engagement strategy—was simple: Throughout the day on March 1, Americans for the Arts would receive a $5 donation from Blue Moon on behalf of anyone who re-tweeted a message from @BlueMoonBrewCo, using the hashtag “#RaiseAMoon”. For every $5 that was donated, the gigantic moon-like shape would be raised a few more inches into the air.

Click to view the following video from the "Raise a Moon" event:

Americans for the Arts received over $4,000 in donations from more than 800 re-tweets as a result of Blue Moon’s generosity toward the arts, Heather’s creativity, and a social media following eager to make a difference in our country’s arts landscape.

This type of donation-yielding event is important to the sustainability and support of the recipient organization and equally important to the mission of the partnering company. In this case, Blue Moon not only strived to increase their social media and beverage consumer base, but to inform their followers that art is an integral part of their business model.

Blue Moon truly put belief into practice as they made art and artists the focal point of the evening. Three cheers to Blue Moon, Heather Gabel, Johalla Projects, and arts supporters across America!

(This article, originally posted on Boston.com, is one in a weekly series highlighting the pARTnership Movement, Americans for the Arts’ campaign to reach business leaders with the message that partnering with the arts can build their competitive advantage. Visit our website to find out how both businesses and local arts agencies can get involved!)