After surfing (ahem!) the internet looking for the new ArtsWave website, I found two other arts organizations with the same or similar name: ArtsWave in New York and Norfolk ArtsWave in Connecticut. Both are relatively young arts organizations, with very similar goals towards supporting the arts.
In New York, ArtsWave, which stands for Arts in Warwarsing and the Village of Ellenville, began its 501c3 process in February of 2008. This is the same month they unveiled their logo design by competition winner, Chuck Davidson.
The Norfolk ArtsWave website states:
"In that Plan a well-researched and clearly-articulated commitment was made to economic development based on Norfolk’s cultural roots. (my emphasis, of course) Norfolk ArtsWave!, which is the result of intense collaboration among townspeople, businesses and organizations, brings this very good strategy to life in a very good way."
Cincinnati's ArtsWave spent $150,000 for this "new" brand.
While I still argue an outside marketing firm cannot possibly do a good job of rebranding Cincinnati's history of arts support, I did expect at the very least New York's Resnicow Schroeder Associates to dip its toes in the water before branding the Fine Arts Fund with a name already used by groups in their own neighborhood.
2 comments:
Maybe ... maybe there's a difference between arts and the business of promotion, and people are getting those mixed up.
Funny you mention Norfolk (prounounced "Nuffuk"). I love the "mermaid" project there -- same as the pigs here, the cows (or whatever it was) in Chicago, etc., etc. Every city has one.
These are not necessarily art, but they are decorated by artists. So, artists get their names out there, passersby get to look at cute mermaids, pigs, and/or cows. Warm fuzzies for everyone!
But beyond that -- OK, now that the artists have their publicity, then what? The cow-pig-mermaid show should not be the end.
So, I guess it's a continuum, and the marketers focus on the cow-pig-mermaid, when they should be looking more long-range. Or maybe it's everyone else that should be looking more long-range.
Yes, I am trying to straddle the fence here because I have good friends on both sides. I think what I'm seeing is two different goals. Maybe it's the public patrons who need to bridge the gap between the two.
I guess the Cincinnati ArtsWave is just a franchise of some bigger ArtsWave consortium?
We are really in the big time now, with Norfolk, and that little NY town leading the way, and us following.
I wonder if any of the money they paid to out of state consultants from the funds they raise locally was spent on doing a simple google search to see if they were paying big bucks for a "brand" that someone else was already using?
At least they could have picked a P & G brand to copy: something like ArtsTide?
Wait, I should have not mentioned that for free....I should have asked $150,000 for the idea...
(And my quick google search shows that no small town in Arkansas is already using it).
Go for it the ArtsWave formally known as the FAF, if you move quickly to change to ArtsTide you can avoid the inevitable copyright infringement lawsuit.
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