Press release from Arts United:
Arts United Releases New Logo
Arts United will be sporting a new look at the Taste of the Arts festival. The 55-year old organization released a new logo to the public today, just two weeks ahead of their annual celebration of local arts, history and restaurants. The logo is the spearhead of a comprehensive brand overhaul for Arts United.
It’s been over 20 years since the Fine Arts Foundation changed its name to Arts United and adopted a simple blue block logo. In recent years, the organization’s board of directors and leadership are still keeping with the original mission but have had to become more creative in fundraising and supporting the arts and are hoping the new image better reflects the role Arts United plays in the community.
For example, Arts United changed the focus of their grant funds to meet new community needs. Arts organizations are now asked to work with either neighborhood associations or community groups to make art programs more accessible. Arts United also established a new grant fund to supplement shrinking arts education funds in schools, encouraging field trips to local cultural institutions. Recently, Arts United was one of four partners involved in the formation of a designated “cultural district” downtown. Leaders hope the designation will also be approved by the State to enhance tourism
and future downtown development.“For half a century, we have been behind the scenes supporting a wide variety of non-profit arts and culture organizations. Our fundraising efforts and services for those groups have become increasingly complex,” says Jim Sparrow, Arts United’s executive director. “You might say we’re getting out of the box and moving in a new direction. We want our logo to demonstrate the collaborative nature of our mission to enrich the community by making arts and culture a vital part of our lifestyle. We’re excited about our new look.”
Arts United will continue the annual fund drive to sustain at least 10 “Funded Member Groups” with dependable annual operating support and offering project grants to many others. Arts United owns and operates several arts facilities and provides back office services such as payroll, tax support and health benefit administration to many non-profits. New activities such as Taste of the Arts are revivals of past projects hosted by Arts United. They are the region’s leadership for administering state arts funding for ten counties in northeast Indiana.
“We aren’t losing sight of the vision passed to us from the founders of Arts United,” says Sparrow. “We’re excited about our new direction in accomplishing their goals and want our image to represent that enthusiasm.”