The rapidly growing Bloomington Theatre and Art Center will get a new name and logo that better fit its expanding activities.
Officials hope those simple but important changes will clarify what the center is and what it does, something that has been a problem since it was created by the 2009 merger of the Bloomington Civic Theatre and the Bloomington Art Center.
"For any organization that seeks to grow and thrive … it's important for people to understand who you are and what you do," said Andrea Specht, executive director. "You don't want confusion among donors …
"This is a really exciting opportunity for us to have identity in a name and a logo that is a clear fit for who we are now and what we're doing."
The center is getting free help from communications firm PadillaCRT, which each year does pro bono work for selected local nonprofits. Specht said after consultations with the center's users, a new name and logo will be designed.
Just how badly that's needed is evident in the current logo — a pushed-together image of the logos of the theater and art facilities that merged to create the center.
"We've been expanding quite rapidly in the last few years, drawn more of a regional audience … and increased the professionalization of what we do," Specht said. "We've reached the point where the current name and logo don't match that."
Confusion over exactly what the center is and what it does is tied to its location within the Bloomington Civic Plaza. City Hall is on one side; the center's home is in the wing called the Bloomington Center for the Arts. It is one of nine resident arts organizations there. But like the other groups, the nonprofit is a tenant in the building and not part of city government, though the city offers some financial support.
