At the 13^th Annual Viola Awards, Flagstaff Arts Council unveiled its new name, Creative Flagstaff, a new website, and a new visual look and feel. This video features board members outlining why they chose to adopt a new identity.

In 2019, then Flagstaff Arts Council began the process of updating its strategic plan. In the fall of 2020, an Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking services for naming and brand architecture review, identity design, website development, brand activation strategy, and stakeholder education was issued. Nearly 30 firms from Arizona and beyond responded. Ultimately the board selected Phoenix’s Canary, a Gould Evans Studio which was recommended by a committee comprised of staff and local marketing and design experts.

The project’s goals were to:

1. Inspire philanthropy for our organization and others throughout the sector.
2. Be a resource for the creative sector.
3. Communicate the impact of the arts and creative sector in our community and to inspire change.
4. Provide a brand framework that is extendable and supportable by multiple branded initiatives.

Canary helped establish naming criteria. And, based upon our outreach, it is clear our name does not communicate the breadth of our work or speak to the future we want for our community. Your feedback calls for an inclusive name that conveys our vision – a flexible name that can stand the test of time – a name at the convergence of art, science, and culture – a name that speaks to the interdisciplinary and boundless creativity of our community. Although we didn’t know it at the time, it is a name we foreshadowed after the onset of COVID and in our new mission statement that was unveiled at the 2020 Viola Awards.

Our new name, Creative Flagstaff, describes a movement. All of us together are the driving force for an art-filled awe-inspiring City.

To learn more about Creative Flagstaff’s new strategic plan, see here.