STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
A red circle with the show-stopping capability of a stop sign went up on the newly white painted building at Fifth and Washington streets Wednesday morning.
And, with that, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts formally became the Sun Valley Museum of Art.
About a hundred people gathered to note the change as the Museum’s Executive Director Christine Davis-Jeffers made the case for it.
Davis-Jeffers said museum leaders recognized years ago the necessity to clarify The Center’s brand. The organization’s 50th anniversary, which will be celebrated this spring, seemed to offer the perfect time to make that change.
The new name emphasizes commitment to professional presentations and will enhance collections, she said. It also denotes the museum as a place of discovery and collaborative learning.
The SVCA would not have been able to share many of the exhibitions it has curated without its museum accreditation, which it received in 2006. The clarified identity should support new funding and relationship opportunities, Davis-Jeffers said, adding that the organization had just received a grant from the Ford Family Foundation that morning.That and a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services would not have been received without museum status.
Davis-Jeffers said that the brand change will provide a stronger platform for the Company of Fools to thrive.
“A museum is so much more than paintings hanging on wall,” she said. “It’s sounds, sights, emotion and empathy,” she said, noting that museums around the world are expanding their programs to include music and theater.
Scott Palmer, the artistic director of Company of Fools, agreed that the name change reflects a long history and commitment to excellence. He added that he thinks the Fools will benefit from the name change because it raises the profile for everyone.
“We’re just changing from orange to red,” he said, referring to the Sun Valley Center for the Arts’ logo that featured orange on black.
“For me it was not unsurprising but felt completely appropriate that they should have this conversation, especially given the wide range of things we do here,” he said. “Museums are no longer just repositories of dusty portraits from the 1800s. Across the world some of the best art institutions have art and they have theater, music, lectures. One of the best Shakespeare performances I ever saw was at the Glassford Museum of Modern Art.”
Davis-Jeffers noted that the Sun Valley Museum of Art’s board members had privately funded the rebranding effort, rather than use program funds.
Board member Barbara Lehman said that she loved the new name; “It’s very important as it defines what we do. And I love the logo—it’s very good looking.”
Davis Jeffers told those in attendance that the organization is eyeing a new building. And it's just beginning to think about what a renovation of the Liberty Theater might look like.
Palmer said it’s much needed.
During “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley,” actors had to walk behind the Liberty Theatre in the snow because there’s no back stage. Theatergoers line up outside the single-use bathrooms during intermission. And Stage Manager K.O. Ogilvie is forever having to send 30-year-old dimmers to New Jersey to be repaired.
“A lot of the equipment is 30 to 40 years old,” Palmer said. “We need to look at how we can enhance this beautiful historic building with state-of-the-art features to make it as comfortable and modern to match the quality of work we do.”
Davis-Jeffers told the crowd to get ready for Spring 2020 when the Sun Valley Museum of Art will launch its 50th anniversary celebration.
“We’re so proud of the heritage of this organization, which has brought people from around the world. And we’re so grateful to those who have gone before,” she said. “Especially (founders) Bill and Glenn Janss.”