The Center for Washington Cultural Traditions has a new name: WACultures. Below, WACultures Director Thomas Grant Richardson reflects on the name change and the concepts behind its new logo.
We needed a name that people could remember. The Center for Washington Cultural Traditions was accurate, but long and confusing. I would hear artists we funded on state getting the name wrong while trying to thank us for the support! After a year of discussions with the advisory board, and the leadership of ArtsWA and Humanities Washington, we settled on WACultures, because that’s what we focus on, the many diverse cultures that coexist across the state.
The logo also is intended to “de-center” the focus, because we truly serve the entire state. The logo attempts to map the geography, from west to east, the Olympic mountains, the Salish sea, the Cascades, the eastern plains, and the Columbia River.