Philadelphia Museum of Art Ditches 'Art' from Name, but Keeps Iconic Griffin Logo.
In a surprise move, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is reverting to its original name after a brief stint as the Philadelphia Art Museum. The decision comes after a survey of staff, trustees, members, and the public showed that the majority preferred the classic name.
However, one element of the rebrand will remain intact – the griffin logo. This symbol of protection for the arts was chosen from the sculptures on the museum's iconic building corners as an homage to the 1938 original logo.
The decision to change back the name followed a $1 million task force process that included consultations with design studio Gretel and Brooklyn-based experts. The cost to revert to its original name is estimated at less than $50,000.
This move appears to put an end to the tumultuous period following former executive director and CEO Sasha Suda's sudden termination just over a month after implementing the rebrand. Suda had cited that the museum wanted to make the name more accessible for tourists visiting the city for its 250th anniversary celebrations this year, despite surveys showing that most people in the region already referred to it as the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Suda filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the board of trustees, accusing them of orchestrating her firing and disputing their claims about increasing her salary. A recent court ruling has ordered the matter to be settled through arbitration, with Suda seeking compensatory damages and injunctive relief.
As for the rebrand's remnants, the museum will incrementally transition its brand materials back to its original name over coming weeks. The acronym PhAM introduced during the rebranding phase will also be phased out in favor of the classic "Phila."
In a surprise move, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is reverting to its original name after a brief stint as the Philadelphia Art Museum. The decision comes after a survey of staff, trustees, members, and the public showed that the majority preferred the classic name.
However, one element of the rebrand will remain intact – the griffin logo. This symbol of protection for the arts was chosen from the sculptures on the museum's iconic building corners as an homage to the 1938 original logo.
The decision to change back the name followed a $1 million task force process that included consultations with design studio Gretel and Brooklyn-based experts. The cost to revert to its original name is estimated at less than $50,000.
This move appears to put an end to the tumultuous period following former executive director and CEO Sasha Suda's sudden termination just over a month after implementing the rebrand. Suda had cited that the museum wanted to make the name more accessible for tourists visiting the city for its 250th anniversary celebrations this year, despite surveys showing that most people in the region already referred to it as the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Suda filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the board of trustees, accusing them of orchestrating her firing and disputing their claims about increasing her salary. A recent court ruling has ordered the matter to be settled through arbitration, with Suda seeking compensatory damages and injunctive relief.
As for the rebrand's remnants, the museum will incrementally transition its brand materials back to its original name over coming weeks. The acronym PhAM introduced during the rebranding phase will also be phased out in favor of the classic "Phila."
I mean, what was the point of doing a whole $1 million task force process if most people already called it Art Museum anyway? 
It seems like a lot of resources were wasted on trying to make the name more "touristy" or whatever. But hey, at least they kept the griffin logo, which is still super iconic and recognizable! 
That's gotta be worth something. And now that Suda's lawsuit has been put on hold, I guess things should calm down a bit for the museum. Let's just hope this decision doesn't disrupt any major exhibitions or events... fingers crossed it all goes smoothly from here 
just heard about the philadelphia museum of art changing back its name, and i'm here for it 
they had me worried for a sec when that new logo came out 
but it's always good to go back to what makes you unique - like the iconic griffin logo, btw 
hope sasha suda's lawsuit gets settled soon tho 
oh man, so the Philly Art Museum is going back to being the Philly Museum of Art... like, what's next? 
. But seriously, who needs $1 million when you've got good ol' fashioned common sense? 
And Sasha Suda's lawsuit? well, I guess that's gonna have to go on hold until she figures out how to wing her way back onto the board 
she went thru a lot, n u think it's harsh that they terminated her but idk if i'd wanna work 4 a org thats all about art & culture only to see them kick me out 
the griffin logo tho is EVERYTHING 
so yeah probs good riddance in some ways, but also kinda sad for her 
anyway, cant wait 2 c them go bck 2 normal & not all drama 
. i mean, who doesn't love a good rebrand every now and then? but seriously, it's cool that they're listening to their staff and public and going back to what worked in the first place. $50k isn't a lot for a museum of that caliber 
, you know? like sasha suda gets terminated and then she's all upset about it... meanwhile the museum goes back to its old name after a survey says most people don't even care about being called art museum anyway 
. and now we got this whole drama over wrongful dismissal... isn't that just a fancy way of saying someone didn't like their job? 
now they gotta deal w/ arbitration over her lawsuit 
It's like they're sayin', "Hey, we trust our fans to know what's up"! 
And that whole rebranding drama with Sasha Suda? Forget about it! 
its good to see they listened to the public tho, i mean who wants some new "art" name stuck on them forever 
. like, if you're gonna sue the board, at least have a solid argument 
, that thing is iconic 
! Guess Sasha Suda was overcompensating or something... who knows what really went down