Back in January, I met with our president, Becky Clark, and she shared her vision for the future of OPA – a vibrant clay community with a ceramics center at the heart of it. It was inspiring to hear about a space that would provide: classes for all ages taught by local artists and artists-in-residence, rotating workshops with national artists, affordable studio space for working artists, and a gallery where we could exhibit and sell our work. She asked if I wanted to help make it a reality because this wasn’t just a dream, she had a plan!
Thanks to our grant from RACC and the advice they provided, we have a 4-point strategy and special teams dedicated to accomplishing the following:
- Raise visibility and public awareness of OPA
- Increase membership and involvement
- Grow our income and target donors
- Research, plan and develop a facility.
Due to my career in corporate advertising and branding, Becky asked me to tackle the first strategy and help improve our visibility. For the past 9 months, I’ve been working with a panel of OPA members (new and legacy) to develop our vision and define our identity – specifically who OPA is, what our brand looks like, how it speaks, as well as how it behaves. A special thank you to all who participated in the discussions – your input and feedback has been invaluable in developing this direction!
You’ll start to notice changes over the coming months. First up is the Fall Fair - a new sales pop-up happening on Nov. 10th. It will be the first event to feature our new branding, followed by Ceramic Showcase next April. We’re also going to update our social media branding in conjunction with the fair. And last but not least, our website and printed materials will be redesigned.
Please take a look and spread the word about our vision – we are here to leave our mark!
Sharon Greenwood
Marketing and Communications Lead
OUR VISION:
Leaving Our Mark
Every maker leaves a mark, an impression made by the creative process, that reflects our spirit and our humanity. Our clay community also leaves a mark – not just on our work – but on each person we connect with, for the rest of their lives. Whether they are artists or art lovers, teachers or students, we welcome all generations to discover and express their creativity through clay. By feeding their curiosity, inspiring their artistic growth and empowering them to live creative lives, we help each person flourish throughout their ceramic journey. Our legacy is to leave a lasting impression – in our classrooms, studios, galleries, neighborhoods and the clay community at large.
OUR IDENTITY: Click here to see the entire branding PDF >
