Out with the old, in with the new. That's the adage many people live by, especially at this time of year and it's the same for Frances Gagnon, the director of arts at what was formerly known as Profiles Public Art Gallery.
Say hello to the Art Gallery of St. Albert. The name has been slowly seeping into the public consciousness over the last few months. Now, it's official and it means bigger and better things for the gallery just after it celebrated its 25th anniversary.
"It was a good time for us to think about the future and changing and change," she stated. "I think the name change reflects our community of St. Albert."
The idea had other influences as well. They wanted to shake off a few specific parts of the name while bringing the whole thing around to something more identifiable to the masses.
"I think Profiles worked for many years. What does Profiles mean? To attract new people or to make the community aware that this belongs to them, we felt Art Gallery of St. Albert captured that idea better."
She added that the word 'public' is also out of the name but it is still a public gallery, one of only 18 in Alberta, which means it is owned by the people.
It is still operated as a non-profit organization and as a public institution it is very successful at operating art education programming for children and adults alike. More than 38,000 people went through the gallery's programs this year. That doesn't include the attendance at its numerous art exhibitions.
The new look for the new name
The logo was created by St. Albert native Sean Haughian with the help of local artists Byron McBride, Angela Grootelaar and Amy Loewan who submitted their own stylized letters. The end product is green to pay homage to the city's new brand with a touch of charcoal grey to reflect the contemporary nature of the gallery's shows.
There was a lot of work behind the scenes to get it off the ground but there have only been subtle cues to the public about the changes.
"It's been a transition. We brought it in softly to the community."
She feels positive about the process and how it will act as a harbinger of good fortune as the gallery moves into the future.
"It's exciting. It means that we're moving forward."
The building's signage will be changed in January in conjunction with a website launch.
For more information about the gallery, its new name or new logo, please call the AGSA at 780-460-4310 or visit www.artsheritage.ca/gallery. It is located at 19 Perron Street.
