Just Munson: Utica arts center changes its name, launches campus redesign plan
Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute (MWPAI) announced a new name Tuesday, along with a vision for upgrades to its campus.
MWPAI will now be known as Munson, and the museum and arts organization shared the beginnings of a master plan to redesign its 10-acre, 25-building campus in downtown Utica.
“A new identity will greatly enhance and identify who we are,” said the organization's president and CEO, Anna Tobin D’Ambrosio.
D’Ambrosio said the change was a “brave vision” that is part of a five-year strategic plan launched in 2019.
These changes, D'Ambrosio said, build on the organization's vision and strengths "to prepare us to better serve the region for generations."
Campus redesign
Officials on Tuesday announced a blueprint for a redesign of Munson’s campus.
International architecture and urban design firm Cooper Robertson, headquartered in New York City, assessed Munson’s campus and created a campus master plan, officials said.
The firm’s proposals include reimagined public green spaces, a potential café and engaging family gallery in the museum, along with a maker’s studio and updated studio classrooms for Munson’s School of Art.
Examples of Cooper Robertson’s work include the Princeton University Art Museum, Whitney Museum, University of Miami, and the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
“Across our campus — in the Museum galleries, auditorium, and in our classrooms and studios — Munson harnesses the power of art to cultivate curiosity, educate, entertain and inspire central New Yorkers and beyond. The arts are also an important economic driver in our region. A strong, focused plan for the future of Munson is a positive development for all of us,” F. X. Matt III, Munson Board of Trustees Chair, said in a statement.
From three names to one
Munson officials said the name change was due, in part, to its 10-syllable, hyphenated predecessor and the fact that very few people actually used the whole name.
Munson worked with Brooklyn design agency Order for the rebranding, and they helped ensure a "vibrant identity," D'Ambrosio said, that honors the legacy of the 104-year-old organization and represents a "lively outlook."
“Our new name is so much more than nomenclature,” D’Ambrosio said.
Officials said the name of the college of art and design on Munson’s campus will also change to reflect the overall name change of the organization.
Since 1999, Munson has partnered with the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn as an upstate extension campus of the prestigious college of art and design. Students may choose to complete the first two years of Pratt Institute curriculum in Utica with smaller class sizes and a lower cost.
Currently known as PrattMWP, the college of art and design will become Pratt Munson starting with the incoming class of the 2023-2024 academic year in August.
A new name, a new look
In addition to shortening the name, Order’s brand identity for Munson includes a new palette derived from color combinations found in archival Munson publications, and a custom revival style typeface inspired by the hand-lettering original to the 1960 Museum of Art building.
The original signage and hand-lettering in the museum was created by mid-century graphic designer Elaine Lustig Cohen, whose work is on display at Munson as part of an exhibition.
A new symbol for Munson is based on a bird's-eye view of the Museum of Art building.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Utica's MWPAI shortens name and launches campus redesign plan
