News Notes
Tom Gabbard has announced that Blumenthal Performing Arts, the Carolinas’ leading not-for-profit arts organization, is rebranding. Blumenthal Performing Arts is now Blumenthal Arts, a move to describe all the organization offers more accurately as a national leader in the industry across varied platforms.
“Renowned for presenting the largest Broadway season in the Carolinas, we continue to expand the definition of ‘art’ through innovative producing efforts such as the Charlotte International Arts Festival and cutting-edge immersive projects,” said Danny Knaub, Blumenthal’s Vice President of Marketing. “We wanted a name that was less limiting and more expansive of all our organization does on and off stage, in and for the community.”
Ad agency Wray Ward refreshed the logo for Blumenthal Arts based on its design for Blumenthal’s 25th anniversary in 1997. Insights Strategist Charlie Elberson had this to say about the 25th anniversary design and the new Blumenthal Arts logo:
“The evolution [of the 25th anniversary logo] was sparked by many things, ranging from the architecture of the Belk Theater to the vibrant colors you’ll find at any given performance on the stage. The biggest challenge was evoking all that the Blumenthal experience offers and encapsulating that into a singular mark”—the iconic “B.”
For 31 years, Blumenthal Arts has been known primarily for presenting the best of Broadway. Established as a top-ten touring market, the estimated economic impact of Broadway alone was $64 million in 2023.
Blumenthal Arts President and CEO Tom Gabbard said, “The way Blumenthal presents art and consumers enjoy it has changed a lot. It’s becoming a wonderful mashup of different arts styles. This rebrand makes so much sense as we enthusiastically embrace this blending of performing and visual arts as seen in Immersive Van Gogh, the Charlotte International Arts Festival, and more. The public has shown us they not only want high quality arts experiences, but they want it offered in different ways and places.”
Gabbard added, “We are, in many ways, leading nationally in building out a strategy to embrace this new wave of experiential programming. We have a lot of great announcements coming soon as we blaze this new trail as Blumenthal Arts.”
The Charlotte International Arts Festival (CIAF), a Blumenthal Arts original, is another example of genre-fluid programming. The annual festival uniquely brings together Charlotte’s local and international communities with global artists in a 17-day cultural celebration filled with live performances as well as art installations, community gatherings, and food from around the world.
For more details, visit blumenthalarts.org.
