crowdsourcing a creative economy in Arlington

What's in a Name? Plenty, So Weigh in on the Cultural Center!

The County is asking for citizen input on a proposed name for the new Cultural Center, which we've been following for the past year with interest. (See the posts here and here, and the event we hosted here.) I hope you will take a few minutes to weigh in with your thoughts.

The County has proposed three "finalist" names -- the Orb, Artopolis, and Artisphere. I'm not personally overjoyed with any of the names, and I'd be interested to hear reactions of others. (Of the three, I actually kinda like the Orb, but Woody Allen's Sleeper provides a cultural reference that would be hard to overcome.) Do you like them? If so, why? If not, why not, and what would you propose? Provide your feedback -- on or before January 7th -- in an online survey, and don't be shy about using the comments section of the survey or the comments section to this blog post to provide additional thoughts (including other possible names).

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Comment by AJ Malik on March 9, 2010 at 6:06pm: And the winner is: Artisphere

Comment by Neil Takemoto on January 28, 2010 at 1:28pm: art - "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power."

I'd like to see art as applied to the everyday world, in terms of creativity and innovation and both cultural and economic development, rather than the traditional expectation of art, which is almost always just something to look at/experience, then go home.

I think the tagline is important to communicate that this is beyond the traditional definition of art.

Comment by Andrew on January 27, 2010 at 8:25am: The name Artisphere was approved at last night's County Board meeting. The press release uses all upper case, ARTISPHERE, several times and the upper/lower version, Artisphere, once. Hope the upper/lower case version is what sticks and that we all get used to it and eventually even like it.

Comment by Erica Kraus on January 4, 2010 at 6:51pm: I like the idea of something short - either an acronym or a shortened version of the full name... what about something like Arlington Culture District (ACD)? or Arlington Community Exchange? or Arlington Creative Exchange (the ACE)? ok, now I'm just stream of conscience thinking...

Comment by Ted Bilich on December 30, 2009 at 12:14pm: What about something like "the Arlington Cultural Hub"? If someone wanted to shorten it, they could call it "the ACH" (pronouncing it like H) or "the Hub." Yes, I know that Boston has some claim to the Hub, but at least it seems to go in the right direction. A hub, after all, is the central part of a wheel, a center of interest, or a pivot point, all of which also seem to bring up the image of the bulbous theater.

Comment by Courtney Collard on December 30, 2009 at 12:03pm: I agree with Erica-where did these names come from? I find them to be awkward and I think people would use them more as a joke than anything. I can't really see myself saying..."Let's go hang out at the Orb." I would probably just always say the cultural center. I am trying to think of something that maybe has Arlington in the name, but nothing has come to me yet.

Comment by Allen Brooks on December 29, 2009 at 6:26pm: I appreciate where they're going, but something less along the lines of a reference to an drug trip ball, or something that sounds like a subtitle to an '80s movie would be nice. I like the idea of a single, iconic name, like what they did with the transit system (ART). Something that represents what the space is, I don't know exactly what it is, but I'll get back to you.

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