Shakespeare famously asked, “What’s in a name?” Recently, as some art organizations have reconsidered how they present themselves to the public, the Board of Wild Over Watercolor – Guild of Artists (WOW!) found itself asking a similar question: Should we remove the word “guild” from our name?
After all, several arts organizations have modernized their branding in recent years. The Oregon Society of Artists, for example, recently became the Oregon Art Center in an effort to appear more contemporary and inclusive. Whether such changes ultimately strengthen an organization’s identity remains a matter of opinion.
Before making any decisions, however, we took a closer look at the meaning of the word “guild.”…