NEW ORLEANS, LA.- Tulane University’s principal art space has changed its name. Previously known as the Newcomb Art Gallery, the institution has become the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University.

Museum director Mónica Ramírez-Montagut stated, “The institutional rebranding will help to distinguish us from commercial art galleries and, more importantly, indicate our status as a collections-holding institution. It also signals a renewed sense of purpose, relevance, and vision.”

Since Ramírez-Montagut’s arrival last summer, the institution has recast its mission to increasingly focus on interdisciplinary exhibitions that explore contemporary social issues. Tulane officials believe the name change, as well as an updated graphic identity, will highlight this direction while also paying homage to the legacy of Newcomb College, renowned for its innovative art program and pottery studio.

The new brand links the institution’s rich artistic legacy to its future. The prominent use of aqua blue and warm gray, for example, draws from the glazes of Newcomb Pottery. The updated logo, an encircled letter N, references the stamp used by the pottery decorators to indicate their wares’ quality and authenticity.

Playing off the “W” and “M” in the new wordmark and inspired by the Art Deco designs of some Newcomb Pottery, the geometric pattern simultaneously points in opposite directions, recognizing the past while also paving the way for the future. It also speaks to interconnectedness, which the institution sees as part of its new mandate of community engagement.

In conjunction with the rebranding, the institution debuted a more dynamic website in late July. Using the domain newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu, the site incorporates the new design elements and feature up-to-the-moment information about on-campus happenings. In the coming months, the site will also include an online database highlighting key works in the collections, such as Newcomb arts and crafts, prints by John James Audubon, and Polaroid photographs by Andy Warhol.