What’s in a Name? “The Muse” Explained
by Lori Nelson
May is Museum Month in Ontario, and to wrap it up we thought we would provide an explanation of our name and logo. We hope this helps you get to know THE MUSE a little bit better!
THE MUSE
The addition of the Douglas Family Art Centre to Kenora’s cultural offerings in 2019 necessitated a new brand identity to encompass both the Lake of the Woods Museum and the new Art Centre. The Muse was born, aligning both the Museum and the Art Centre under one corporate name.
The Museum is still the Lake of the Woods Museum. The Art Centre is the Douglas Family Art Centre. Together, they form The Muse.
AN EXPLANATION OF THE LOGO
NAME
The noun MUSE has its origins in ancient Greek mythology, with the word denoting the inspirations of literature, science, and the arts. In current usage, MUSE refers to artistic inspiration. The verb MUSE means to think about something carefully, deeply and thoroughly and our hope is that both the Museum and the Art Centre will be starting points for critical thinking and for the ignition of creativity.
GRAPHIC
The letters of MUSE also convey a quality of inclusiveness and a sense that the Museum and the Art Centre are for ME, U, and US.
COLOURS
The colours of the logo are deep rich jewel tones that speak of the richness of the items and experiences held within both facilities. The colours also reference our world on Lake of the Woods – the purple of the morning sky or setting sun, the blue of the water, the green of the forest, and the red ochre of the earth.
TYPOGRAPHY
The typography of THE MUSE logo is dynamic, distinctive, strong and current, all qualities that characterize both the Art Centre and the Museum, their presentations and their outlook.
Did you know?
In 1916 Kenora produced the most flour of any city in Canada. Between the Lake of the Woods Milling Company in Keewatin and the Maple Leaf Milling in Kenora they produced 13,000 barrels of flour a day