Sametz Blackstone's Transformation of the Fuller Craft Museum Leads to a Surge in...

BOSTON & BROCKTON, Mass. -- Just one year after Sametz Blackstone Associates, a Boston-based strategic communications consulting firm, helped transform the Fuller Craft Museum's brand, exhibit openings that used to attract 50 people now draw up to 1,000. Loans from private collections

have been flowing in so fast that they need to be divided into separate shows. Memberships have surged forward by 44 percent and development activity is increasing rapidly. Fuller Craft, while building on its commitment to its home community of Brockton, Massachusetts, is quickly becoming a museum of national and international standing.

It was last April 18, 2004 that the museum officially changed its brand promises and identity from the Fuller Museum of Art to the Fuller Craft Museum. Sametz Blackstone Associates, with its expertise in branding and design, was a major force behind the change.

"Both Sametz Blackstone and the Fuller Craft Museum saw a pent-up demand for a Boston-area museum devoted to contemporary craft," said Andrew Maydoney, vice president, research and strategy, Sametz Blackstone. "We helped the museum crystallize this demand into a vision for its future, and then articulate the distinctive identity that it has achieved today. By moving forward with a singular focus, Fuller Craft Museum has earned critical acclaim as one of only a handful of major craft museums in the country. It is also helping its home city of Brockton to achieve renewed economic and cultural vitality."

"Sametz Blackstone truly understands the business needs of museums and the unique world of craft, and has worked shoulder to shoulder with us to make our transformation happen," said Gretchen Keyworth, executive director and chief curator of Fuller Craft Museum. "To us, Sametz Blackstone is not an outside partner, but a critical part of the internal fabric of our organization."

Since working with Sametz Blackstone, Fuller Craft Museum has achieved:

Increased attendance--During local school vacation weeks, museum attendance is up tenfold. Attendance at OBJECTively Speaking mid-week lunchtime art programs is often at full capacity. The opening of a recent Trashformations exhibit drew 1,000 participants--20 times more than exhibit introductions "pre-Fuller Craft"--and the exhibit was held over due to popular demand.

Highly engaged collectors--Collectors clamored to donate to "The Perfect Collection," which debuted with the launched Fuller Craft Museum. Word that this exhibit would feature the very best works within New England private collections sent loans soaring--and prompted the museum to plan a second exhibit to accommodate the overflow.

Fundraising success--Donations from one recent event alone were almost 100 percent over projections. Fuller Craft has successfully cultivated donors for its Fuller Craft Circle--an effort to bring high-valued donor relationships closer to the institution.

Increased local and national recognition--Critics have given the new Fuller Craft Museum 100 percent positive reviews, and a major craft industry trade publication named Gretchen Keyworth one of the 10 most important people to watch in the world of craft.

Attaining these results was a long-term process, which began a full 18 months before the 2004 re-launch. Following extensive research of local, regional, and national museums and museum constituencies, Sametz Blackstone helped Fuller Craft Museum develop its new name and its tagline, "Let the Art Touch You," which reinforces the tactile and familiar nature of crafts and craft materials. The firm also worked with the Museum to develop exhibit themes such as "The Perfect Collection" and counseled the museum on exhibit space design. In addition, Sametz Blackstone helped plan and orchestrate the museum's opening reception and unveiling of its new brand, and provided promotional materials for the re-launched museum. The communications consulting firm continues to be active in Fuller Craft's evolution, and Andrew Maydoney participates on the board.

In future months, the organizations will build on these accomplishments to help the museum engage its local community while strengthening its national and international profile. For instance, more exhibits will feature materials that patrons, including children, can touch. The museum will open previously unused spaces for exhibitions and art studios. And the organization is considering ways to expand within its 23-acre setting. With Sametz Blackstone's counsel, Fuller Craft Museum has quickly become an important national and international destination for craft lovers.

Journalists seeking more information on Sametz Blackstone's work with the Fuller Craft Museum should contact Dawn Ringel, Warner Communications, 781-449-8456 or dawn@warnerpr.com.

About Sametz Blackstone Associates

Sametz Blackstone Associates of Boston, MA is a strategic communications consulting firm that helps leading cultural, academic, corporate and government organizations to navigate change. A twenty-six year-old global practice, Sametz Blackstone integrates strategy, message development, design, and technology to develop and produce compelling communications. Clients include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Fuller Craft Museum, Fitchburg Art Museum, Maine Center for Contemporary Art, Boston Public Library, Harvard University Library, MIT Sloan School of Management, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Purdue Pharma, LP, and Goodwin Procter, LLP. Further information is available at www.sametz.com.