The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Cultural District:
The Watertown Cultural District, in partnership with the Watertown Free Public Library, is thrilled to announce Madison Scaletta as the winner of its logo design contest.
Scaletta’s vibrant and engaging design, inspired by the colors and landmarks of Watertown, particularly the Charles River, was selected by the Cultural District Partnership for its relevance, joyful imagery, and compositional integrity.
“We were impressed by Madison’s ability to capture the spirit of our cultural district in a fun and accessible way,” said Kristen Kenny, Chair of the Cultural District Partnership. “Her design reflects our mission to promote arts and culture in Watertown for all audiences.”
Scaletta, a 16-year-old student at Minuteman High School in Lexington, MA, and a competitive dancer, shared her inspiration: “I wanted to incorporate a colorful design while using things/places close to Watertown like the Charles River. I want people to look at the logo and feel connected to it.”
The logo contest, which ran from January 6 to February 23, 2025, invited community members to submit original designs that amplified the Watertown Cultural District’s mission. The winning logo will be used to represent the district in its promotional materials and activities.
“We received many creative submissions, and we thank everyone who participated,” said Liz Helfer, Public Arts & Culture Planner. “Madison’s design stood out for its unique blend of local inspiration and artistic flair.”
Scaletta wins a prize package that features local arts and culture:
• All Media Art Set by Artist Loft
• Tickets to “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” by the Actor’s Shakespeare Project
• Tickets to “Hadestown” by Watertown Children’s Theatre
• Gift card to Wicked Bagel
• Gift card to Frank Pepe Pizza
• Gift certificate to Branch Line
• Gift card to Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
The Watertown Cultural District encourages the community to stay tuned for further updates and events. For more information about the Watertown Cultural District, where you will soon be able to see Scaletta’s design, please visit https://watertownmaculture.com.
Nice …very nice design. I think ”relevance, joyful imagery, and compositional integrity” describes it well. It is very simple, but conveys a great deal.
Kudos to Madison Scaletta on her whimsical and engaging logo design. That she is a student at Minuteman High School in Lexington makes her accomplishment even sweeter.
Your family and your teachers should be very proud!
But here’s the issue – I am puzzled as to how and when this contest was advertised. The announcement above states that “The logo contest, which ran from January 6 to February 23, 2025, invited community members to submit original designs that amplified the Watertown Cultural District’s mission.”
Was this competition posted broadly throughout the community? Unfortunately Watertown News does not allow me to upload images.
— There was one article in Watertown News https://www.watertownmanews.com/2025/01/22/calling-artists-of-all-ages-to-design-a-new-watertown-cultural-district-logo/
— I could find no info on the https://watertownmaculture.com website.
— The city website https://www.watertown-ma.gov/1176/Cultural-District-Planning details when the contest closed but nothing as to when it opened and any concept guidelines or further details.
— And I found one personal post on Facebook tied to the Watertown Arts Market heading https://www.facebook.com/story.php?
— I found this info on the WFPL site under Events which has timeline details yet no mention of the logo contest.
“Starting in 2022, Watertown began pursuing a Cultural District designation from the state. A Cultural District is an important civic tool designed to support the economy, the arts, and culture bearers on a local level. The Cultural District planning process has involved numerous stakeholders to get to this point and welcomes your feedback. On this webpage you will find links to information about the benefits of Massachusetts Cultural District designation, the Watertown Square Cultural District Proposal, the Resolution to Create a Cultural District, key dates for the project, and who’s working on this project. For questions about the Watertown Square Cultural District, please email wscd@watertown-ma.gov.
Learn about Massachusetts Cultural District designation (external link).
Review the Watertown Square Cultural District Proposal (PDF).
View the Resolution to Create a Cultural District (PDF).
See the Letter of Support from the City Manager (PDF).”
Key Dates
October 3, 2023 November 1, 2023 December 2023 April 10, 2024
November 13, 2024
Public Meeting in the Watertown Savings Bank Room at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main Street, Watertown
Watch the recording from the Public Meeting on 10/3/2023 (link).
See the slides from the Public Meeting on 10/3/2023 (PDF).
Public Meeting in the 3rd Foor Gallery at the Armenian Museum of America, 65 Main Street, Watertown
See images of feedback from the Public Meetings on 10/3/2023 and 11/1/2023 (link).
Cultural District Application submitted to the Mass Cultural Council.”
So here’s my key question – What was communication strategy for this logo contest? Given the compressed timeline for this contest, given all the communications staff added to the city payroll, and the goal of better public outreach – why wasn’t this info coherently blasted across our community? Communication still seems to be a major stumbling block in our city and thus in the eyes of many transparency continues to fall by the wayside in Watertown.
Good research. I get City updates regularly; didn’t see anything about this contest, but lack of communication appears to be a pattern when it comes to our City logos and seals.
I like the logo design; a bit of Kandiski there. Those colors look somewhat familiar.
Yes Erik, the image is playful and there is a musical quality to the colorful abstract imagery.