Wave Pool

What Wave Pool does

Wave Pool is a 501(c)(3) socially-engaged contemporary art center headquartered at 2940 Colerain Avenue in Cincinnati's Camp Washington neighborhood, founded in 2015 and led by Executive Director Boris Oicherman with a five-person board. Its physical facility combines an art gallery, artist studios, a residency apartment, a wood shop, and a ceramics studio, and the organization runs a portfolio of community programs including the Art Space Is Your Space residency (2-6 weeks with $2,000 stipends), donation-based ceramics and paid woodworking classes ($325 intermediate), community dinners, a Tidelines zine, and a fiscal-sponsorship service for artists.

The organization's flagship initiative is Welcome Editions, a ten-year collaborative program pairing internationally recognized artists (Jeffrey Gibson, Pedro Reyes, Caroline Woolard, Sheida Soleimani, Shahzia Sikander) with refugee and immigrant artisans in Cincinnati to produce limited-edition functional art — ceramic tiles ($7,500 each), weavings, and sculptures — distributed through Wave Pool's gallery and partner museum gift shops including 21c Museum Hotel and the Contemporary Arts Center. Supporting programming includes the MATCH Fellowship, Driving Lessons professional development, and the Welcome Handbook; the wholly-owned subsidiary The Welcome Project extends the model into formal refugee and immigrant employment and entrepreneurship.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid non-profit model: monthly recurring giving ($10-50/month, 50+ supporters), major gifts ($1,500+), foundation and government grants (ArtsWave, Ohio Arts Council, NEA, Welcoming America, Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation, Puffin Foundation), earned income from class fees and Welcome Editions sales, and annual event fundraising (Pool Party, Holiday Bazaar, Made In Camp). The organization is geographically concentrated in Greater Cincinnati with a planned expansion to Hamilton via the sister organization Tide Pool.

Name

Wave Pool

Legal name

Wave Pool

Website

https://wavepoolgallery.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wave Pool is a Cincinnati-based 501(c)(3) socially-engaged art center operating a gallery, residency, ceramics and wood shops, and the Welcome Editions program pairing international artists with refugee and immigrant artisans in Camp Washington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Monthly supporter program ($10-50/month), major gifts ($1,500+ with tulip gift), and general donations. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Wave Pool relies heavily on individual donors, with 50+ monthly supporters sustaining programs like free ceramics.
2. Welcome Editions Sales: Sale of limited edition art objects designed by nationally recognized artists and fabricated by refugee and immigrant artisans. Editions include ceramic tiles ($7,500), weavings, prayer rugs, and other functional art. Available at Wave Pool, 21c Museum Hotel, and Contemporary Arts Center Gift Shop.
3. Workshop and Class Fees: Woodworking classes ($325 for intermediate level) and donation-based ceramics programming. Materials costs are separate. Wood shop membership available after certification.
4. Annual Event Fundraising: Pool Party annual fundraiser targeting $20,000 to support artist residencies, wood shop, free ceramics, and professional development programs. Also includes Holiday Bazaar vendor event.
5. Foundation and Government Grants: Support from ArtsWave, Ohio Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Welcoming America, Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, and Puffin Foundation. Annual reports available for FY19-FY22.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wave Pool is a 501(c)(3) socially-engaged contemporary art center in Cincinnati's Camp Washington neighborhood that operates an art gallery, artist residency program, ceramics and woodworking studios, and a community gathering space. It initiates and supports socially-engaged art projects (most notably the Welcome Editions limited-edition collaborations between internationally recognized artists and refugee/immigrant artisans), offers arts education and professional development programming, and runs community dinners, storytelling projects, and annual fundraising events including the Pool Party, Holiday Bazaar, and Made In Camp open studio tour.

Product overview

Wave Pool is a socially-engaged community art center in Cincinnati, Ohio that operates as a single unified offering combining an art gallery, artist residency programs, educational workshops, and community spaces. The core portfolio includes the Art Gallery and Exhibition Space, the Art Space Is Your Space Residency Program providing 2-6 week artist residencies with stipends, a Wood Shop with woodworking classes, a Community Ceramics Studio offering donation-based hand-building classes, Welcome Editions collaborative art pieces created with refugee/immigrant artisans, the MATCH Fellowship program pairing artists with community partners, and Fiscal Sponsorship services. Supporting programs include Driving Lessons professional development workshops, Cincinnati's Table community dinners, the Welcome Handbook project, Owning Your Own Voice storytelling initiative, and annual events like the Pool Party fundraiser, Holiday Bazaar, and Made In Camp open studio tour. The center also hosts the 9x18 Parking Lot Art Experiment for experimental artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art Space Is Your Space Residency Program Sponsored residency program for local, national, and international artists providing flexible live/work studio space across the street in the AIR apartment, a month-long gallery exhibition at Wave Pool, community engagement programming, and a $2,000 stipend for 2-6 week residencies.
• Welcome Editions A collaborative art initiative pairing internationally recognized artists (e.g., Jeffrey Gibson, Pedro Reyes, Caroline Woolard, Sheida Soleimani, Shahzia Sikander) with refugee and immigrant artisans in Cincinnati to produce limited-edition functional art objects (ceramic tiles, tulip sculptures, weavings, prayer rugs) that generate paid artisan employment and cultural exchange. Editions are sold through Wave Pool, 21c Museum Hotel, and the Contemporary Arts Center Gift Shop.
• Wood Shop Classes Woodworking classes at Wave Pool's fully-equipped Wood Shop including an 8-week Intro to Woodworking course (Monday evenings, 6:30–9 PM; max 4 participants; ~$25 materials fee) and an 8-week Intermediate Woodworking course ($325, plus $25–$50 in materials). Participants create items such as end-grain cutting boards and keepsake/jewelry boxes; wood shop membership is available after certification.
• Community Ceramics Studio Donation-based ceramics studio offering popular Saturday hand-building classes limited to 25 participants, with all tools, brushes, glazes, clay, and kilns provided. Sustained in part by 50+ monthly supporters giving $25 each, the program is part of Wave Pool's free-access community programming.
• Fiscal Sponsorship Organizational sponsorship provided by Wave Pool to individual artists and small arts organizations, enabling them to access grant funding and offer tax-deductible donation capabilities through Wave Pool's 501(c)(3) status.
• Pool Party (Annual Fundraiser) Annual artist-driven block party fundraiser in Camp Washington featuring food, drinks, music, carnival games, and the 9x18 Parking Lot Art Experiment. Targets $20,000 annually to support artist residencies, the wood shop, free ceramics, and professional development programs.
• Holiday Bazaar Annual holiday market connecting local artists, artisans, and vendors directly with community members, featuring handmade goods including ceramics, prints, jewelry, clothing, and upcycled accessories.
• Made In Camp (Annual Open Studio Tour) Annual open studio tour in the Camp Washington neighborhood inviting Greater Cincinnati to explore artist studios, maker spaces, and creative manufacturers (foundries, neon shops), featuring 40+ artists, galleries, and makers with demonstrations and a locator map.
• MATCH Fellowship MATCH (Multidisciplinary Artists for Transformative Change) program that pairs selected artists with local partners to foster collaborations at the intersection of creative industry, local enterprise, and community development. Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Driving Lessons Professional Development Professional development workshop series preparing artists to succeed in their careers through skill-building exercises with guest speakers and professionals, covering topics such as grant writing and funding opportunities.
• Cincinnati's Table Community Dinners Monthly community dinners held at neighborhood community centers around Cincinnati, bridging relationships and helping immigrants connect with neighbors through shared meals themed around topics introduced by local artists. Supported by Welcoming America.
• 9x18 Parking Lot Art Experiment An alternative, performative, and experimental live art fair occupying standard parking space dimensions, designed for artists who create non-commodified work to showcase to a public audience. Held in conjunction with Pool Party.
• Art Gallery and Exhibition Space Wave Pool's main gallery at 2940 Colerain Avenue hosts rotating exhibitions and serves as the primary venue for artist showcases, community events, and the Welcome Editions exhibition program. Open Wednesday–Saturday 12-4 PM or by appointment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 Welcome Editions produced over 10 years with international artists and local refugee artisans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ArtWorks CincinnaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on Welcome Edition #10 (Shahzia Sikander ceramic tiles) with sales support for both organizations. Also partnered on Camp Razzle mural painting.
• The Welcome ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary social enterprise of Wave Pool empowering marginalized refugees and immigrants through jobs, education, and community. Hosts Soup and Stories, Cincinnati's Table, and Welcome Project Cup production.
• Heartfelt TidbitscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization helping Latine women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. Women gain meaningful employment through Welcome Editions production including Sheida Soleimani tulips and Lorena Molina embroidery.
• Cradle CincinnatiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on S.P.A. Salon project, a pop-up nail art salon addressing healthy relationships, birth control, and maternal health in Villages of Roll Hill community.
• WYSO (Yellow Springs Ohio's NPR station)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Voices Producer Susan Byrnes worked with local students on Radio WAVE Radio Class, producing audio stories broadcast on lo-fi radio transmitter to neighborhood.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MASS MoCA: Large-scale contemporary art institution with residencies, fabrication, and community programming — a more established analog of Wave Pool's residency + community model at significantly greater scale.
• Contemporary Arts Center: Cincinnati's larger contemporary art museum and Wave Pool retail partner — competes for the same regional arts funding pool while serving an overlapping community of contemporary art patrons and artists.

Direct peers

• The Luminary: St. Louis nonprofit art and curatorial platform supporting residencies, exhibitions, and community-based projects — closely paralleling Wave Pool's blend of residencies, classes, and socially-engaged programming.
• The Fabric Workshop and Museum: Philadelphia institution that pairs resident artists with materials and fabricators to produce new work — structurally similar to Wave Pool's Welcome Editions program pairing international artists with refugee/immigrant artisans.
• Artspace: Minneapolis nonprofit supporting artist live/work spaces, residencies, and community programs — directly comparable in its combined artist development, neighborhood engagement, and nonprofit model.
• Hyde Park Art Center: Chicago community art center offering residencies, classes, and exhibitions focused on emerging and mid-career artists — directly comparable to Wave Pool's combination of gallery, residency, ceramics, and wood shop programming.
• Project Row Houses: Houston-based nonprofit that transforms a historic neighborhood through artist residencies, community engagement, and social practice — closely matching Wave Pool's artist-driven community change model in an underserved urban area.
• SPACES: Cleveland-based alternative art space hosting residencies, exhibitions, and public programs for experimental artists — comparable Midwestern regional peer with similar residency and community engagement model.
• Elsewhere: Greensboro, NC artist residency and museum operating inside a former thrift store, combining community programming, residencies, and social practice — a direct operational analog to Wave Pool's community-engaged art model.

Others

• Puffin Foundation: Foundation that has funded Wave Pool residencies and socially-engaged projects — an ecosystem enabler and capital source whose portfolio of grantees defines the peer cohort of socially-engaged art organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wavepoolgallery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wave Pool