Artown
Artown is a Reno, Nevada-based nonprofit founded in 1996 that produces a month-long multidisciplinary arts festival every July, serving the Northern Nevada community with free and ticketed programming across music, dance, theater, visual arts, and youth education at 15+ venues, funded by grants, corporate sponsorships, and memberships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersReno, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Artown does
Artown is a Reno, Nevada-based nonprofit arts organization founded in 1996 that produces a month-long, multidisciplinary arts festival every July across more than 15 venues in the Reno and Washoe County region. Programming spans music, dance, theater, visual arts, film, literary, cultural, and family categories, with dedicated youth education through the free Discover the Arts program (ages 6-12), headline performances by nationally and internationally recognized artists, and recurring series such as Monday Night Music, Midtown Series, Cultural Connections, and Art at Renown. Most events are free, with select workshops, classes, and premium experiences priced from $10 to $145.
The organization operates a lean back-office stack of standard, non-proprietary tools: Salesforce for membership and donations, Square for merchandise, a WordPress-style website, and social channels on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. It has integrated with the Local Sound mobile app to expand digital event discovery. There is no proprietary technology, no AI/ML component, no patents or trademarks, and no app product. Headcount is in the 1-10 range, consistent with a small nonprofit operating at festival scale through a distributed venue model rather than internal production infrastructure.
Artown's revenue model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack rather than a commercial sales motion. Income sources include federal grants (National Endowment for the Arts, $25,000 in 2022), state funding (Nevada Arts Council), municipal support (City of Reno, Washoe County), corporate sponsorships (NV Energy Foundation, The Row, Wild River Grille, Renown Tahoe RSCVA, Starsound Audio, George W. Gillemot Foundation, Bean Space Foundation, and local media partners), individual memberships (Artown Passport), ticketed workshops and premium experiences, and merchandise sales. Customer concentration is structurally high, anchored by a handful of public-sector funders and corporate sponsors, while community reach is broad through free attendance.
Artown firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Artown
- Legal name
- Artown
- Website
- https://artown.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Artown is a Reno, Nevada-based nonprofit founded in 1996 that produces a month-long multidisciplinary arts festival every July, serving the Northern Nevada community with free and ticketed programming across music, dance, theater, visual arts, and youth education at 15+ venues, funded by grants, corporate sponsorships, and memberships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Artown industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Arts Festival / Nonprofit Arts Programming
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)
Keywords
Where Artown is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reno
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Artown business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: Artown receives significant funding from government arts agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts ($25,000 grant in 2022) and the Nevada Arts Council. These grants support the organization's mission to promote arts and culture in the Reno/Northern Nevada region.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Artown generates revenue through corporate sponsorship arrangements with local and regional businesses. Current sponsors include City of Reno, Washoe County, FOX Reno, NV Energy Foundation, Wild River Grille, The Row, KNPB PBS Reno, KUNR, Lotus Radio, Reno Tahoe RSCVA, Starsound Audio, George W. Gillemot Foundation, and Bean Space Foundation. Sponsors receive visibility through event branding, logo placement, and recognition.
- Membership Program: Artown offers a membership program that provides benefits to supporters including the Artown Passport, which offers perks at participating venues and events. Memberships are sold through Salesforce-based donation pages.
- Ticket Sales and Event Revenue: Some Artown events have associated ticket fees or donations. The organization also operates an online merchandise store through Square for branded merchandise sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free community events |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Dance classes at The Ballroom of Reno |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids camps and specialty workshops |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium experiences |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Artown product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Artown produces a month-long annual multidisciplinary arts festival every July in Reno, Nevada, featuring hundreds of free and ticketed events across music, dance, theater, visual arts, cultural programming, film, literary arts, and youth education. The organization delivers flagship programs including the Discover the Arts youth workshops (ages 6-12), Headliner Events with nationally/internationally recognized artists, Monday Night Music Series, Midtown Series, Cultural Connections, Art at Renown Series, Artists Meet Audiences workshops, the Artown Passport rewards program, and an online merchandise store.
Product overview
Artown is a month-long annual arts festival organization based in Reno, Nevada, operating primarily during July. The organization functions as a platform-plus-events model, offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs including: Discover the Arts (free daily workshops for children ages 6-12), Headliner Events (major performances by nationally recognized artists), Monday Night Music Series, Midtown Series, Cultural Connections, Art at Renown Series, Artists Meet Audiences (interactive workshops), the Artown Passport (event tracking program), and an online merchandise store. The festival encompasses music, dance, theater, visual arts, film, literary, cultural, and family programming across dozens of venues throughout the Reno area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- July Arts Festival Month-long annual multidisciplinary arts festival held throughout Reno every July featuring hundreds of events across music, dance, theater, visual arts, film, literary, cultural, and family categories at multiple venues. Most events are free admission.
- Discover the Arts Youth Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Free arts programming removes financial barriers to cultural participation for community members of all ages and backgrounds
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Artown
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Artown technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Artown partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- KNPB PBS RenominorKNPB PBS Reno serves as a media sponsor for Artown, providing promotional support and visibility for the festival through broadcast and digital media channels.
- KUNRminorKUNR, a local radio station, serves as a media sponsor for Artown, providing promotional support for festival events and programming.
- FOX RenominorFOX Reno (KTVN) serves as a media sponsor for Artown, providing promotional support through broadcast television coverage.
- Lotus RadiominorLotus Radio serves as a media sponsor for Artown, providing promotional support through radio broadcast channels.
- Reno Tahoe RSCVAminorReno Tahoe RSCVA (Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority) partners with Artown as a sponsor, supporting arts and cultural programming that contributes to regional tourism.
- Starsound AudiominorStarsound Audio provides audio equipment and technical support for Artown events, serving as both a vendor and sponsor of the festival.
- University of Nevada, RenominorThe University of Nevada, Reno partners with Artown by providing campus venues (University Quad, Mackay Stadium) for events and hosting student-led ensembles like Mariachi Lobos de Plata and University Musical Theatre students.
- Renown HealthminorRenown Health partners with Artown through the 'Artown at Renown' series, hosting performances at Renown Regional Medical Center's Fianna's Healing Garden.
- The DiscoveryminorThe Discovery (a children's museum in Reno) partners with Artown to host events including the Discover the Arts program and community mural reception.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Artown competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sundance Institute: Sundance Institute runs an iconic multi-week multidisciplinary festival (film, music, theater) in Park City, UT. While larger and film-anchored, it shares Artown's model of a destination arts festival drawing national programming and corporate sponsorship.
- South by Southwest (SXSW): SXSW is a large multi-week multidisciplinary festival (music, film, tech) in Austin, TX that shares Artown's model of combining free and ticketed programming across many venues, but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
Emerging players
- Burning Man Project: Burning Man Project operates the large-scale Nevada-based community arts event near Gerlach, drawing similar grant, sponsorship, and volunteer models in the Nevada arts ecosystem, though with a very different programming focus.
Direct peers
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a multi-month performing arts festival in Ashland, OR that combines repertory theater with music and family programming, sharing Artown's multi-venue, multi-disciplinary festival structure.
- Reno Philharmonic: Reno Philharmonic is the regional professional orchestra based in Reno, sharing Artown's Northern Nevada performing arts audience, venue partners, and corporate sponsors.
- Nevada Museum of Art: Nevada Museum of Art is Reno's primary art museum, a cultural institution serving the same Northern Nevada community as Artown with overlapping audiences, sponsors, and grant funding sources.
- Spoleto Festival USA: Spoleto Festival USA is a long-running, multi-week multidisciplinary arts festival in Charleston, SC, with a comparable operating model: a curated slate of music, dance, and theater across multiple venues in one city during a defined festival window.
- Sierra Arts Foundation: Sierra Arts Foundation is a Reno-based nonprofit that supports local artists, community arts programming, and arts education, operating with overlapping mission and geography to Artown in Northern Nevada.
Others
- Fractured Atlas: Fractured Atlas is a national arts services nonprofit that supports artists and small arts organizations with fiscal sponsorship and ticketing; it is comparable as a peer in the nonprofit arts infrastructure supporting community programming like Artown's.
Regional players
- Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival produces a summer performing arts festival in Incline Village, Nevada, overlapping with Artown's Northern Nevada geography and its multidisciplinary summer programming model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Artown social profiles
Digital presenceArtown financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Artown leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Artown funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Artown M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Artown
What does Artown do?
Artown produces a month-long annual multidisciplinary arts festival every July in Reno, Nevada, featuring hundreds of free and ticketed events across music, dance, theater, visual arts, cultural programming, film, literary arts, and youth education. The organization delivers flagship programs including the Discover the Arts youth workshops (ages 6-12), Headliner Events with nationally/internationally recognized artists, Monday Night Music Series, Midtown Series, Cultural Connections, Art at Renown Series, Artists Meet Audiences workshops, the Artown Passport rewards program, and an online merchandise store.
Is Artown a public or private company?
Artown is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Artown founded?
Artown was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Artown based?
Artown is headquartered in Reno, United States, in the North America region.
How does Artown make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Grant Funding is the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, membership Program and ticket Sales and Event Revenue.
Who are Artown's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sundance Institute and South by Southwest (SXSW). Burning Man Project is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Reno Philharmonic, Nevada Museum of Art, Spoleto Festival USA and Sierra Arts Foundation. Fractured Atlas is listed as an others. Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is listed as a regional player.
Does Artown have an API?
No public API is recorded for Artown.
What industry is Artown in?
Artown's product category is Community Arts Festival / Nonprofit Arts Programming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAEAG, Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks), with a secondary code of BPAGAHAG, Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations. Its NAICS code is 71 and its SIC code is 7900.