Artown

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.

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

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

• Community arts festival
• Multidisciplinary arts programming
• Youth arts education
• Cultural event production
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Reno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• KNPB PBS RenominorGTM or Marketing PartnerKNPB PBS Reno serves as a media sponsor for Artown, providing promotional support and visibility for the festival through broadcast and digital media channels.
• KUNRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKUNR, a local radio station, serves as a media sponsor for Artown, providing promotional support for festival events and programming.
• FOX RenominorGTM or Marketing PartnerFOX Reno (KTVN) serves as a media sponsor for Artown, providing promotional support through broadcast television coverage.
• Lotus RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerLotus Radio serves as a media sponsor for Artown, providing promotional support through radio broadcast channels.
• Reno Tahoe RSCVAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReno 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 AudiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerStarsound Audio provides audio equipment and technical support for Artown events, serving as both a vendor and sponsor of the festival.
• University of Nevada, RenominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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 HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenown Health partners with Artown through the 'Artown at Renown' series, hosting performances at Renown Regional Medical Center's Fianna's Healing Garden.
• The DiscoveryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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

Broad 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@renoisartown
• Facebookfacebook.com/Artown
• Instagraminstagram.com/renoisartown

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Artown