Biggs Museum of American Art
Biggs Museum of American Art is a 501(c)(3) accredited nonprofit museum in Dover, Delaware, exhibiting American decorative arts and fine art from 1700 to today, serving general visitors, families, school groups, and event renters through exhibitions, education programs, and facility rentals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersDover, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Biggs Museum of American Art does
The Biggs Museum of American Art is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, accredited art museum located at 406 Federal Street in Dover, Delaware, founded in 1993 by collector Sewell C. Biggs. The institution curates and exhibits American decorative arts of Delaware and the Delaware River Valley alongside American fine art spanning from 1700 to the present, and operates a portfolio of community-facing programs including rotating exhibitions, school tours with curriculum-aligned lesson plans, children's programs (Biggs Kids, ArtVenture Camps), adult lecture series, facility rentals, and a retail gallery (Delaware By Hand) featuring Delaware artisans.
The underlying technology stack is limited: a WordPress-based public website and standard e-commerce/ticketing infrastructure (AgileT) support admissions, membership, donations, and event ticketing. Digital product surface extends through Virtual Biggs (collection videos and online content) distributed via YouTube, email newsletter, and social channels. No proprietary platform, mobile application, or API is disclosed. The revenue model is a diversified nonprofit mix of admissions, annual memberships (with NARM reciprocal benefits at $125+ tiers), donations and capital campaign gifts, gift shop sales, group tour fees, and private event rentals. Capital campaign activity is supported by episodic grants from the Longwood Foundation, Delaware Community Foundation, CHILD Help Foundation, Delaware Division of the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The museum serves a regional Northeast US audience across five distinct segments: general public visitors, families with children, K-12 school groups, members and donors, and private event renters. Geographic operations are concentrated in Dover, Delaware, with active expansion underway — two adjacent historic buildings at 15-21 The Green were acquired in September 2021 and SmithGroup was engaged to lead a master planning process for visitor experience and capacity expansion.
Biggs Museum of American Art firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Biggs Museum of American Art
- Legal name
- Biggs Museum of American Art
- Website
- https://biggsmuseum.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Biggs Museum of American Art is a 501(c)(3) accredited nonprofit museum in Dover, Delaware, exhibiting American decorative arts and fine art from 1700 to today, serving general visitors, families, school groups, and event renters through exhibitions, education programs, and facility rentals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Biggs Museum of American Art industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art Museum / Cultural Institution
- NAICS
- Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Museums (THAJADAA)
Keywords
Where Biggs Museum of American Art is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dover
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Biggs Museum of American Art business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Admissions: Entry fees for museum visitors attending exhibitions and the permanent collection
- Memberships: Annual membership programs offering free admission and discounts at various levels including NARM reciprocal benefits
- Donations: Charitable contributions and annual fund appeals from members and supporters
- Gift Shop Sales: Retail merchandise sales through the museum shop
- Facility Rentals: Private event rentals of museum spaces for receptions and special events
- Group Tours: Fees for scheduled group and school tours with docent-led experiences
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard membership with free admission benefits |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Biggs Museum of American Art product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Biggs Museum of American Art is an accredited art museum that curates, preserves, and exhibits American art and decorative arts (focused on Delaware and the Delaware River Valley, 1700 to today). It delivers these collections to the public through on-site gallery visits, guided and school tours, children's and family programs, virtual online experiences, and ancillary revenue lines including an artisan retail gallery (Delaware By Hand), facility rentals, and a tiered membership program with reciprocal access to over 300 North American museums via NARM.
Product overview
The Biggs Museum of American Art is an accredited art museum offering a unified portfolio of visitor services centered on art exhibitions, education, and community engagement. The core offerings include rotating and permanent exhibitions of American art and decorative arts; educational programs including school tours, lectures, and workshops; virtual museum experiences (Virtual Biggs); children's programming (Biggs Kids, ArtVenture Camps); Delaware By Hand retail gallery featuring local artists; membership programs with NARM reciprocal benefits; and facility rentals. The museum also offers volunteer and internship opportunities. All offerings are delivered through the museum's physical location in Dover, Delaware and its digital platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Exhibitions Rotating and permanent exhibitions featuring American art and decorative arts from 1700 to today, including American decorative arts of Delaware and the Delaware River Valley. Open to general museum visitors during operating hours.
- Educational Programs Guided tours, lectures, workshops, and educational resources for visitors of all ages, including curriculum-aligned school tours with lesson plans.
- Virtual Biggs Virtual museum experiences and online content allowing remote access to the museum's collections and programs, including collection videos.
- Biggs Kids Children's programming including hands-on activities, crafts, and educational content designed for young visitors and families.
- ArtVenture Camps Summer art camps for children providing hands-on creative experiences and art education.
- Delaware By Hand Retail Gallery Retail gallery featuring rotating selections of arts and fine crafts by Delaware artist members. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Sundays 1:30-4:30 p.m.
- Membership Programs Various membership levels offering free admission, member discounts, and access to NARM benefits at over 300 museums across North America.
- Facility Rentals Rental of museum spaces for private events, receptions, and special occasions.
- Volunteer & Internship Programs Opportunities for volunteers (visitor experience, docents, program volunteers, special events) and unpaid internships in curatorial/education and marketing/development tracks.
- Group and School Tours Docent-led group and school tours scheduled in advance, including curriculum-aligned school tours with lesson plans.
Quantifiable outcome
- Doubled exhibition space and programs over 30 years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Biggs Museum of American Art
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Biggs Museum of American Art technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Biggs Museum of American Art partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SmithGroupcoreSmithGroup, one of the nation's leading integrated design firms, was selected to lead the master plan for the museum's expansion. In September 2021, the Biggs acquired two historic buildings adjacent to the current museum at 15-21 The Green. SmithGroup is conducting community listening sessions to reimagine the museum's visitor experience and determine the best use and layout of the new space.
- Delaware Division of the ArtscoreThe organization is supported by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.
- National Endowment for the ArtscoreFederal arts funding agency in partnership with Delaware Division of the Arts supporting the museum's operations and programs.
- North American Reciprocal Museums (NARM)minorThe Biggs is a member of NARM, providing reciprocal benefits with over 300 museums across North America including Winterthur Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, and Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Biggs Museum of American Art competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library: Located in Delaware and similarly focused on American decorative arts. NARM reciprocal partner; directly comparable museum of American decorative and fine arts within the same state.
- Winterthur Garden: Adjacent to Winterthur Museum, this decorative arts and horticulture site is an extremely close functional and geographic peer for the Biggs's decorative arts mission.
- Brandywine River Museum of Art: Regional American art museum near Wilmington, DE featuring Wyeth family collections. Comparable regional museum serving similar mid-Atlantic visitor base and NARM network.
- Delaware Art Museum: Regional art museum in Wilmington, Delaware with similar American art and illustration focus. Comparable in scale, programming, and target audience in the same state.
Broad incumbents
- Barnes Foundation: Major Philadelphia-area art museum with significant American Impressionist and post-Impressionist holdings. Regional competitor for cultural tourism within driving distance of Dover.
- Smithsonian American Art Museum: National museum dedicated to American art, representing the broader category leader. Comparable subject focus but operates at vastly greater scale and reach than Biggs.
- Philadelphia Museum of Art: Major encyclopedic art museum within NARM network that Biggs members access for free. Major regional competitor for art tourism but at vastly larger scale.
- Baltimore Museum of Art: Larger encyclopedic art museum in nearby Baltimore. NARM reciprocal partner and competes for regional visitors; broader scope than Biggs but overlapping audience.
- Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA): Historic art school and museum in Philadelphia focused on American art. NARM reciprocal partner; comparable American art focus but with educational mission.
Regional players
- Historic Odessa Foundation: Small Delaware historic site and decorative arts collection, directly comparable in regional scope, scale, and American decorative arts focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Biggs Museum of American Art social profiles
Digital presenceBiggs Museum of American Art financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Biggs Museum of American Art leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Biggs Museum of American Art funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Biggs Museum of American Art 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 Biggs Museum of American Art
What does Biggs Museum of American Art do?
The Biggs Museum of American Art is an accredited art museum that curates, preserves, and exhibits American art and decorative arts (focused on Delaware and the Delaware River Valley, 1700 to today). It delivers these collections to the public through on-site gallery visits, guided and school tours, children's and family programs, virtual online experiences, and ancillary revenue lines including an artisan retail gallery (Delaware By Hand), facility rentals, and a tiered membership program with reciprocal access to over 300 North American museums via NARM.
Is Biggs Museum of American Art a public or private company?
Biggs Museum of American Art is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Biggs Museum of American Art founded?
Biggs Museum of American Art was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Biggs Museum of American Art based?
Biggs Museum of American Art is headquartered in Dover, United States, in the North America region.
How does Biggs Museum of American Art make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Admissions are the primary driver. The others are memberships, donations, gift Shop Sales, facility Rentals and group Tours.
Who are Biggs Museum of American Art's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Winterthur Garden, Brandywine River Museum of Art and Delaware Art Museum. Broad incumbents are Barnes Foundation, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Baltimore Museum of Art and Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA). Historic Odessa Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Biggs Museum of American Art have an API?
No public API is recorded for Biggs Museum of American Art.
What industry is Biggs Museum of American Art in?
Biggs Museum of American Art's product category is Art Museum / Cultural Institution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAA, Art Museums. Its NAICS code is 712110.