Art Production Fund
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Art Production Fund does
Art Production Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by Doreen Remen and Yvonne Force Villareal, headquartered in New York City. It commissions and produces ambitious public art projects, acting as a producer that provides funding, production support, and venue access to contemporary artists whose work would otherwise be difficult to realize through traditional gallery or museum channels. The organization serves multiple audiences simultaneously: contemporary artists seeking commissioning support, the general public who experience installations free of charge in high-traffic urban settings, children and families reached through the Art Sundae program, and institutional and corporate partners including Rockefeller Center/Tishman Speyer, Frieze Los Angeles, the City of Santa Monica, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
The organization's core programs include Art in Focus (a multidisciplinary public-art program at Rockefeller Center now in its sixth year, featuring 25 or more artists), Art Sundae (free children's art-making workshops launched in 2017 with Fort Gansevoort), the annual APF Gala (a fundraising vehicle, with the 2024 Cruise Gala presented by Saks raising over $850,000), and annual Frieze Los Angeles public-art commissions (Set Seen in 2024, Inside Out in 2025, Body & Soul in 2026). Notable past commissions include Elmgreen & Dragset's Prada Marfa, Jeff Koons' Seated Ballerina at Rockefeller Plaza, and Ugo Rondinone's Seven Magic Mountains. Operating revenue is generated through donations, corporate sponsorships (notably Saks Fifth Avenue), gala ticket sales and art auctions, and minor merchandise sales via an e-commerce storefront. Headcount is small (1-10 employees), with Executive Director Casey Fremont overseeing day-to-day operations and a board including Sarah Hoover and Claire Chan.
Art Production Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Art Production Fund
- Legal name
- Art Production Fund
- Website
- https://artproductionfund.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Art Production Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Arts Nonprofit Services
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
Keywords
Where Art Production Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Art Production Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: APF operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund its operations and artist commissions.
- Fundraising Gala: Annual gala events serve as major fundraising initiatives. The 2024 Cruise Gala raised over $850,000, with art auction pieces fetching $250,000.
- Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors like Saks Fifth Avenue underwrite or present APF events and programs, providing financial support in exchange for brand association with public art initiatives.
- Merchandise Sales: The organization sells products through its e-commerce storefront (transacted via Braintree/PayPal), including merchandise and potentially limited art-related goods.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Art Production Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Art Production Fund commissions and produces ambitious public art projects, providing artists with guidance, resources, and production support to realize site-specific works. The organization operates multiple ongoing programs including Art in Focus (a public art program at Rockefeller Center), Art Sundae (free children's art-making workshops with Fort Gansevoort), the APF Gala (annual fundraising event presented by sponsors such as Saks Fifth Avenue), and curated public art programming at Frieze Los Angeles such as Frieze Projects: Set Seen (2024) and Frieze Project: Inside Out (2025).
Product overview
Art Production Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects. The organization operates several core programs: Art in Focus (a multidisciplinary public art program at Rockefeller Center showcasing contemporary artists), Art Sundae (free children's art-making workshops in partnership with Fort Gansevoort), and the APF Gala (annual fundraising event). Additionally, APF curates public art programs at art fairs including Frieze Los Angeles (Set Seen, Inside Out), creating site-specific installations that reach new audiences and expand awareness through contemporary art.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Art in Focus: A multidisciplinary public art program in partnership with Rockefeller Center showcasing installations by contemporary artists inspired by the New York City landscape and contemporary life. Now in its sixth year.
- Art Sundae
- APF Gala
Products and services
- Art in Focus A multidisciplinary public art program presented in partnership with Rockefeller Center that showcases site-specific installations by contemporary artists inspired by the New York City landscape. Works are displayed throughout Rockefeller Center's public spaces, including vitrines at 45 Rockefeller Plaza, the Rink Level, and lobbies at 10/30/50 Rockefeller Plaza. The program has featured 25+ artists since its inception and is free to all visitors.
- Art Sundae A free public children's art-making workshop program where children work with contemporary artists to create public art projects. Co-created with Fort Gansevoort gallery, which also hosts Art Sundae exhibition installations in its windows at 51 Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District. The program has engaged hundreds of children in free art-making workshops since 2017.
- APF Gala Annual fundraising gala event that raises funds to support APF's mission of commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects. Features high-profile celebrity attendance, art auctions, and presenting sponsorship partnerships with brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue. The 2024 Cruise Gala raised over $850,000 in total funds, with art auction pieces fetching $250,000.
- Frieze Projects: Set Seen On-site public art program at Frieze Los Angeles curated by Art Production Fund featuring works that speak to constructed environments and perception of reality. Featured artists included Cynthia Talmadge, Matt Johnson, Pippa Garner, Ryan Flores, Sharif Farrag, and Derek Fordjour. Displayed free to the public at the Santa Monica Airport fair grounds and surrounding areas.
- Frieze Project: Inside Out On-site public art program at Frieze Los Angeles 2025 curated by Art Production Fund, featuring works exploring themes of perspective and how personal histories shape understanding of Los Angeles and its cultural landscape. Featured artists included Lita Albuquerque, Jackie Amezquita, Claire Chambless, Joel Gaitan, Madeline Hollander, Greg Ito, Ozzie Juarez, and Dominique Moody.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $850,000 raised at the 2024 Cruise Gala
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Art Production Fund
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Art Production Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Art Production Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Saks Fifth AvenuecoreSaks Fifth Avenue is the presenting sponsor of APF's annual gala events (2024 Cruise Gala and 2025 Gala). Saks provides financial underwriting and gains brand association with APF's high-profile philanthropic art events attended by celebrities and cultural figures.
- Rockefeller Center / Tishman SpeyercoreRockefeller Center and Art Production Fund have a long-standing partnership for the Art in Focus program, now in its sixth year. APF curates and produces site-specific public art installations throughout the Rockefeller Center campus, featuring contemporary artists in vitrines, murals, and sculptures. Tishman Speyer, the owner/operator of Rockefeller Center, co-presents the program. This is APF's flagship ongoing partnership.
- Frieze Los AngelescoreAPF curates on-site public art programs at Frieze Los Angeles, including Frieze Projects: Set Seen (2024) and Frieze Project: Inside Out (2025). These programs feature multiple artists in site-specific installations at the Santa Monica Airport fair grounds and surrounding areas, free to the public.
- Fort GansevoortcoreFort Gansevoort gallery co-created the Art Sundae program with APF in 2017, a free children's art-making workshop series. Fort Gansevoort also hosts Art Sundae exhibition installations in its windows at 51 Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District.
- City of Santa MonicacoreThe City of Santa Monica partnered with APF to extend public art installations (Matt Johnson's Giant Shell Swan and Cynthia Talmadge's Class Gift) at Santa Monica Airport Park beyond Frieze Los Angeles. Support came via the Art of Recovery Grant program.
- The Ranch, MontaukminorThe Ranch (founded by Max Levai, former president of Marlborough Gallery) supported Matt Johnson's Giant Shell Swan sculpture. The Ranch is a unique exhibition venue on a working horse farm in Montauk, NY.
- Orange Barrel MediaminorOrange Barrel Media facilitated Patrick Martinez's neon works appearing on billboards throughout Los Angeles as part of the Body & Soul free public art program at Frieze Los Angeles 2025.
- Destination CrenshawminorDestination Crenshaw partnered with APF for the presentation of Dominique Moody's NOMAD work as part of Frieze Projects: Inside Out at Frieze Los Angeles 2025.
- Maestro Dobel TequilaminorMaestro Dobel Tequila provided support for Frieze Los Angeles 2025 projects including Jackie Amézquita's installation and Ryan Flores's ceramic works at the fair.
- Prospect.6 New OrleansminorAPF supported Maia Ruth Lee's presentation at Prospect.6 triennial in New Orleans with her work 'The Conveyor' exploring themes of migration and rootlessness.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Art Production Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Public Art Fund: Public Art Fund is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that presents temporary public art installations throughout the city, commissioning artists and producing site-specific works. It is the most directly comparable peer to Art Production Fund given the virtually identical mission, NYC geography, and commissioning/production model.
- Creative Time: Creative Time is a New York-based nonprofit that commissions, produces, and presents public art projects with leading contemporary artists. Its commissioning model, public-facing installations, and downtown NYC operations closely mirror Art Production Fund's core business.
- Madison Square Park Conservancy: The Conservancy commissions and installs site-specific contemporary public art in Madison Square Park, partnering with artists for multi-month exhibitions. Like APF, it raises funds through galas, sponsorships, and grants to underwrite artist commissions in a high-traffic urban venue.
- Times Square Arts: Times Square Arts presents cutting-edge contemporary public art installations and performances in Times Square, much as APF operates at Rockefeller Center and Frieze. Both place free public art in iconic commercial venues at the intersection of art, brands, and foot traffic.
- Socrates Sculpture Park: Socrates Sculpture Park is a NYC nonprofit sculpture park and public gallery that commissions large-scale public sculpture and runs community art programs. It overlaps with APF in commissioning ambition-scale public work and free public programming in an outdoor setting.
- SculptureCenter: SculptureCenter is a NYC nonprofit that supports innovative sculpture and public art through artist commissions, exhibitions, and educational programs. It shares APF's niche focus on commissioning ambitious contemporary sculpture and public-facing artist support.
- Lower Manhattan Cultural Council: LMCC provides artist residencies, commissioning programs, and public art in Lower Manhattan, working closely with NYC venues and city agencies. It overlaps with APF in producing site-specific commissions for established artists and underwriting ambitious public art in NYC.
- Creative Capital: Creative Capital is a New York nonprofit that provides grants and project support to innovative artists working in public-facing and ambitious projects. It is comparable to APF as an arts-supporting nonprofit that funds individual artists and underwrites risk-taking creative projects.
- Prospect New Orleans: Prospect New Orleans produces a citywide contemporary art triennial (most recently Prospect.6, which APF contributed to). It is a comparable exhibition-producing nonprofit operating in a different region with similar commissioning-and-production model and large-scale public installations.
Broad incumbents
- DIA Art Foundation: DIA Art Foundation is a major NYC contemporary art nonprofit that commissions, presents, and preserves large-scale site-specific projects. As a significantly larger arts nonprofit with overlapping commissioning mission, DIA is a broader incumbent comparable to APF in the public art commissioning space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Art Production Fund social profiles
Digital presenceArt Production Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Art Production Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Art Production Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Art Production Fund 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 Art Production Fund
What does Art Production Fund do?
Art Production Fund commissions and produces ambitious public art projects, providing artists with guidance, resources, and production support to realize site-specific works. The organization operates multiple ongoing programs including Art in Focus (a public art program at Rockefeller Center), Art Sundae (free children's art-making workshops with Fort Gansevoort), the APF Gala (annual fundraising event presented by sponsors such as Saks Fifth Avenue), and curated public art programming at Frieze Los Angeles such as Frieze Projects: Set Seen (2024) and Frieze Project: Inside Out (2025).
Is Art Production Fund a public or private company?
Art Production Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Art Production Fund founded?
Art Production Fund was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Art Production Fund based?
Art Production Fund is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Art Production Fund make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are fundraising Gala, corporate Sponsorship and merchandise Sales.
Who are Art Production Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Public Art Fund, Creative Time, Madison Square Park Conservancy, Times Square Arts, Socrates Sculpture Park, SculptureCenter, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Creative Capital and Prospect New Orleans. DIA Art Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Art Production Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Art Production Fund.
What industry is Art Production Fund in?
Art Production Fund's product category is Public Arts Nonprofit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAH, Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs. Its NAICS code is 7121.