Ix Art Park

What Ix Art Park does

IX Art Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization operating under the IX Arts Foundation in Charlottesville, Virginia, founded in 2019. It runs two primary venues — a free ~15,000 sq ft outdoor mural and sculpture park open year-round and The Looking Glass, a ~6,000 sq ft immersive art museum described as Virginia's first permanent immersive art space, featuring an enchanted forest, kaleidoscopic cave, and subterranean Rabbit Hole Art Lounge, with installations created by 25+ local and regional artists. Technology components include interactive augmented-reality-style projections, soundscapes, and a 360° Matterport VR tour that extends access globally for a $4+ donation; there is no disclosed AI/ML capability underlying the experience stack.

The organization serves a diversified audience: general public visitors (290,000 at the outdoor park in 2022), ticketed museum guests (12,000 in 2022), youth and families (183 summer-camp students in 2022 with 29 free scholarships), food-insecure residents (SNAP/Fresh Match programs at the Saturday Market Central farmers market, $13,588 in 2022), and private event bookers. The business model is hybrid nonprofit: earned income from ticket sales (FareHarbor platform), facility rentals, and bar/beverage sales at the Rabbit Hole Art Lounge, supplemented by tax-deductible donations via Givebutter across tiers ranging from $1 to $100,000. Go-to-market is event-driven (Charlottesville Arts Festival, Fae Festival, Soul of Cville, Fantasy Fest) combined with direct-to-consumer on-site visits and a global digital channel via the VR tour. Partnerships with Market Central, Boys & Girls Club, United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, International Neighbors, and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts anchor both programming supply and community demand, while sponsorship from Toyota Charlottesville underwrites free monthly Community Days.

Name

Ix Art Park

Legal name

IX Arts Foundation

Website

https://ixartpark.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IX Arts Foundation operates a free outdoor mural/sculpture park and The Looking Glass immersive art museum in downtown Charlottesville, VA, serving the general public, youth through arts education, and private event clients via ticketing, rentals, bar revenue, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Admission fees for The Looking Glass immersive museum and special events, sold through FareHarbor platform
2. Facility Rentals: Rental of The Looking Glass museum and outdoor art park for private events, parties, corporate events, and weddings
3. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations as 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting art supplies, exhibitions, community programming; various giving tiers from $1 to $100,000+
4. Bar and Beverage Sales: Rabbit Hole Art Lounge serves cocktails and mocktails; bartending roles for guests 21+
5. VR Tour Access: 24-hour access to VR tour included with $4+ donation to the IX Arts Foundation
6. Farmers Market Partnership: Partnership with Market Central for Saturday farmers market; SNAP and Fresh Match programs for food access

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ix Art Park operates a free outdoor mural and sculpture park and The Looking Glass, Virginia's first immersive art museum (~6,000 sq ft), both run by the IX Arts Foundation 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The organization sells museum tickets, hosts signature festivals (Charlottesville Arts Festival, Fae Festival, Soul of Cville, Fantasy Fest), runs a Saturday farmers market, offers youth art camps and free community programming, and rents the venue for private events.

Product overview

IX Art Park operates as a unified arts ecosystem with two primary physical venues—the free outdoor art park (mural and sculpture area) and The Looking Glass immersive art museum—supplemented by the Rabbit Hole Art Lounge bar, a Saturday farmers market, and year-round programming including festivals, workshops, and summer camps. The organization is structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit under the IX Arts Foundation, offering both free public access points and ticketed experiences. Digital offerings include a VR tour of The Looking Glass via Matterport, online donations through Givebutter, ticketing through FareHarbor, and newsletter communications via Mailchimp. The product portfolio spans free community programming, paid admission experiences, venue rentals, and charitable giving, all centered on making art accessible to everyone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Looking Glass: Virginia's first immersive art museum featuring installations created by over 25 local and regional artists, featuring an enchanted forest, kaleidoscopic cave and subterranean art lounge.
• Rabbit Hole Art Lounge
• Outside Art Room
• Market Central Farmers Market

Products and services

• IX Art Park (Outdoor) Free outdoor mural and sculpture park in downtown Charlottesville, open year-round to the public, featuring installations created by over 25 local and regional artists across ~15,000 sq ft. Serves as the venue for festivals, workshops, and the Market Central Saturday Farmers Market.
• The Looking Glass Immersive Art Museum Ticketed immersive art museum spanning ~6,000 square feet with installations by 25+ professional artists, including an enchanted forest, kaleidoscopic cave, and subterranean art lounge with interactive projections, soundscapes, and fabric art. Open Thursday-Sunday with community free-admission days the first Thursday of each month.
• Rabbit Hole Art Lounge Experiential art bar and live event venue inside The Looking Glass serving craft cocktails and mocktails for guests 21+, with monthly programming including karaoke on the Flowstone Stage and art-making activities.
• VR Tour Full 360° Matterport virtual reality tour of The Looking Glass museum, accessible on computers, phones, tablets, or VR devices, with interactive info panels on artists and installations. 24-hour access included with a donation of $4 or more.
• Market Central Farmers Market at IX Saturday farmers market co-sponsored with Market Central, featuring 60+ local vendors offering fresh produce, prepared foods, and artisan goods. Supports SNAP benefits and the Fresh Match program matching up to $50 in SNAP benefits for fresh produce. Runs April-September (8am-12pm) and October-March (9am-1pm).
• Art Mix at IX Monthly first Friday art mixer (6 PM to midnight) held in the Rabbit Hole Art Lounge with free admission, featuring live music, craft cocktails, interactive art stations, and networking opportunities for artists and art lovers.
• Arts From Underground Monthly first Thursday evening event (8 PM, adults 18+) combining art-making activities, drinks in the Rabbit Hole Art Lounge, and karaoke on the Flowstone Stage. Free admission.
• Charlottesville Arts Festival Annual 2-day festival celebrating art, inspiration, and community, featuring 50+ visual and performance artists, immersive art experiences, live music, hands-on workshops, and artisan demos. 6th annual event in 2026.
• Fae Festival Urban Renaissance faire (5th year), featuring a medieval market, artisan vendors, live music, roaming performers, immersive art installations, food vendors, and family-friendly activities including performances of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Saturday GA $15, Sunday GA $10, Weekend Pass $20, Sunday with Midsummer Night's Dream $35-$40, Kids 12 and Under free.
• Soul of Cville Festival 3-day free festival showcasing Black culture through film, fashion, music, dance, and more. Second annual event in 2022 with over 9,000 attendees.
• Venue Rentals Private event rentals for The Looking Glass museum and outdoor art park, available separately or together, including stage, lighting, and picnic tables. The outdoor platform measures approximately 150 x 100 feet. Suitable for company parties, birthdays, weddings, and team-building events.
• Summer Arts Camp 6-week summer arts camp for children ages 3-13, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and stop-motion animation. Employs 10 teaching artists and grew from 10 students in 2020 to 183 students in 2022 with 29 free scholarships offered to marginalized youth.
• Outside Art Room Free weekly art activity space providing art kits including watercolors, paint sticks, and chalk to people of all ages. Available Thursday through Sunday since 2021, serving over 12,000 people.

Quantifiable outcome

• 290,000 people welcomed to outdoor art park in 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Market CentralcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Market Central, a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2003, co-sponsors and manages the Winter Farmers Market at IX Art Park with the IX Art Park Foundation since 2018. They collaborate on SNAP and Fresh Match programs to increase food access in the community, with $13,588 in SNAP benefit funding in 2022.
• Boys & Girls Club at Cherry AvenuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide 60 students with 36 weeks of free after-school arts programming in 2021-2022. Focus on marginalized youth and community arts education.
• International NeighborsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for arts education and community engagement programs.
• United WayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for arts education and community engagement initiatives.
• Big Brothers Big SistersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting youth through arts programming.
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner relationship with Virginia's premier art museum.
• Toyota CharlottesvillecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerToyota Charlottesville sponsors free Community Day at The Looking Glass on the first Thursday of every month, enabling free access to the immersive experience for all community members.
• Piedmont Housing Area ResidentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for neighborhood engagement and arts access.
• Global Roots ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian-based organization that sponsored the 1st America Connects National Mural at IX Art Park, featuring tiles painted by 1,500 people.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Meow Wolf: Meow Wolf operates large-scale immersive art exhibitions across multiple U.S. cities (Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Denver, etc.). It is the dominant national player in the immersive art space and represents both a comparable business model and a key competitive threat to a single-location immersive museum.

Direct peers

• ARTECHOUSE: ARTECHOUSE operates technology-driven immersive art spaces in Washington D.C., New York, Houston, and Miami. Its projection-mapping and interactive digital installations are directly comparable to The Looking Glass's immersive art concept.
• City Museum (St. Louis): City Museum in St. Louis is a large-scale, immersive, artist-built environment with paid ticketed entry and rotating installations. Its combination of artist-built experiential space, bar/event venue, and community programming parallels The Looking Glass + Rabbit Hole model.
• WNDR Museum: WNDR Museum operates immersive, art-forward experiential venues in Chicago and Boston featuring installations that blend art and technology. It targets a similar consumer audience seeking Instagram-friendly, paid immersive art experiences.
• Color Factory: Color Factory operates interactive, immersive art experiences in NYC, Houston, and Chicago. It competes for the same experiential-tourism consumer, with ticketed entry and Instagram-friendly installations similar to The Looking Glass.
• Socrates Sculpture Park: Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, NY is a free outdoor park displaying large-scale sculpture and installation art with year-round public access. It is the most direct model for the free outdoor sculpture/mural park component of IX Art Park.

Others

• Framingham State University Art Museum / VMFA Community Partners: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is a community partner of IX Art Park and is Virginia's premier art museum. It is a broad incumbent in the same regional arts ecosystem and a peer for institutional programming and donor relationships.

Regional players

• Live Arts (Charlottesville): Live Arts is a Charlottesville-based performing arts organization whose former Executive Director (Anne Hunter) sits on the IX Art Park board. It is a regional peer in the local arts community, serving overlapping audiences and competing for arts funding and audience attention.
• McGuffey Art Center: McGuffey Art Center is a Charlottesville-based artist cooperative and gallery space where the Director of Curation at IX Art Park (Kathryn Wingate) is an incubator alumni. It is a direct regional peer in the local Charlottesville art ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Frida Kahlo Museum / immersive Frida experiences: Immersive exhibitions of artist Frida Kahlo and similar artists (e.g., Immersive Van Gogh) operate in multiple cities. They compete for the same 'immersive art experience' consumer market and demonstrate the franchise/touring potential of this category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtiktok.com/@ixartpark?
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCY0LPEz6Ere0ihtpWb1HBsA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ixartparkcharlottesville
• Instagraminstagram.com/ixartpark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ix-art-park-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Ix Art Park