courageArt

What courageArt does

Art of Possibilities, operating under the doing-business-as name courageArt, is a nonprofit juried art show and sale founded in 1963 by the Women's Auxiliary of the Sister Kenny Institute — the first show of its kind in the world dedicated exclusively to artists with disabilities. The program operates as a project of the Allina Health Foundation and is hosted physically at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Golden Valley, Minnesota; the 63rd annual show is scheduled for May 27 – July 3, 2026, with an opening reception on May 26. Each year, roughly 200 artists with physical and cognitive disabilities exhibit 400+ original pieces across six categories (Photography, Oils & Acrylics, Graphic, Sculpture, Mixed Media, and Watercolor), with $4,000–$4,600 in monetary awards distributed across the categories plus Best in Show and Emerging Artist recognition. Submission intake is managed worldwide through CallForEntry.org, and historical participation spans artists from nearly 50 countries.

The core product surface is the annual show, augmented by a year-round e-commerce shop hosted at courageart.org and built on WordPress with WooCommerce, listing 401 artworks with add-to-cart functionality, local curbside pickup, and U.S.-only shipping at a 15% surcharge. Artist pieces are priced on a unit basis from roughly $10 to over $1,150; 100% of art sale proceeds flow directly to the artists, with the organization retaining no commission — making this a mission-driven marketplace rather than a revenue-generating retail business. A second product line, the Commemorative Note Card collection (10-card packs at $15, e.g., the 2026 release), channels its proceeds into program operations. Marketing leverages the website, Facebook and Instagram handles (@theartofpossibilities), email newsletters, and earned-media coverage (WCCO); distribution is dual-channel through the in-person Golden Valley gallery and the online storefront. The founding-era Courage Cards holiday card program, which ran 67 years from 1958 to 2025 and historically raised millions, was discontinued after the 2025 season due to declining physical-card demand, with affected artists redirected into the main show. Mergers earlier in the institutional history (2016 formation of Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute from Courage Center and Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute) consolidated the host venue and underlying sponsor infrastructure.

Name

courageArt

Legal name

Art of Possibilities Art Show & Sale

Website

https://courageart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Short description

courageArt (Art of Possibilities) is a nonprofit annual juried art show and online shop, founded 1963, featuring exclusively artists with disabilities and returning 100% of art sale proceeds to the artists. It operates as a project of the Allina Health Foundation from Golden Valley, Minnesota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Art Exhibition & Nonprofit Art Curation

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personal Enrichment & Creative Arts Programs (EDAAAEAG), Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Disability art exhibition
• Nonprofit art sales
• Fine art curation
• Rehabilitation art programs
• Accessible art marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Art Sales Transaction: The organization facilitates art sales between artists with disabilities and buyers. 100% of the sale proceeds go directly to the artists. Courage Art/Courage Kenny retains no commission from art sales, making this a mission-driven platform rather than a revenue-generating business.
2. Commemorative Note Cards: Sale of commemorative notecard collections featuring artwork from the show. These are sold as packs with proceeds supporting the overall program operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Art of Possibilities (courageArt) is an annual juried art show and online gallery that exhibits and sells original artwork created by artists with disabilities. Operated as a program of Allina Health Foundation, the organization curates submissions across mediums (photography, oils, acrylics, graphic, sculpture, mixed media, watercolor), hosts a physical exhibition at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, and runs an online WooCommerce shop where 100% of artwork sale proceeds are returned to the artists.

Product overview

courageArt operates the Art of Possibilities, an annual juried art show and sale exclusively featuring artists with disabilities. The organization traces its roots to 1963 when the Women's Auxiliary of the Sister Kenny Institute created the first art show for disabled artists. The primary offering is the Art of Possibilities Art Show & Sale, which displays over 400 original artworks across six categories: Photography, Oils & Acrylics, Graphic, Sculpture, Mixed Media, and Watercolor. An online shop (e-commerce platform) allows visitors to purchase artwork directly, with 100% of proceeds going to the artists. A related legacy program, Courage Cards (1958-2025), featured holiday cards created by artists with disabilities but was discontinued after the 2025 holiday season. The organization also sells commemorative notecard collections featuring artwork from the annual show.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Commemorative Note Card Products: Commemorative notecard collections featuring artwork from artists with disabilities, including 2024 and 2025 collections.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of art sale proceeds go directly to artists
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Allina Health FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Art of Possibilities is a project of the Allina Health Foundation. The foundation provides organizational support, funding infrastructure, and administrative backing for the annual art show and sale, enabling the mission of supporting artists with disabilities.
• Courage Kenny Rehabilitation InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The physical host of the annual Art of Possibilities Art Show & Sale in Golden Valley, MN. The institute provides the exhibition venue and connects the show to rehabilitation patients who benefit from seeing artistic achievements of people with similar disabilities.
• Dalton Wilson (Presenting Sponsor)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Presenting sponsor for the 2026 Art of Possibilities Art Show & Sale, featured prominently on the website homepage and marketing materials.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Art Enables: Washington, DC nonprofit gallery and art studio for artists with disabilities, featuring year-round exhibitions and an online shop. Operates the same nonprofit-gallery-for-disabled-artists model as Art of Possibilities and shares the mission of returning the majority of proceeds to artists.
• Creativity Explored: San Francisco-based nonprofit visual arts center and gallery exclusively for artists with developmental disabilities. Directly comparable mission: provides a studio, gallery, and marketplace for disabled artists with 100% of sales going to artists — the same operating model as CourageArt's Art of Possibilities.
• ArtMix: Indianapolis-based nonprofit (formerly VSA Indiana) providing arts programs, exhibitions, and sales opportunities for artists with disabilities. Direct peer: comparable annual exhibitions, awards program, and online gallery model for the disability arts community.
• Creative Growth Art Center: Oakland, CA nonprofit arts center serving adult artists with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities, with an attached gallery and global sales reach. Closely comparable model: studio + gallery + international visibility for artists with disabilities, with sales supporting artists directly.

Regional players

• Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute: The host institution for Art of Possibilities and part of Allina Health. While CourageArt is itself a project of this organization, Courage Kenny is the closest peer as a regional rehabilitation-and-arts service provider blending therapy with community art programs in the Twin Cities.

Broad incumbents

• VSA (Kennedy Center): The federal-affiliated, largest U.S. program for arts and disability, now part of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Operates as a much larger, national-scale umbrella organization over disability arts programming — comparable mission and audience but with significantly broader scope and government-affiliated funding base.
• National Arts and Disability Center (UCLA Semel): UCLA-affiliated national center advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities in the arts. Comparable mission space and audience (artists with disabilities), but functions as a research/advocacy/incubator rather than a gallery/show operator.

Others

• Allina Health Foundation: Parent foundation of Art of Possibilities and the funding/institutional backbone of the program. Most relevant from a governance and capital-support perspective; not a comparable operating model but a structural sponsor of the program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theartofpossibilities
• Instagraminstagram.com/theartofpossibilities
• Xx.com/courageart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 courageArt