What BURNAWAY does

BURNAWAY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital magazine founded in 2008 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to publishing contemporary art criticism from the American South and the Caribbean. The organization operates as a multi-channel editorial platform publishing weekly long-form essays, interviews, exhibition reviews, and artist projects through its online Magazine and BA Daily sections, supplemented by an annual print publication (The Burnaway Reader), the Art Guides directory for regional cultural offerings, the To Do List events calendar, the DIY Index of artist-run spaces, and the Mood Ring and Annotations editorial columns. Its products and supporting programs include the Art Writing Incubator for emerging critics, the Book//Zine art book fair, and the recently launched Artist Editions program producing limited-run collectible art objects. Coverage spans 13 Southern states plus the Caribbean via dedicated regional editors.

The technology stack is a conventional content-publishing web platform with no proprietary technical differentiation, no mobile app, and no public API. The organization is W.A.G.E. certified, confirming fair compensation practices for contributors. The business model combines diversified revenue streams: tiered monthly membership subscriptions ($5-$20/month across Reader, Supporter, Friend, and Editor's Circle), one-time donations, shop sales of the annual Reader, Artist Editions, and merchandise, and grant funding from a network of major foundations and government arts agencies. Audience composition spans arts writers and journalists, Southern and Caribbean contemporary artists, art institutions and galleries, and discerning art enthusiasts and collectors who engage with the publication through its website, email newsletter, Instagram, in-person events, and educational programs.

Name

BURNAWAY

Legal name

Burnaway, Inc.

Website

https://burnaway.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BURNAWAY is an Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital magazine publishing contemporary art criticism from the American South and the Caribbean across an online magazine, annual print Reader, educational programs, and limited-run Artist Editions, serving arts writers, regional artists, institutions, and collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Journalism and Contemporary Art Magazine

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK), Writing Critique Groups & Peer Workshops (EDAMAMAJ)

Keywords

• Contemporary art criticism
• Arts journalism
• Art magazine publishing
• Artist editions marketplace
• Arts community platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Monthly membership tiers (Reader $5/mo, Supporter $8/mo, Friend $12/mo, Editor's Circle $20/mo) providing recurring revenue with tiered benefits including newsletters, print publications, event access, and discounts.
2. Donations and contributions: One-time donations from supporters and community members to support editorial and programmatic efforts.
3. Shop sales: Sales of The Burnaway Reader (annual print publication), Artist Editions (limited art objects), and merchandise.
4. Grants and foundation support: Funding from foundations including Ruth Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Georgia Council for the Arts, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BURNAWAY publishes a weekly online magazine of contemporary art criticism covering the American South and Caribbean, alongside an annual print publication (The Burnaway Reader), daily reviews and event listings (BA Daily), limited-run collectible Artist Editions, regional Art Guides, and the To Do List event calendar. The organization also runs educational programs such as the Art Writing Incubator to cultivate emerging art critics and supports regional creative communities through editorial partnerships and grants-funded programming.

Product overview

BURNAWAY is a digital magazine and non-profit organization publishing contemporary art criticism from the American South and Caribbean. The platform operates across multiple channels: an online magazine with weekly long-form essays and interviews, a daily section (BA Daily) with reviews, news, and event listings, an annual print publication (The Burnaway Reader), and specialized content columns including Mood Ring for artist projects and Annotations for annotated artwork. Supporting programs include the Art Writing Incubator for emerging critics, Art Guides for regional coverage, the DIY Index for artist-run spaces, Artist Editions for collectible merchandise, and the To Do List for event discovery. Coverage spans thirteen states plus the Caribbean, delivered through a combination of online publishing, print annuals, virtual programming via Zoom, and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Burnaway Reader: Annual print publication featuring long-form essays, interviews, artist projects, and stories related to the magazine's annual themes.
• BA DAILY
• MOOD RING
• ART WRITING INCUBATOR (AWrI)
• ART GUIDES
• DI Y INDEX
• Artist Editions

Products and services

• Burnaway Magazine Weekly online publication of critical essays, interviews, exhibition reviews, features, and theme-specific projects covering contemporary art from the American South and Caribbean. Free to access online and targeted at art enthusiasts, arts writers, and Southern/Caribbean creative communities.
• BA Daily Daily content platform featuring exhibition reviews, interviews, profiles, studio visits, news roundups, call for artists, and the To Do List of regional art events. Targeted at readers seeking timely coverage of contemporary art across the South and Caribbean.
• The Burnaway Reader Annual print publication featuring long-form essays, interviews, artist projects, and stories related to the magazine's annual themes. Sold through shop.burnaway.org and distributed through museum and university stockists to art enthusiasts and collectors.
• Art Writing Incubator (AWrI) Signature annual writing intensive cultivating emerging art critics through workshops with leading culture writers and one-on-one tutorials with BURNAWAY editors. Targeted at emerging and established arts writers seeking professional development in art criticism.
• Artist Editions Limited-run collectible art objects created by artists from the South and Caribbean, sold through shop.burnaway.org to discerning collectors of contemporary art.
• Book//Zine Fair Annual art book and zine fair bringing together publishers and artists for buying, selling, and community building. Targeted at artists, publishers, zine makers, and art enthusiasts across the Southern region.
• Mood Ring Artist column featuring original artist projects and writing, with each installment taking its own form according to the particular specifications of the project. Targeted at readers and artists interested in artist-led editorial projects.
• To Do List Ongoing compilation of visual art events and exhibitions throughout the South and Caribbean, filterable by location and date. Targeted at art enthusiasts, visitors, and travelers seeking to discover regional exhibitions.
• Annotations Editorial column featuring unique annotations created or contextualized by artists, writers, and cultural workers from the South and Caribbean. Targeted at readers interested in artist-curated annotations of artworks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ exhibition reviews published
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Art21coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEditorial partnership with Art21, producers of award-winning documentary films about the world's most groundbreaking contemporary artists. Part of the Burnaway content program.
• Oolite ArtsregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publishing partnership with Oolite Arts to increase critical art writing in Miami-Dade County.
• Oxford AmericanregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Oxford American literary magazine for collaborative editorial content.
• CCCADI (Caribbean Cultural African Diaspora Institute)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative content partnership with CCDADI focused on Caribbean and African diaspora cultural programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Momus: An international online publication providing criticism and reporting on contemporary art. Like Burnaway, it operates as a digital-first platform focused on art criticism and discourse, though with international rather than regional scope.
• ART PAPERS: An Atlanta-based contemporary art publication covering criticism and cultural commentary. Like Burnaway, ART PAPERS is based in Atlanta and covers contemporary art with a critical, magazine-format approach, making it a closely comparable regional peer.
• Temporary Art Review: A regional contemporary art criticism platform based in the Pacific Northwest. Like Burnaway, it provides geographically-focused arts criticism and has developed programs to support regional arts writers.
• Hyperallergic: A digital-first contemporary arts publication providing criticism, news, and reporting. Like Burnaway, it operates online with a nonprofit-adjacent editorial mission focused on rigorous art criticism, though Hyperallergic covers contemporary art nationally and globally rather than regionally.
• The Brooklyn Rail: A nonprofit online and print publication focused on contemporary art and culture criticism. Like Burnaway, it combines editorial criticism with a nonprofit funding model and cultivates critical writing communities.

Regional players

• Pelican Magazine: A New Orleans-based contemporary art publication covering Southern visual arts and culture. Like Burnaway, it focuses on Southern art coverage, but is concentrated in the Gulf Coast region with somewhat different editorial positioning.
• BmoreArt: A Baltimore-based online publication covering contemporary art, music, and culture. Like Burnaway, it operates as a regional digital-first arts publication with a nonprofit-leaning editorial mission and cultivates local arts writers.

Broad incumbents

• ARTnews: One of the oldest and largest art publications globally, covering the international art market and contemporary art scene. Like Burnaway, it publishes art criticism, but at a much broader national/international scale and with different commercial funding dynamics.
• Art in America: A long-established contemporary art magazine (now primarily digital) providing criticism and reporting. Like Burnaway, it serves as a critical voice in contemporary art, but at a broader national scale with a longer institutional history.

Others

• Oxford American: A Southern literary magazine and nonprofit organization publishing essays, fiction, and poetry about the American South. Oxford American is both a Burnaway strategic partner and a thematic peer in nonprofit Southern literary publishing, though focused on literary rather than visual arts criticism.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BurnawayGA

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 BURNAWAY