Museum for Art in Wood

What Museum for Art in Wood does

The Museum for Art in Wood is a private nonprofit cultural institution founded in 1979 and headquartered at 141 N. 3rd Street in Center City Philadelphia. It operates as the international leader for contemporary art and creativity in the material of wood, maintaining a permanent collection of approximately 1,200 hand-made objects from around the world that range from functional everyday objects to contemporary sculptures. The museum engages, educates, and inspires the public through rotating exhibitions (current, upcoming, past, residency, and traveling), educational programming, and community events.

Its core programmatic offerings include the Windgate Arts Residency Program in Wood (WARP Wood), an international summer residency that has hosted fellows from around the world for over two decades, and The Winter Residency, a collaboration with NextFab supporting Greater Philadelphia-based artists working in wood with a commitment to environmental stewardship. Supporting assets include the Fleur & Charles Bresler Research Library, the Bob Stocksdale International Excellence in Wood Award, the Len Scherock Museum Store (operated both in-person and through a Shopify online store), guided group tours at $5 per person, workshops, artist talks, the Object Lesson speaker series, and the Conversations in Craft podcast. The institution is known publicly as The Center for Art in Wood and legally as Museum for Art in Wood.

The museum's business model is a typical nonprofit arts revenue mix: general admission and exhibition access are free, while earned revenue comes from museum store sales, group tour fees, memberships, donations, and corporate sponsorships. It distributes content through its physical Philadelphia location, a multi-platform social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest), traveling exhibitions to other institutions globally, and its online store. No revenue, headcount, or financial figures are publicly disclosed; the institution operates as a private nonprofit with no parent company, subsidiaries, or public ticker.

Name

Museum for Art in Wood

Legal name

Museum for Art in Wood

Website

https://centerforartinwood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Museum for Art in Wood is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit cultural institution founded in 1979 that presents contemporary art in wood through a permanent collection of ~1,200 objects, rotating exhibitions, international artist residencies, educational programming, and a museum store serving the public, working artists, and scholars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary wood art
• Art museum exhibitions
• Artist residency programs
• Craft research library
• Cultural institution programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Store Sales: The Len Scherock Museum Store offers hand-crafted objects, furniture, and artwork from regional, local, and international artists. Sales occur both in-person at the museum and through the online Shopify store.
2. Donations and Memberships: The museum relies on donations and membership programs to support its exhibitions, residency programs, and educational outreach.
3. Group Tours: Guided group tours of exhibitions and collections are offered at $5 per person, lasting 45-60 minutes with a minimum of 10 guests.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship programs provide additional funding for museum operations and specific programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Museum for Art in Wood is a nonprofit cultural institution that presents rotating exhibitions of contemporary art in wood, maintains a permanent collection of approximately 1,200 hand-made objects from around the world, and operates artist residency programs (the Windgate Arts Residency Program in Wood and the Winter Residency with NextFab). It also runs the Fleur & Charles Bresler Research Library, the Len Scherock Museum Store, and public programs including guided tours, workshops, artist talks, and the Object Lesson speaker series. General admission to exhibitions and the permanent collection is free.

Product overview

The Museum for Art in Wood is a nonprofit cultural institution offering a unified portfolio of exhibitions, educational programs, and public engagement activities centered on contemporary art in wood. The museum presents rotating exhibitions (current, past, and traveling) alongside a permanent collection of approximately 1,200 handmade objects. It operates artist residency programs (Windgate Arts Residency Program and Winter Residency in collaboration with NextFab), maintains a research library (Fleur & Charles Bresler Research Library), operates a museum store, and provides workshops, guided tours, and public programs including the Object Lesson speaker series and Artist Talks. Access to exhibitions and the permanent collection is free of charge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Windgate Arts Residency Program in Wood (WARP Wood): The museum's artist residency program that brings together working artists, student artists, visual documentarians, and scholars from around the world to live and work together in Philadelphia.
• The Winter Residency
• The Len Scherock Museum Store
• The Fleur & Charles Bresler Research Library
• Bob Stocksdale International Excellence in Wood Award
• The Phil F. Brown Fund

Products and services

• Exhibitions Program

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NextFabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Winter Residency is a collaboration between the Museum and NextFab, a network of membership-based maker spaces. The residency supports artists based in the Greater Philadelphia region working in wood and demonstrating a commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable practices.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Folk Art Museum: NYC museum focused on folk and self-taught art and craft, with collections and exhibitions. Comparable as a specialty art museum with material/object focus, though its scope is broader than wood specifically.
• Craft Contemporary: Los Angeles museum dedicated to contemporary craft and design. Comparable in scale, mission, and focus on material-based artistic practice, with overlapping residency and exhibition programming.
• Museum of Arts and Design (MAD): NYC museum focused on contemporary craft, design, and material-based art. Closest direct comparable to the Museum for Art in Wood in terms of mission, programming structure, residency/exhibition model, and craft material focus.
• Fuller Craft Museum: Brockton, MA museum focused on contemporary craft with exhibitions, collection, and educational programs. Directly comparable specialty craft museum with similar programming and nonprofit operating model.
• Museum of Craft and Design: San Francisco museum focused on craft and design with rotating exhibitions and educational programming. Comparable as a small, contemporary craft-focused museum with similar nonprofit structure.
• Houston Center for Contemporary Craft: Houston-based nonprofit museum dedicated to contemporary craft, with artist residencies, exhibitions, and educational programming. Highly comparable in scale, nonprofit model, and craft material specialization.

Others

• Center for Craft: Asheville, NC-based national craft-supporting organization that funds research, residencies, and exhibitions. Closely aligned with the wood craft mission through funding and ecosystem support rather than direct museum operations.

Regional players

• Philadelphia Museum of Art: Major regional art museum in Philadelphia with broader fine art scope. Operates in the same geography and serves overlapping general public visitors, but does not focus on craft or specialty material art.
• Bellevue Arts Museum: Pacific Northwest museum focused on craft and design with exhibitions, collection, and educational programming. Comparable in mission and scale, but operates in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian): Smithsonian craft and decorative arts gallery in Washington, DC. Comparable in craft focus and exhibition programming, but operates as part of a much larger federal institution with substantially greater resources and reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/museumartinwood
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/C4AW
• Facebookfacebook.com/MuseumforArtinWood
• Instagraminstagram.com/museumforartinwood
• Pinterestpinterest.com/c4aw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-art-in-wood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Museum for Art in Wood