The Sketchbook Project

What The Sketchbook Project does

The Sketchbook Project, legally operated as Brooklyn Art Library, INC, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that ran a global collaborative art project from 2006 to May 1, 2023. Its core offering was a structured participatory program in which individuals purchased custom 5-by-7-inch sketchbooks, created original artwork or writing inside them, and shipped the completed books back to be catalogued in what became the world's largest sketchbook archive. Over its 17-year operational life the project amassed more than 60,000 sketchbooks from roughly 30,000 contributing artists across multiple countries and recorded hundreds of thousands of physical book checkouts at its Brooklyn library.

The organization generated revenue through three streams: one-time sketchbook purchases by participants, tax-deductible donations, and ancillary print and artist-services sales via its e-commerce site. Its go-to-market was community-led, relying on organic social channels (Instagram), an email newsletter, and the Brooklyn Art Library Podcast, hosted by founder Steven Peterman and associate creative director Autumn Farina. The underlying technology stack is not disclosed in available sources; the platform is described only as an artist services and print sales site, with a digital library of catalogued sketchbook content planned for restoration.

On May 1, 2023, founder Steven Peterman announced full cessation of operations and elected to gift the physical sketchbook collection to four receiving institutions — Wonderneath, The Mini Time Machine, Taub Museum, and Stove Works — rather than sell it to a successor entity. The Sketchbook Project and Brooklyn Art Library operated throughout as an independent, mission-driven nonprofit with no external venture or parent-company backing and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

The Sketchbook Project

Legal name

Brooklyn Art Library, INC

Website

https://sketchbookproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sketchbook Project was a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that ran a global collaborative art archive from 2006 to 2023, amassing 60,000+ sketchbooks from 30,000 contributing artists. The organization closed on May 1, 2023, gifting its collection to four receiving institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Community & Archive Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)

Keywords

• Community art archive
• Collaborative sketchbook project
• Global artist library
• Artist community participation
• Nonprofit creative archive

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Sketchbook Sales: Participants purchase sketchbooks from the organization, fill them with original artwork, and submit them to be added to the collection. The terms of service explicitly state 'By purchasing a sketchbook and returning it to us with Content' as the participation mechanism.
2. Donations: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Sketchbook Project accepts tax-deductible donations to support operations and programs.
3. Artist Services and Print Sales: The Sketchbook Project website is described as an 'artist services and print sales site' indicating the sale of prints and related artist services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Sketchbook Project runs a global participatory art initiative under which individuals purchase branded custom sketchbooks (5 x 7 inches when closed, under 1 inch thick), fill them with original artwork and writing, and submit them by mail to be archived in the world's largest sketchbook collection. The nonprofit organization also operates an online digital library of submitted works, artist print sales, and a podcast featuring member artists.

Product overview

The Sketchbook Project is a nonprofit artist services platform and print sales site operated by Brooklyn Art Library. The core offering is The Sketchbook Project itself—a global creative initiative where participants purchase custom sketchbooks, fill them with their own artwork, writing, and expression, then submit them to be added to the world's largest sketchbook collection (60,000+ sketchbooks from 30,000+ contributors). Brooklyn Art Library serves as the physical archive and display space for the collection, though it closed in May 2023. The platform also offers a Digital Library for online viewing (currently being restored), and produces the Brooklyn Art Library Podcast featuring artist interviews. Content licensing defaults to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Sketchbooks

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000+ sketchbooks created and collected from 30,000 global creative participants
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Various Receiving InstitutionsminorOthers · 1 May 2023Following the closure announcement on May 1st, 2023, the sketchbook collection is being gifted to other institutions that can better care for the books. Specific receiving institutions include Wonderneath, The Mini Time Machine, Taub Muesum, and Stove Works as shown in location references on the website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Moleskine: Moleskine is a global premium notebook and sketchbook brand that sells physical blank books to creative individuals. It is directly comparable to The Sketchbook Project's custom sketchbook product line, serving the same core customer (artists, writers, designers) with a similar blank-book format.
• Artsy: Artsy is an online art marketplace and discovery platform that aggregates artwork from galleries and artists worldwide. It parallels The Sketchbook Project's content library of 60,000+ artworks and its role as a discovery and inspiration platform for creative audiences.
• Redbubble: Redbubble is a print-on-demand marketplace where independent artists sell artwork on consumer products. It is a direct peer to The Sketchbook Project's artist-services print sales business, with similar economics around artist-controlled merchandise.
• Saatchi Art: Saatchi Art is an online gallery that sells original artwork and prints from emerging artists globally. It compares to The Sketchbook Project as a discovery-and-purchase channel for emerging and amateur creative work, with overlap in the global artist community.
• Society6: Society6 is an artist marketplace that enables creators to sell prints and merchandise derived from their work. It is directly comparable to The Sketchbook Project's print sales revenue stream, with the same artist-services/print-sales business model.
• Behance: Behance is an online creative community platform owned by Adobe where artists share portfolios and discover work. It directly parallels The Sketchbook Project's community-led GTM and content-sharing model, though delivered digitally rather than via physical sketchbooks.

Others

• Patreon: Patreon is a creator-support platform that enables artists to receive recurring funding from their audience. It is comparable as a supporting infrastructure for the same global community of independent artists The Sketchbook Project served, though it does not directly compete in the sketchbook archive category.

Broad incumbents

• Skillshare: Skillshare is an online learning community for creative skills, serving the same target audience of artists, illustrators, and creative individuals. It is a broader incumbent in the creative-creator economy, overlapping with The Sketchbook Project's community of creative contributors.
• Etsy: Etsy is a broad online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, including artist-made prints, sketchbooks, and creative products. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with The Sketchbook Project's print sales and custom sketchbook offerings but operates across many product categories.

Emerging players

• Field Notes Brand: Field Notes is an independent notebook and sketchbook brand with a cult creative-community following, selling physical blank books to artists, writers, and designers. It is comparable to The Sketchbook Project as an independent sketchbook brand serving the same niche creative segment, with a stronger focus on the product itself rather than an archive.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/brooklynartlibrary
• Xx.com/sketchbkproject
• Facebookfacebook.com/SketchbookProject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sketchbook-project

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 The Sketchbook Project