What Indigo Arts Gallery does

Indigo Arts Gallery is a Philadelphia-based art gallery and e-commerce business founded in 1986 by Tony Fisher and the late Deborah (Devi) Cholet, specializing in authentic folk and contemporary art from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and North America. The company operates a physical gallery at the Crane Arts Building in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties/South Kensington arts district (open by appointment), alongside a Drupal-CMS e-commerce platform at indigoarts.com that allows browsing by region, medium, genre, artist, and subject. Core inventory spans Haitian paintings, vodou flags, and recycled steel drum sculpture; African masks, textiles, and Zulu telephone wire baskets; Tibetan and Nepalese Thangka paintings; Indian Mithila art; Mexican masks and retablos; Cuban self-taught art; and Peruvian folk art, supplemented by a gift shop tier of books, notecards, and ornaments under $250.

Revenue is generated through three streams: direct art sales (one-time transactions ranging from under $100 to over $4,000), consignment services (40% commission on net selling price with a $40 minimum listing fee), and art consultation and appraisal services ($25 minimum for brief email consultations, $100+ for comprehensive written appraisals). The gallery sources inventory by purchasing directly from artists and cooperatives to maximize returns to creators, and represents works from prestigious collections including those of Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, filmmaker Rudi Stern, Bill Bollendorf, and Virgil Young. Distribution is global, with shipping to at least ten countries, though the website's shopping cart is currently non-functional, requiring customers to contact the gallery directly via inquiry form or phone.

The customer base consists entirely of individual SMB art collectors globally, with no enterprise or institutional customer concentration evidenced in the data. Marketing relies on the website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest), direct email, rotating in-gallery exhibitions, and annual participation in the New York Outsider Art Fair. The business is founder-led, privately held as Indigo Arts Gallery, LLC. in Pennsylvania, with no external funding, parent company, or acquisition history disclosed.

Name

Indigo Arts Gallery

Legal name

Indigo Arts Gallery, LLC.

Website

https://indigoarts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Indigo Arts Gallery is a Philadelphia-based private art gallery and e-commerce platform, founded in 1986, that exhibits and sells authentic folk and contemporary art from Africa, Asia, and the Americas to individual collectors worldwide, with consignment and appraisal services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Gallery

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920), Art Dealers (45992)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vintage & Antique Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAE), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Folk art gallery
• Contemporary art sales
• Art appraisal services
• Consignment art sales
• International folk art

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Art Sales: Direct sales of folk and contemporary art, antiques, and artifacts through the indigoarts.com e-commerce platform. Inventory includes Haitian art, African artifacts, Asian folk art, and American folk art. Pricing varies by item with prices ranging from under $100 to several thousand dollars.
2. Consignment Services: The gallery accepts artworks on consignment, charging a 40% commission on the net selling price. Minimum consignment listing fee is $40, which is credited back upon sale. The gallery assists with pricing, photography, documentation, and marketing through email and social media.
3. Art Consultation and Appraisal: Provides art identification, evaluation, and appraisal services. Brief email consultations start at $25 minimum charge. Comprehensive written appraisals for insurance or gift purposes start at $100 minimum, charged by time and expenses. Services are pre-paid via credit card or PayPal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Indigo Arts Gallery sells original folk and contemporary art from diverse cultural traditions through a physical gallery in Philadelphia and a long-running e-commerce website. Inventory includes masks, paintings, sculptures, textiles, beads, and ceremonial objects sourced from Haiti, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The gallery also offers art consultation, professional appraisal services with published minimum fees, and a consignment program taking a 40% commission on consigned works.

Product overview

Indigo Arts Gallery operates as both a physical gallery in Philadelphia and an online e-commerce platform specializing in international folk and contemporary art from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The core product is the Indigo Arts Online Marketplace, which offers browsing by region (Africa, Asia and Pacific, Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, North America, South America), medium (baskets and ceramics, masks, painting, prints and works on paper, sculpture, textiles, beadwork), genre (folk and intuitive art, functional art, sacred art, tribal art, fine art, recycled art), and artist. Supporting offerings include the Marketplace Gift Shop for affordable art items, the Gallery Exhibition Program featuring rotating exhibitions of Haitian art, Mexican art, Cuban self-taught artists, Indian folk paintings, and African/Oceanic sculpture, and representation of prestigious collections including Haitian Vodou artifacts, Mexican masks, and Haitian metal sculpture. Services include art consultation and appraisal (minimum $25-$100) and consignment services (40% commission).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Indigo Arts Online Marketplace Primary e-commerce platform at indigoarts.com offering original masks, paintings, sculptures, textiles, beads, and ceremonial objects sourced from artists and cooperatives in Haiti, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Targeted at individual collectors and gift buyers.
• Gallery Exhibition Program Physical gallery exhibitions at the Crane Arts Building in Philadelphia, presenting rotating shows of folk and contemporary art including notable collections such as the Virgil Young Collection.
• Art Consultation and Appraisal Services Professional appraisal and consultation services for folk and contemporary art, with a stated minimum fee of $25 for a verbal opinion and $100 for a written appraisal. Targeted at collectors seeking authentication and valuation support.
• Consignment Services Consignment program under which Indigo Arts accepts works from artists and collectors, taking a 40% commission on consigned sales. Targeted at artists and collectors seeking gallery representation and sales support.
• Marketplace Gift Shop Online gift shop section of the indigoarts.com marketplace offering smaller folk art items priced primarily under $100, including beaded jewelry, small carvings, textiles, and decorative objects suitable for gifting.
• Haitian Vodou Flags Collection Curated collection of Haitian Vodou flags (drapo) sourced from Haitian artists, available through the online marketplace and gallery. Targeted at collectors of Haitian folk art and Vodou cultural artifacts.
• Haitian Recycled Steel Drum Sculpture Collection Collection of sculptures crafted by Haitian artists from recycled steel oil drums, offered through the online marketplace. Targeted at collectors of Haitian folk art and outsider art.
• Thangka Paintings Collection Collection of traditional Tibetan Buddhist Thangka paintings offered through the online marketplace. Targeted at collectors of Asian religious and folk art.

Named customers5 records

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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• SFO MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2023Indigo Arts loaned sculptural works by Haitian artists Murat Brierre, Serge Jolimeau, and Gabriel Bien-Aimé to the exhibition 'The Enduring Spirit of Haitian Metal Sculpture' at SFO International Airport. Exhibition ran from August 17, 2023 to October 20, 2024.
• New York Outsider Art FairmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 January 2017Indigo Arts participates annually in the New York Outsider Art Fair, exhibiting at Booth #19 at the Metropolitan Pavilion. The fair provides exposure to collectors and enthusiasts of outsider and folk art.
• Bill Bollendorf CollectioncoreOthersIndigo Arts represents artworks from the Bill Bollendorf Collection, featuring Haitian art and outsider art pieces.
• Jaled Muyaes and Estela Ogazón Collection of Mexican MaskscoreOthersThe Muyaes Ogazón collection of traditional Mexican masks was assembled over more than 50 years, composed of about 3,000 masks used in Mexican dances and celebrations.
• Jonathan W. Fisher CollectioncoreOthersIndigo Arts represents works from the collection of Jonathan Waters Fisher (1948-2022).
• Rudi Stern CollectioncoreOthersIndigo Arts represents a portion of the collection of the late multimedia artist and filmmaker Rudi Stern (1936-2006), collected during his years in Haiti in the 1980s and 1990s.
• Jonathan Demme CollectioncoreOthersOscar-winning director Jonathan Demme (1944-2017) was also a Haitian art curator and collector. Indigo Arts represents works from his collection.
• Virgil Young Collection of Haitian Vodou ArtcoreOthersIndigo Arts offers vintage vodou flags, bottles, and artifacts from the famed Virgil Young Collection, collected directly from Haitian Vodou temples from about 1980 to 1993.
• Art Creation Foundation for ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJudy Hoffman founded this non-profit in Jacmel, Haiti in 1999. Indigo Arts offers a collection of Haitian drapo and paintings with proceeds benefiting the foundation.
• Le Centre d'Art (Haiti)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric Haitian art institution founded in 1944 that continues to nurture and promote Haitian art as an art school, gallery, and museum.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Calaveras Arts / Peruvian Folk Art Dealers: Smaller specialty dealers focused on Peruvian retablos, masks, and Andean folk art — directly comparable to Indigo Arts' Peruvian and Latin American folk art offerings.
• Haitian Art Collection / Galerie Macondo: Specialty gallery focused on Haitian painting and metal sculpture, overlapping directly with Indigo Arts' Haitian vodou flag, steel drum sculpture, and painting categories.

Direct peers

• Pucker Gallery: Boston-area gallery with a long-running program in folk and contemporary craft-based art, including international folk traditions. Comparable in operating model (physical gallery plus online presence) and international folk art focus.
• Luise Ross Gallery: New York gallery specializing in self-taught, outsider, and visionary art. Comparable in customer segment (serious collectors), pricing tiers, and exhibition-driven sales model.
• Andrew Edlin Gallery: Operates the Outsider Art Fair (the same annual fair where Indigo Arts exhibits at Booth #19) and represents folk, outsider, and self-taught artists. Direct competitor for both artist representation and collector mind-share.
• Ricco/Maresca Gallery: Chelsea-based gallery with deep focus on outsider, folk, and non-Western art, including African and Oceanic traditions. Comparable curatorial scope, particularly for the African, Haitian, and tribal art categories Indigo Arts covers.
• Toth Gallery: Folk and outsider art dealer active in the secondary market for African and Latin American folk art. Comparable in inventory scope, collector focus, and consignment-style sales model.
• Cavin-Morris Gallery: New York City gallery specializing in outsider, self-taught, and folk art from global indigenous and vernacular traditions. Highly comparable to Indigo Arts in category focus, artist sourcing approach, and collector base.
• Galerie Flak: Paris-based gallery specializing in tribal, folk, and contemporary art from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Direct overlap with Indigo Arts' geographic and cultural sourcing scope, particularly for African and Oceanic sculpture.

Broad incumbents

• American Folk Art Museum: Institutional nonprofit museum focused on folk and self-taught art. While not a commercial gallery, it sets taste and authority in the categories Indigo Arts sells into, and partnerships or programming overlap is plausible.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/indigoartsgallery
• Pinterestpinterest.com/indigofamily
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indigo-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Indigo Arts Gallery