Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange

What Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange does

Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange is an educational arts charity founded in 1895, operating two contemporary art venues in Cornwall, England: the Newlyn Art Gallery in Newlyn and The Exchange in Penzance, which was acquired and redeveloped in 2007. The organisation functions as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, presenting temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art alongside learning and community programmes. Its audience spans local residents, regional visitors, and tourists, with a deliberate focus on broadening demographic reach — visitor data indicates audiences under 45 rose from 15% to 40% and Global Majority audiences from 2% to 6% over a recent reporting period. Strategic partnerships include Plus Tate, Hepworth Wakefield, Pallant House Gallery, Bloomberg Philanthropies (selected for the 2025 Digital Accelerator), Cornwall Council, and the NHS via social prescribing.

Name

Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange

Legal name

Newlyn Art Gallery Ltd

Website

https://newlynartgallery.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange is a Cornish educational arts charity operating two contemporary art venues — Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange in Penzance — delivering exhibitions, learning programmes, and community engagement for local residents, regional visitors, and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Gallery

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Art, Street Art & Creative Scene Tours (THAJAAAE), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Specialty & Historic Venues (Landmarks, Estates) (THAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Arts education programs
• Community gallery services
• Cultural venue hire
• Museum retail operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Penzance

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Admission and Passes: Revenue from ticket sales including Standard Pass (£9), Art Lover Pass (£30), Penwith Pass (£5 for local residents), and National Art Pass Admission (£4.50). Passes provide unlimited entry for one year.
2. Retail Shop Sales: Sale of art-related merchandise including books, cards, ceramics, jewellery, stationery, prints, and artworks. Both physical venues and online shop.
3. Café Operations: Independent café operators: Fig at The Exchange and Fika at Newlyn Art Gallery. Galleries benefit from visitor footfall and potentially rent arrangements.
4. Venue Hire: Rental of spaces including The Studio (capacity 30 seated/50 standing), The Engine Room (capacity 60 seated/110 standing), and The Exchange Café for events, weddings, corporate functions, and workshops.
5. Public Funding: Receives 50% of funding from Arts Council England (National Portfolio Organisation) and Cornwall Council (Culture and Creative Investment Partner). Remaining 50% raised through admissions, shops, cafés, and fundraising.
6. Donations and Memberships: Donations, Art Lover subscriptions, Gallery Patron memberships, Business Partnerships, and Legacy giving programs.
7. AV Kit Hire: Hire of audiovisual equipment including projectors, sound systems to artists, curators, arts organisations, and businesses at competitive rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange operates two contemporary art venues in Cornwall presenting rotating exhibitions of regional, national, and international artists, supported by an educational charity mission. Core deliverables include exhibition programming, gallery retail shops, on-site cafés, venue hire for events, an AV equipment hire service, guided walking tours, and structured learning and community participation programmes for schools, families, older adults, and underserved groups.

Product overview

Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange operates as a dual-venue contemporary art gallery platform in Cornwall, comprising Newlyn Art Gallery (opened 1895) and The Exchange in Penzance (acquired 2007). The organisation functions as an educational arts charity and Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. Its core product is the exhibition programme presenting contemporary art across both venues, supported by complementary services including cafés (Fig at The Exchange and Fika at Newlyn Art Gallery), retail shops, and venue hire facilities. The Learning & Participation programme operates through The Engine Room studio and includes activities for children, families, schools, adults, and the Tea, Cake & Art initiative for older people. Additional offerings encompass Newlyn Walking Tours, AV Kit Hire, Community & Change programmes, and a Films & Audio Archive. Ticketing is structured around various passes (Standard, Art Lover, Penwith, National Art Pass) offering tiered access and benefits. The organisation's revenue model combines public funding (approximately 50% from Arts Council England and Cornwall Council) with income from admissions, shops, cafés, and fundraising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Newlyn Art Gallery

Quantifiable outcome

• Local annual economic impact of £2.6m
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bloomberg PhilanthropiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Selected for Digital Accelerator Program in 2025, supporting digital transformation and innovation initiatives.
• Arts Council EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funding partner providing core operational support. Arts Council England also provides Small Capital Grants for environmental improvements. Partnership enables gallery to present Arts Council Collection works and achieve consistent environmental conditions for sensitive artworks.
• Cornwall CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulture and Creative Investment Partner providing strategic funding. Also provides funding through Social Inclusion Fund and Community Chest Fund for community programmes like Tea, Cake & Art. Commissioned Gwelen public artwork via EXPERIENCE project.
• Plus Tate NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Plus Tate network connecting UK galleries for collaborative programming and knowledge sharing.
• Arts Council CollectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery became Arts Council Collection National Partner in 2019, enabling exhibitions of works from the national collection.
• National Portrait GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative Connections partnership enabling collaborative programming and exhibition development.
• Newlyn SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal educational partnership for school engagement and creative education programs.
• Mounts Bay AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal secondary school partnership for educational visits and creative programs.
• Intercom TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTQ+ charity partnership for community engagement and inclusion initiatives.
• WILD Young Parents ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting young families through creative activities and engagement.
• DASHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisability arts organisation partnership for inclusive programming including Future Curators Programme.
• The Hepworth WakefieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organiser of Caroline Walker: Mothering exhibition alongside Pallant House Gallery.
• Pallant House GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organiser of Caroline Walker: Mothering exhibition alongside The Hepworth Wakefield.
• Arts University PlymouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative Associate Placement programme supporting Libita Sibungu's ZED LOVE exhibition.
• Fig (Independent Café)minorOthersIndependent café and kitchen operated by Daniel Garland at The Exchange, serving food, coffee, wine, and ice cream aligned with gallery hours.
• Fika (Independent Café)minorOthersIndependent café operator at Newlyn Art Gallery offering coffee, homemade food, and cakes with plastic-free status from Plastic Free Penzance.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tate St Ives: A fellow Cornwall-based contemporary art gallery and Plus Tate network member offering exhibitions, learning, and retail. Operates with a similar dual-focus model (gallery + coastal community engagement) in the same geographic market.
• Ikon Gallery: Birmingham-based contemporary art gallery with a strong learning and participation programme. Both operate as Plus Tate-adjacent regional galleries prioritising educational engagement alongside exhibitions.
• Pallant House Gallery: A leading regional contemporary and modern art gallery in Chichester. Named co-organiser of the Caroline Walker: Mothering exhibition and operates a comparable model of exhibitions, learning, café, and shop within a single cultural venue.
• Mostyn Gallery: Wales's leading contemporary art gallery in Llandudno offering exhibitions, learning, café, and shop. Shares the model of being a publicly-funded regional gallery in a coastal/peripheral market with mixed-revenue operations.
• Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art: A large-scale regional contemporary art gallery in Gateshead operating on a similar Arts Council-supported model with exhibitions, learning, and retail. Comparable structure as a large regional anchor institution in the North of England.
• Spike Island: Bristol contemporary art space combining artist studios, gallery exhibitions and learning programmes. Comparable in its focus on supporting contemporary artists and providing accessible community learning.
• Arnolfini: Bristol-based contemporary arts centre offering a near-identical combination of gallery exhibitions, learning programmes, café/bar, and venue hire. Their multi-revenue community-engaged model closely mirrors Newlyn's diversified streams.
• The Hepworth Wakefield: A major Yorkshire-based contemporary art gallery named as a co-organiser alongside Newlyn. Similar dual-purpose operating model (gallery plus learning, retail, café) with comparable regional anchor institution positioning.
• Fruitmarket Gallery: Edinburgh-based contemporary art and design gallery offering free exhibitions with learning programmes and a shop. Directly comparable as a publicly-funded, free-entry contemporary visual-arts institution with associated retail.

Broad incumbents

• Serpentine Galleries: Major London-based contemporary art institution also operating through a Plus Tate-style network of programming, learning, and retail. Compares to Newlyn as a broader incumbent in the same contemporary art space with significantly greater scale and reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@newlynexchange
• Facebookfacebook.com/newlynexchange
• Instagraminstagram.com/newlynexchange
• Xx.com/newlynexchange

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange