Multistory

Community Arts Servicesmultistory.org.uk

Multistory is a UK-registered community arts charity based in West Bromwich that delivers place-led exhibitions, artist development, and community programming across Sandwell and the wider Black Country region, funded primarily by Arts Council England.

Company typePrivate
Founded2006
HeadquartersWest Bromwich, United Kingdom
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Multistory does

Multistory is a community arts organisation and registered charity (Charity No.1116214, Company No.5910607) established in 2006 and based in West Bromwich, UK. It operates exclusively across the borough of Sandwell and the wider Black Country region in the West Midlands, working with local communities, emerging artists, and institutional partners to deliver place-led arts programming including exhibitions, residencies, workshops, festivals, publications, and community events.

The organisation runs three principal programme strands: the Blast! Artist Development Programme (delivered through three annual sub-components — Assembly exhibitions with The New Art Gallery Walsall, Artist Residencies with The Wolverhampton School of Art, and The Printing Room art writing journal), the Neighbourhood Ecologies environmental arts programme, and the Local Stories archival programme documenting overlooked regional histories. Outputs include commissioned photo-books, documentaries, podcasts, and a portfolio of 19 publications and DVDs distributed through the organisation's e-commerce shop and partner library networks. The technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary (PayPal, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Netlify).

Multistory's revenue model is overwhelmingly grant-funded, with Arts Council England as the primary core funder supplemented by project-specific grants from Historic England (2022) and Energy Saving Trust Foundation (2024). Ancillary earned income comes from publication sales priced between £5 and £20 per unit. The organisation is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Sadie Newman, with day-to-day operations led by a small staff of approximately four people headed by Director Emma Chetcuti.

Multistory firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Multistory
Legal name: Multistory
Website: https://multistory.org.uk
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2006
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Multistory is a UK-registered community arts charity based in West Bromwich that delivers place-led exhibitions, artist development, and community programming across Sandwell and the wider Black Country region, funded primarily by Arts Council England.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Multistory industry classification

Industry

Product category: Community Arts Services
NAICS: Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
SIC: Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
akta.pro primary industry: Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ)
akta.pro secondary industries: Personal Enrichment & Creative Arts Programs (EDAAAEAG), Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD), Creative Writing & Storytelling (Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting) (EDAMAAAI), Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

Community arts programming
Artist development
Arts publishing
Community engagement
Cultural heritage projects

Where Multistory is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: West Bromwich
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

Multistory business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Charitable Funding and Grants: Core funding from Arts Council England as primary funder, with additional project-specific funding from Historic England and Energy Saving Trust Foundation. Registered charity model.
Publication and Product Sales: Sale of published works including books, photo-books, DVDs and journals through their online shop. One-time purchase model for publications priced between £5-20.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	The Ground is Singing: The Printing Room Issue 2
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	From Where I Speak: The Printing Room Issue 1
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Tipton Tales
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	My.Self by Michelle Sank
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Black Country Sikhs
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	A Room of Their Own by Susan Meiselas
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Martin Parr's Black Country Stories DVD
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Out of the Shadows
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Outwork

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Multistory product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Multistory delivers community arts programming across Sandwell and the wider Black Country through interconnected programme strands including the Blast! Artist Development Programme (encompassing Assembly exhibitions, Artist Residencies, and The Printing Room art writing journal), the Neighbourhood Ecologies environmental arts programme, and the Local Stories archival programme. It also produces and sells publications, photo-books, DVDs and journals through a direct online shop, and runs exhibitions, workshops and community events in partnership with regional venues.

Product overview

Multistory is a community arts organisation offering a portfolio of programmes focused on artist development, community engagement, and cultural archiving. The core offerings include the Blast! Artist Development Programme (with Assembly exhibitions, Artist Residencies, and The Printing Room art writing journal), the Neighbourhood Ecologies environmental arts programme, and the Local Stories archival programme. These are complemented by shop merchandise including publications, books, and DVDs. The programmes function as interconnected services rather than a unified software platform, with annual strands delivered in partnership with organisations including The New Art Gallery Walsall and The Wolverhampton School of Art.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Blast! Artist Development Programme
Artist Residencies
Assembly Exhibition Programme
The Printing Room Art Writing Journal
Neighbourhood Ecologies Programme
Local Stories Programme
My.Self Photo-book
Black Country Sikhs Book
A Room of Their Own Photo-book
Tipton Tales Poetry Book
Martin Parr's Black Country Stories DVD
Out of the Shadows Photo-book
OUTWORK Publication
OUTWORK Podcast

Companies that use Multistory

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Multistory technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Multistory partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered regular, core and minor.

The Holodeck BirminghamregularImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2023Printmaking and design studio that designs, prints and binds The Printing Room journal and OUTWORK publication. Founded 2013, specialises in Risograph, Letterpress and traditional printmaking.
The New Art Gallery WalsallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for the Assembly exhibition programme - annual development programme for three artists culminating in group exhibitions of newly commissioned work. Also partner for Black Country Stories photography project.
The Wolverhampton School of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Blast! Artist Residencies programme supporting five emerging Black Country artists annually with studio space, workshops and facilities. Artists' presence activates building as site of exchange between students and professional art world.
RSPB Sandwell ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Acorn Brains workshop exploring the archive of the National Association of Environmental Education.
National Association of Environmental Education (NAEE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Neighbourhood Ecologies programme exploring archives and ecological memories. NAEE founded 1971, shares rich history with West Midlands.
IKON GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Slow Boat project with Malthouse Youth Group using Ikon Gallery's Slow Boat for experimental printmaking workshop.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Multistory competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Regional players

Project Arts Centre: Dublin-based multi-disciplinary arts centre hosting exhibitions, residencies and community programmes. Comparable as a multi-strand arts charity, but operating in Ireland rather than the UK.

Direct peers

Forma (Arts): London-based arts organisation commissioning international artists to make new work presented across the UK. Comparable commissioning-led model producing exhibitions, publications and touring projects.
Artsadmin: London-based arts organisation supporting artists through residencies, commissioning, production support and touring. Comparable as a portfolio-arts charity supporting emerging artists with development opportunities.
S1 Artspace: Sheffield-based artist-led organisation delivering exhibitions, residencies and artist development programmes. Comparable as a regional UK arts charity with similar residency and exhibition strands.
Create London: East London community arts charity commissioning artists to work with local communities on place-based projects, exhibitions and publications. Directly comparable operating model to Multistory's artist commissions and community-led programming.
Battersea Arts Centre: London-based community arts organisation delivering exhibitions, residencies, festivals and artist development programmes for local communities. Closely comparable as a place-anchored, multi-strand community arts charity of similar programmatic shape to Multistory.
Venture Arts: Manchester-based arts organisation working with learning-disabled and neurodiverse artists on commissions, exhibitions and publications. Comparable model of place-led community arts with publication outputs.
Primary (Nottingham): Nottingham-based artist-run organisation offering studios, residencies, exhibitions and commissions for emerging artists. Comparable artist-development focus and regional arts charity structure.

Broad incumbents

IKON Gallery: Birmingham-based contemporary art gallery hosting exhibitions, artist residencies and learning programmes. Already a Multistory partner; comparable as a larger West Midlands arts institution with overlapping exhibition and education programming.
New Art Gallery Walsall: Walsall-based public gallery delivering exhibitions, learning programmes and artist development. Multistory's Assembly partner; comparable as an established regional gallery with overlapping artist-development and exhibition work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Multistory financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Multistory leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Multistory funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Multistory M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Multistory

What does Multistory do?

Is Multistory a public or private company?

Multistory is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Multistory founded?

Multistory was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Multistory based?

Multistory is headquartered in West Bromwich, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does Multistory make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Charitable Funding and Grants are the primary driver. The others are publication and Product Sales.

Who are Multistory's main competitors?

Project Arts Centre is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Forma (Arts), Artsadmin, S1 Artspace, Create London, Battersea Arts Centre, Venture Arts and Primary (Nottingham). Broad incumbents are IKON Gallery and New Art Gallery Walsall.

Does Multistory have an API?

No public API is recorded for Multistory.

What industry is Multistory in?

Multistory's product category is Community Arts Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAJ, Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions, with a secondary code of EDAAAEAG, Personal Enrichment & Creative Arts Programs. Its NAICS code is 7121 and its SIC code is 2741.