ARAS

What ARAS does

ARAS (the Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism) is a US nonprofit organization founded in 1982 and domiciled in New York. It curates and distributes a digital archive of approximately 18,000 photographic images of mythological, ritualistic, and symbolic imagery drawn from all epochs of human history and cultures worldwide. Each image is cross-indexed by visual components, cultural context, and archetypal theme, and is accompanied by 20,000+ pages of scholarly commentary produced by a small in-house team of specialists in art, art history, depth psychology, and archetypal symbolism. Supporting products include the C.G. Jung Concordance (a searchable index of Jung's Collected Words), three major publications (The Book of Symbols, An Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism, The Body), the Language of Dreams video course, the free ARAS Teens Summer Art Program, and curated Special Collections. Distribution is primarily digital via membership login (two-computer access), with physical archive visits available one day per week at its New York location.

The organization operates a membership-based revenue model with annual subscription tiers ranging from $25 (students, Jungian candidates, qualifying institute analysts) through $50 (STA/ISST, IAAP, IAJS members) and $100 (regular) up to $200 (sponsor). Membership includes access to the ARAS archive, the Artstor Digital Library, ARAS's books, image usage rights for presentations and unpublished works, and the quarterly ARAS Connections newsletter. Supplementary revenue comes from tax-deductible donations, foundation grants (Germanacos Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Robert Lehman Foundation), a Patreon community channel starting at $3/month, $5 slide sales, and program-specific crowdfunding via Kickstarter. The customer base is distributed across Jungian analysts and candidates, artists and creative professionals, art students and scholars, practicing therapists and art therapists, and a general public interested in symbolism and dreams. ARAS is governed by a board of directors, with Tom Singer serving as President and Ami Ronnberg as curator leading the New York staff since 1985.

Name

ARAS

Legal name

The Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism

Website

https://aras.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ARAS (Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism) is a 1982-founded US nonprofit that curates a digital archive of approximately 18,000 cross-indexed symbolic images with scholarly commentary, serving Jungian analysts, artists, scholars, and students via annual memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Archetypal Symbolism Research Archive

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAF

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAEAGAJ

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/Library, Media Center & Learning Space Operations

Keywords

• Archetypal symbolism archive
• Mythological imagery database
• Jungian research resources
• Symbolic imagery library
• Cultural symbolism collection

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to the digital archive, Artstor Digital Library, and usage rights for images in presentations and unpublished works. Membership is tax-deductible.
2. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from members and supporters, including grants from foundations such as the Germanacos Foundation for specific programs.
3. Slide Sales: Members can purchase slides of images for $5 each with convenient delivery by mail.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ARAS operates a digital archive of approximately 18,000 photographic images of mythological, ritualistic, and symbolic imagery from diverse cultures and historical eras, each cross-indexed with scholarly commentary. The organization provides subscription-based membership access to this archive along with associated publications, educational programs, and research tools such as the C.G. Jung Concordance. It functions as a nonprofit membership organization offering digital content, books, classes, and community programs centered on archetypal symbolism and Jungian analytical psychology.

Product overview

ARAS operates as a digital archive platform offering multiple interconnected products and services. The core product is the ARAS Online Archive containing approximately 18,000 photographic images of symbolic imagery from diverse world cultures and historical eras. This archive is supported by publications including The Book of Symbols, An Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism (two volumes), and The Body. Educational offerings include The Language of Dreams video course, A Journey Through Symbols curriculum guides, and the ARAS Teens Summer Art Program. The membership subscription provides access to the digital archive, ARAS books, the Artstor Digital Library, and the Concordance search tool. Additional programs such as #WithUkrainianJungians webinars and Gaia: Then and Now events extend engagement beyond the core archive.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARAS Online Archive A digital archive of approximately 18,000 photographic images of mythological, ritualistic, and symbolic images from diverse cultures and historical eras, each cross-indexed with scholarly commentary and available exclusively to members.
• The Book of Symbols A publication combining essays about particular symbols with nearly 800 full-color images, exploring the psychic background and cultural contexts of archetypal imagery.
• An Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism A two-volume encyclopedia documenting archetypal symbolism across world cultures and historical periods, with images organized around mythic themes.
• The Body A publication focusing on the human body as a carrier of deep psychological insights and sacred meanings, with color plates detailing carved, painted, and sculpted artifacts from prehistory to the present.
• Concordance A searchable database providing access to Jung's Collected Works by word and/or topic, with detailed subject headings, quotes, and context for every search entry.
• The Language of Dreams An educational video series of 14 lessons where Jungian analysts guide dreamers through methods of relating to their dreams while ARAS illuminates cultural interpretations of symbols.
• Membership Subscription Annual membership providing unlimited access to the archive of 18,000 images and 20,000 pages of commentary, full access to ARAS books, Artstor Digital Library, and member benefits including image usage rights.
• Slide Sales Members can purchase slides of images for $5 each with convenient delivery by mail, supporting use of ARAS images in presentations and unpublished works.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,000+ images and 20,000 pages of commentary accessible online
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• #WithUkrainianJungians (WUJ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ARAS collaborated with #WithUkrainianJungians in a joint effort to support Ukrainian colleagues through webinar series, gallery exhibitions, and mutual support during the ongoing conflict. WUJ relies on donations to continue their work.
• C.G. Jung Institute (New York)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1982ARAS is housed in the same brownstone building as the New York C.G. Jung Center. The institutes work together to advance analytical psychology and archetypal symbolism research.
• Artstor Digital LibrarycoreTechnology or IntegrationARAS members receive free access to the Artstor Digital Library as part of their membership benefits, providing additional scholarly resources for research.
• Art and Psyche Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with ARAS to develop 'Art in a Time of Global Crisis: Interconnection and Companionship' - an international outreach through art during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also collaborated on four Art and Psyche conferences between 2008-2019.
• Inter-Regional Society of Jungian AnalystsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization for Jungian analysts who may use ARAS resources for training and professional development.
• Jungian Institutes (Various)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated institutes including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco whose analysts and candidates have access to discounted membership rates.
• C.G. Jung Institute (San Francisco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARAS evolved from a collection acquired by the San Francisco Institute. Joseph Henderson, co-founder of the Jung Institute in San Francisco, was instrumental in developing ARAS and served on the board for many years.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Wikimedia Commons: Wikimedia Commons is a free, collaboratively edited repository of cultural imagery, symbols, and artwork. It overlaps ARAS in scope (cross-cultural imagery with contextual metadata) and acts as a free substitute, though it lacks the curated scholarly commentary and Jungian analytical framing.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Open Access: The Smithsonian's Open Access initiative provides free digital access to millions of museum images and metadata. It is comparable to ARAS as a digital cultural-heritage archive with cross-indexed collections, but operates at massive scale, free of charge, and is government-supported.
• Internet Archive: The Internet Archive is a nonprofit digital library preserving cultural artifacts in digital form, including images, audio, and texts. It shares ARAS's mission of broad access to cultural heritage but operates at vastly greater scale and with open access rather than a paid membership model.
• Artstor (now part of JSTOR): Artstor provides a digital image library of cultural and scientific objects for educational and scholarly use and is already a distribution partner for ARAS memberships. It is the closest comparable platform in terms of mission (curated visual collections for researchers) and is the natural benchmark for institutional licensing deals.
• DPLA (Digital Public Library of America): DPLA aggregates digital content from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. It is comparable to ARAS as a non-commercial cultural-heritage aggregation layer, but DPLA operates at a national/aggregator scale and is free to use, whereas ARAS curates a specific niche with paid access.
• JSTOR: JSTOR is a major nonprofit digital library that aggregates scholarly journals, books, and primary sources. ARAS shares the nonprofit scholarly-archive model and the membership/credentialed access pattern, though JSTOR's scope is text-first and much broader.
• Wellcome Collection: Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library combining historical medical/cultural imagery with scholarly commentary. It is comparable to ARAS as a curated image-and-text archive with open public access and educational programming, though it is state-funded and considerably larger.
• Google Arts & Culture: Google Arts & Culture partners with museums and archives worldwide to digitize and expose high-resolution cultural imagery. It is the dominant free platform for online cultural-heritage browsing and represents ARAS's primary substitute for casual non-paying users.

Direct peers

• Bridgeman Images: Bridgeman Images is a commercial image library licensing art, cultural, and historical imagery for educational and editorial use. It is the closest for-profit peer to ARAS in terms of curating visual cultural assets and licensing them to professional users, though its focus is broader (fine art) and its model is per-image licensing rather than membership.

Regional players

• C.G. Jung Institute (Zurich): The C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich is the original center of Jungian analytical psychology, with its own library, archive, and research resources. It is comparable to ARAS as a Jungian-affiliated scholarly archive and serves a primary international Jungian scholarly audience that overlaps with ARAS's user base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/arasarchiveeducation
• Xx.com/ARASArchive
• Facebookfacebook.com/arasarchive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 ARAS