Arts + Literature Laborator

What Arts + Literature Laborator does

Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL, ArtLitLab) is a community-based contemporary arts center in Madison, Wisconsin, founded in 2015 with a grand opening on January 23, 2016, and operating from a single venue at 111 S. Livingston Street #100. It functions as Madison's multi-disciplinary arts incubator, supporting visual arts, literary arts, music and performance, and youth/adult arts education through at least 11 branded sub-programs, including rotating gallery exhibitions, Mills Folly Microcinema (experimental film, founded 2018), Bridge Work (emerging artist development joined in 2017 in collaboration with Milwaukee's Plum Blossom Initiative), the annual Native Art Market (scaling to 40+ artists in 2026), the Midwest Video Poetry Fest, the Auricle New Music Series, LAB^4 group exhibitions, the ALL Review literary journal, and the Wisconsin Writers Awards. The organization serves individual artists (visual, literary, music/performance, and Native/Indigenous), youth ages 7-14, adult learners, event renters, and the broader Madison/Dane County community.

There is no proprietary technology platform; ALL is not a technology company. Its digital footprint consists of a standard CMS website (artlitlab.org) with an event calendar, a weekly email newsletter, organic social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and a Square-based online merchandise storefront. The organization runs on a small team of 1-10 employees and does not offer an app, API, or software product.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack combining earned income (annual memberships, workshop and summer-camp tuition with pricing examples such as $125 for a two-session workshop, space rental for weddings and events, and merchandise sales) with contributed income (individual donations plus grants from Dane Arts, Madison Arts Commission, Wisconsin Arts Board, Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, and corporate sponsors Summit Credit Union and Trustage). The go-to-market is event-driven and community-focused: free or low-cost programming drives top-of-funnel traffic, while fee-based classes, camps, and space rental generate transactional revenue, with grassroots partnerships (GSAFE, Justified Art, One x One Thousand) and a regional microcinema/artist-development network extending reach into Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Chicago.

Name

Arts + Literature Laborator

Legal name

Arts + Literature Laboratory

Website

https://artlitlab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arts + Literature Laboratory is a nonprofit contemporary arts center in Madison, Wisconsin, offering visual arts exhibitions, experimental film, literary programming, music series, and youth/adult arts education for local artists, writers, students, and the broader Madison community, supported by grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Center

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Local Community & Multi-Category Fairs (MPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Contemporary arts center
• Visual arts exhibitions
• Literary arts programming
• Community arts education
• Artist development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Memberships: Annual membership program providing community support and presumably benefits for members.
2. Donations: Direct donations from individuals supporting the arts. The organization emphasizes community support through its donate page.
3. Tuition and Registration Fees: Revenue from adult and youth arts classes, workshops, and summer camps. Examples include $125 for two-session woodblock printing workshops.
4. Space Rental: Rental of ALL spaces for weddings, special events, and other occasions.
5. Merchandise Sales: Sale of merchandise through the online store (Square site) and physical merchandise at the venue.
6. Grant Funding: Funding from Dane Arts, Madison Arts Commission, Wisconsin Arts Board, Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, and The Evjue Foundation.
7. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from Summit Credit Union and Trustage, among others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arts + Literature Laboratory operates a single physical arts center in Madison, Wisconsin that delivers contemporary visual arts exhibitions, experimental film programming, literary arts events and publications, music and performance series, and youth/adult arts education. Revenue-generating paid offerings include tuition-based classes, workshops and summer camps, space rental for weddings and special events, and merchandise sales, while exhibitions and most public programs are offered free or by suggested donation.

Product overview

Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) is a community-based contemporary arts center in Madison, Wisconsin operating as a single unified venue with multiple interconnected program categories rather than a modular software platform. The organization offers visual arts exhibitions through its rotating gallery program; experimental film programming via Mills Folly Microcinema; emerging artist development through Bridge Work; Indigenous art celebration via the Native Art Market; literary arts including workshops, readings, and the ALL Review journal; music and performance programming; LAB^4 group exhibition series; and youth/adult arts education. These programs collectively serve the Madison community through galleries, classes, screenings, and performances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mills Folly Microcinema: A microcinema series showcasing nationally recognized experimental film and video art from the film festival and microcinema circuit, founded in 2018.
• Bridge Work
• LAB^4
• Project Projection
• Native Art Market
• Midwest Video Poetry Fest
• Auricle New Music Series
• ALL Flat File Project
• smALL Press Library
• CSArt Madison
• FlakPhoto Presents

Products and services

• Contemporary Visual Arts Exhibitions Rotating contemporary art exhibitions featuring visual arts, photography, sculpture, and multimedia installations. Open to the general public with free admission during gallery hours (Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday noon-5pm).
• Mills Folly Microcinema Microcinema series screening experimental film, video art, short documentaries, music videos, dance films, and animation. Includes Project Projection, a local filmmaker screening series for Madison and Dane County filmmakers. Programmed in collaboration with James Kreul and partner microcinemas (Microlights, Cellular Cinema, Nightingale Cinema).
• Bridge Work: Madison Two-year artist development program facilitating emerging artists through solo exhibitions, professional development, and regional collaborative exhibitions with Milwaukee. Provides public exposure and networking opportunities for selected emerging artists.
• Native Art Market

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ Native artists participated in 2026 Market, with 30+ selected to show work and receive stipends
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Madison Film Forum / James KreulcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018James Kreul programs Mills Folly Microcinema series. Kreul brings connections to regional filmmakers and organizations in Milwaukee (Microlights), Minneapolis (Cellular Cinema), and Chicago (Nightingale Cinema) to bring filmmakers and guest programmers to Madison.
• Plum Blossom Initiative (Milwaukee)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Initiated Bridge Work collaborative endeavor with Jason S. Yi and Leah Kolb. Arts + Literature Laboratory joined in 2017 as Madison partner for this multi-state project facilitating artistic exchanges between Milwaukee and Madison.
• One x One ThousandsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Organized woodblock printing workshop at ALL in collaboration with artist Jenie Gao. Partnership to deliver educational programming.
• GSAFEsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Arts + Literature Laboratory to produce 'Captured: Narratives of Incarcerated Youth in Dane County' exhibition addressing racial disparities and LGBTQ+ youth of color.
• Justified ArtsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with ALL and GSAFE to produce the 'Captured' photography exhibition on incarcerated youth narratives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Overture Center for the Arts: Madison's largest performing and visual arts venue offering galleries, concerts, classes, and event rentals. Same Madison market and overlapping multi-disciplinary programming, but operates at substantially larger scale as a civic institution.
• Milwaukee Art Museum: Largest art museum in Wisconsin, regional contemporary and historical art exhibitions and education. Comparable regional arts partner for Bridge Work collaboration and broader Wisconsin contemporary arts ecosystem.

Direct peers

• John Michael Kohler Arts Center: Wisconsin-based arts center presenting contemporary visual arts, education programs, and artist residencies. Comparable regional Wisconsin contemporary arts mission with community-focused programming.
• Pittsburgh Center for the Arts: Multi-disciplinary community arts center offering visual arts exhibitions, classes, and cultural programming. Comparable multi-disciplinary programming scope combining exhibitions, education, and community engagement under one nonprofit.
• Hyde Park Art Center: Community-based contemporary art center in Chicago offering exhibitions, artist residencies, and classes. Closely comparable model of a non-collecting contemporary arts incubator serving emerging artists and a local community.
• Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: Omaha-based nonprofit supporting contemporary art through residencies, exhibitions, and public programs. Comparable community-driven contemporary arts model with similar residency/exhibition programming and small operating team.
• Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: Madison's flagship contemporary art museum operating rotating exhibitions, education programs, and special events in the same city. Directly comparable community-facing contemporary art programming targeting overlapping Madison audiences.

Regional players

• The Bubbler (Madison Public Library): Madison Public Library's community arts programming offering classes, workshops, and residencies. Operates in the same Madison market with overlapping arts-education programming and complementary rather than directly competing audience.
• Chazen Museum of Art: University of Wisconsin–Madison's art museum offering rotating exhibitions and educational programming. Same Madison market, comparable exhibition programming for overlapping academic and community audiences.

Emerging players

• Minnesota Center for Book Arts: Minneapolis nonprofit dedicated to literary and book arts with classes, workshops, and exhibitions. Comparable niche literary-arts-focused programming, particularly to ALL Review, smALL Press Library, and writing workshops.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artlitlab
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtLitLab
• Instagraminstagram.com/artlitlab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arts-literature-laboratory

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 Arts + Literature Laborator