Connect The Arts

What Connect The Arts does

Connect The Arts is a privately held, community-focused web platform founded in 2011 and based in Saint Louis, Missouri, that operates as a directory and marketplace for artists and arts organizations. Its stated mission is to serve the arts community by providing "essential tools of connection, employment and visibility." The platform is structured around three primary surfaces — Explore (member browsing), Opportunities (employment/engagement postings), and individual member profiles for participating arts organizations including dance companies, opera companies, festivals, and arts collectives. The customer base is segmented into two primary personas: individual artists seeking employment, networking, and visibility, and arts organizations seeking talent discovery, opportunity posting, and member recruitment. The platform is membership-based and combines these connection, employment, and visibility functions in a single destination differentiated from general-purpose professional networks by its narrow focus on the arts vertical.

The underlying technology is described as a web-based platform with no disclosed mobile applications, APIs, SDKs, or third-party integrations. The site is hosted at connectthearts.com and presents sponsor logos (Pusher Inc., Union Avenue Opera, CommUNITY Arts STL, Resilience Dance Company, Fern LLC, St Lou Fringe), several of which also hold dual roles as member organizations on the platform. There is no evidence of proprietary technology features, machine learning capabilities, or differentiated technical architecture beyond standard directory functionality.

The business model is not publicly documented — no pricing model, transaction fees, subscription tiers, or revenue figures are disclosed in the source material. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, and the firm has no disclosed funding rounds, investors, or ownership structure. The company appears to operate primarily on sponsorship support from a small cluster of St. Louis-area arts organizations, with no evidence of paid membership, advertising, marketplace fees, or enterprise contracts. Operating status is active as of the most recent website content (copyright 2026), but there is no evidence of expansion beyond the St. Louis regional market or any scaling activity since founding.

Name

Connect The Arts

Legal name

Connect The Arts

Website

https://connectthearts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Connect The Arts is a Saint Louis-based, web-based directory and membership platform founded in 2011 that connects individual artists with arts organizations through employment opportunities, networking, and visibility tools, operating as a niche community hub for the local arts ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Community Marketplace

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Business Networking Communities (MPACAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

Keywords

• Arts community platform
• Artist directory marketplace
• Arts networking
• Creative job board
• Arts organization membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Core offering

Connect The Arts is a web-based platform and marketplace that provides essential tools of connection, employment, and visibility for individual artists and arts organizations. The platform enables arts organizations such as dance companies, opera companies, and arts festivals to maintain an online presence through member profile pages, while connecting them with artists seeking employment and collaboration opportunities. Primary platform sections include Explore, Opportunities, and member organization profiles.

Product overview

Connect The Arts is a platform that provides essential tools of connection, employment, and visibility for artists and arts organizations. The platform appears to be a membership-based network that enables arts organizations (such as dance companies, opera companies, and arts festivals) to maintain an online presence and connect with artists and audiences. The primary sections identified include Explore, Opportunities, and membership profiles for various arts organizations including St Lou Fringe, RESILIENCE Dance Company, CommUNITY Arts STL, and Union Avenue Opera.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Connect The Arts Platform Web-based platform and marketplace directory that connects individual artists with arts organizations, providing tools of connection, employment, and visibility. Includes Explore section, Opportunities section, and member organization profiles. Targeted at individual artists and arts organizations in the Saint Louis area and beyond.
• Member Organization Profiles Profile pages for arts organizations (such as Union Avenue Opera, CommUNITY Arts STL, Resilience Dance Company, and St Lou Fringe) that allow these organizations to maintain an online presence and connect with artists and audiences. Each member organization has a dedicated URL on the platform.
• Opportunities Section Section of the platform where arts organizations can post opportunities (such as job openings, auditions, or calls for artists) and where individual artists can discover employment and collaboration opportunities within the arts community.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Backstage: Backstage is a leading online marketplace for performing arts jobs, auditions, and talent discovery. It directly competes with Connect The Arts in the arts-employment/opportunities vertical, serving individual performers and arts organizations with very similar functionality (job postings, profile directories).
• Idealist: Idealist is a nonprofit job and volunteer opportunity platform that serves arts, education, and social-impact organizations. It overlaps with Connect The Arts in connecting mission-driven individuals (including many artists) to opportunities at arts and culture organizations.
• Fractured Atlas: Fractured Atlas is a national arts service organization that provides business and technology tools to individual artists and small arts organizations. It is comparable to Connect The Arts in its mission of supporting arts professionals with connection and operational tools, though at much larger national scale.
• Springboard for the Arts: Springboard for the Arts is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that supports artists and arts organizations through networking resources, job boards, and community programs. It is comparable in mission and operating model to Connect The Arts, with stronger geographic concentration but more developed programming.
• New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA): NYFA provides resources, directories, and opportunities listings for artists across the U.S., including a classifieds/opportunities board. It overlaps directly with Connect The Arts' "Opportunities" and "Explore" sections, serving individual artists seeking connection and visibility.

Broad incumbents

• Indeed: Indeed is the largest general-purpose job search platform. It serves as a free alternative for the "employment" portion of Connect The Arts' value proposition, with broader reach but no arts-specific curation or community features.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the dominant general-purpose professional networking and job-discovery platform. While not arts-specific, it is a broad incumbent that competes with Connect The Arts on its core "connection, employment, visibility" value proposition for a large portion of the same user base.

Emerging players

• Playbill: Playbill is a performing arts media brand that covers theater, opera, and live performance, and provides industry resources and career listings. It overlaps with Connect The Arts in serving arts organizations and performing arts professionals with visibility and opportunity content.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connect-the-arts

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 Connect The Arts