White Columns
White Columns is a nonprofit alternative art space in New York City, recognized as the city's oldest surviving alternative gallery, exhibiting emerging artists and operating the Curated Artist Registry of 500+ artists.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What White Columns does
White Columns is a nonprofit alternative art space located at 91 Horatio Street in New York City, recognized as the city's oldest surviving alternative space. Founded around 1970 (with organizational milestones anchored to 1980), the organization presents rotating exhibitions of emerging and under-recognized artists across painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, and performance media, with all exhibitions free to the public. It explicitly excludes artists affiliated with a commercial gallery in New York City, positioning itself as an alternative to the commercial gallery ecosystem.
The organization's core products are its physical gallery exhibition program, the White Columns Curated Artist Registry (an online platform hosting more than 500 artists for portfolio sharing and discovery), and an Editions & Publications arm that produces zines (including 'The W.C.'), artwork editions, books, records, and merchandise. The Registry operates globally online at registry.whitecolumns.org while the physical gallery serves a New York–based audience Tuesday through Saturday.
White Columns is funded primarily through individual donations (with suggested tiers of $25 to $500), benefit auctions, and public grants from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the NY State Council on the Arts. Named benefit sponsors include Jack Shainman Gallery, Paula Cooper Gallery, and the Matthew Marks Charitable Trust. The organization has 11-50 employees, does not have parent-company ownership, and does not generate traditional revenue — it operates on a nonprofit donation-and-grant model supplemented by a small ecommerce line for publications and merchandise.
White Columns firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- White Columns
- Legal name
- White Columns
- Website
- https://whitecolumns.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- White Columns is a nonprofit alternative art space in New York City, recognized as the city's oldest surviving alternative gallery, exhibiting emerging artists and operating the Curated Artist Registry of 500+ artists.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
White Columns industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alternative Art Space / Contemporary Art Gallery
- NAICS
- All Other Publishers (513199), Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art/Alternative/Underground Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
Keywords
Where White Columns is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
White Columns business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | General donations |
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
White Columns product offering
Product offeringCore offering
White Columns is a nonprofit alternative art space that curates and presents rotating exhibitions of emerging and under-recognized contemporary artists at its New York gallery. It also operates the Curated Artist Registry, an online platform where unrepresented artists share their work, and publishes editions, zines, records, and merchandise through an in-house publishing arm. All exhibitions and public programming are offered free of charge to the public.
Product overview
White Columns is New York City's oldest surviving alternative art space operating as a single unified gallery with multiple complementary offerings. The core experience is the physical gallery space at 91 Horatio Street showcasing rotating exhibitions of emerging artists. Supporting this are the White Columns Curated Artist Registry (an online platform for unrepresented artists) and Editions & Publications (which includes The W.C. zine and artwork editions). The organization also runs benefit auctions and public programming, with all exhibitions free to the public.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- White Columns Curated Artist Registry: An online platform for emerging and under-recognized artists to share images and information about their practices, accessible at registry.whitecolumns.org
Products and services
- White Columns Gallery (Exhibitions & Programming) Rotating exhibitions of contemporary art including solo and group shows across painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, and performance at 91 Horatio Street, New York. Open Tuesday–Saturday, 11 AM–6 PM with free admission. Serves the general public and contemporary art audiences.
- Curated Artist Registry An online platform at registry.whitecolumns.org where emerging and under-recognized artists share images and information about their practices. Eligibility requires that artists are not affiliated with a commercial gallery in New York City. Currently lists 500+ artists.
- Editions & Publications
Companies that use White Columns
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
White Columns technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
White Columns partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
White Columns competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Recess: NYC-based nonprofit alternative art space historically supporting experimental and emerging artists through residencies and programming. Highly comparable small-scale nonprofit alternative-space model.
- Participant Inc: NYC-based nonprofit alternative art space presenting exhibitions and public programming by emerging artists. Directly comparable small-team, nonprofit, alternative-space model.
- Artists Space: NYC-based nonprofit alternative art space founded in 1972 that presents emerging and under-recognized artists. Near-identical operating model to White Columns: nonprofit, alternative, exhibition-focused, free admission.
- Printed Matter, Inc. NYC-based nonprofit dedicated to the dissemination and appreciation of artists' books and publications. Closely comparable to White Columns' alternative-art ethos and its Editions & Publications / zine activities, including 'The W.C.'
- Independent Curators International (ICI): NYC-based nonprofit that produces traveling exhibitions and curatorial programs for emerging and contemporary art. Comparable mission and nonprofit curatorial model serving under-recognized artists.
- The Drawing Center: NYC-based nonprofit museum and exhibition space focused on drawing and contemporary art. Comparable nonprofit alternative art institution with publication programs and free/affordable admission.
- The Kitchen: NYC-based nonprofit alternative art space presenting contemporary performance, video, and visual art. Highly comparable nonprofit alternative-space model serving experimental and emerging artists.
- Pioneer Works: Brooklyn-based nonprofit art and culture space combining exhibitions, residencies, and publications. Comparable nonprofit, alternative cultural-institution model with integrated publishing output.
Broad incumbents
- New Museum: Larger NYC-based contemporary art museum exhibiting emerging and under-recognized artists. Overlaps with White Columns' mission but operates at significantly greater scale and institutional capacity.
- MoMA PS1: Affiliated with MoMA and one of the largest NYC contemporary art exhibition spaces, presenting experimental and emerging artists. Comparable mission focus on emerging art at much broader institutional scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
White Columns social profiles
Digital presenceWhite Columns financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
White Columns leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
White Columns funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
White Columns M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about White Columns
What does White Columns do?
White Columns is a nonprofit alternative art space that curates and presents rotating exhibitions of emerging and under-recognized contemporary artists at its New York gallery. It also operates the Curated Artist Registry, an online platform where unrepresented artists share their work, and publishes editions, zines, records, and merchandise through an in-house publishing arm. All exhibitions and public programming are offered free of charge to the public.
Is White Columns a public or private company?
White Columns is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was White Columns founded?
White Columns was founded in 1980. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is White Columns based?
White Columns is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are White Columns's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Recess, Participant Inc, Artists Space, Printed Matter, Inc., Independent Curators International (ICI), The Drawing Center, The Kitchen and Pioneer Works. Broad incumbents are New Museum and MoMA PS1.
Does White Columns have an API?
No public API is recorded for White Columns.
What industry is White Columns in?
White Columns's product category is Alternative Art Space / Contemporary Art Gallery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAGAK, Art/Alternative/Underground Comics Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513199 and its SIC code is 2741.