What VisArts does

VisArts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit visual arts center (EIN 52-1549839) founded in 1987 and headquartered at 155 Gibbs Street in Rockville Town Square, Maryland, with two additional Rockville locations at 36F Maryland Avenue (VisAbility Art Lab) and 355 Hungerford Drive (355 POD Space Gallery). The organization serves children, adults, families, emerging and established artists, neurodiverse adults, schools, and corporate clients through six interconnected revenue streams: semester-based art classes and workshops for ages 2-adult across ceramics, glass, fiber, painting, drawing, multimedia, photography, and wood; year-round camps and teen intensives priced at $1,150 (subsidized) to $1,550 (supporter); private art parties priced $450-$650 base package; private event venue rentals (Buchanan Room, Rooftop, Artists' Concourse) with 20% tax-deductible structure; sales of contemporary exhibitions across four galleries plus POD Space; and tax-deductible donations plus gift certificates. Supporting programmatic infrastructure includes the Bresler Residency, Gibbs Street Residency, Art + Social Justice Fellowship within the Studio Artist Program, the VisAbility Art Lab supported studio program (launched 2016, 10-year anniversary 2026) for neurodiverse artists with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities, the Center for Craft Studies, and need-based Education Scholarships. Distribution is exclusively domestic to the Washington DC metro area through direct-to-consumer booking on the Canvas platform, on-site classes and camps, and approved-vendor private events with 20+ caterers and a preferred hotel relationship with Cambria Hotel Rockville. Pricing employs tiered access (subsidized, true cost, supporter rates), $10 non-refundable class registration fees, and scholarship-supported spots. Strategic partnerships include Montgomery College Artist-in-Residence collaboration, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Halcyon Arts Lab, Procare (camp check-in/check-out), and corporate commissions for Amazon Prime Video and Amazon HQ. Awards include The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame (since 2019, through 2025), and 2024-2025 Bethesda Magazine and Montgomery Magazine recognition for wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, and special occasion venues.

Name

VisArts

Legal name

VisArts

Website

https://visartscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VisArts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit visual arts center founded in 1987 in Rockville, Maryland, offering art classes, camps, exhibitions, studio artist residencies, private event venue rentals, and the VisAbility Art Lab supported studio for neurodiverse artists across the Washington DC metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Education and Event Venue Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Community art center
• Art education classes
• Children art camps
• Private event venue
• Nonprofit arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Art Classes and Workshops: Recurring revenue from semester-based and ongoing art classes for children and adults across various media including ceramics, glass, painting, drawing, fiber, and more.
2. Camps and Intensives: Seasonal and year-round camp programs for ages 5-17 including summer camps, fall/winter/spring camps, and teen intensives in various art mediums.
3. Art Parties: Private art party bookings for adults and children featuring various projects including canvas painting, ceramics, and glass work. Pricing ranges from $450-$650 base packages.
4. Private Event Venue Rental: Rental of Buchanan Room, Rooftop, and Artists' Concourse for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, corporate events, and social celebrations. 20% of rental fee is tax-deductible donation.
5. Donations and Partnerships: Tax-deductible donations supporting scholarships, camp funds, and general operations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and partners.
6. Gift Certificates: Gift certificates available for purchase, redeemable for classes, workshops, camps, art parties, and event rentals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

VisArts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community art center that delivers fee-based art classes, workshops, and seasonal camps for children and adults across multiple media, hosts contemporary art exhibitions in four galleries, rents event spaces for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and corporate functions, and runs artist development programs including the VisAbility Art Lab for neurodiverse artists and the Studio Artist Program (residencies and fellowships). Revenue is generated from tuition, event rentals, gift certificates, donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants, supported by an integrated Canvas registration platform.

Product overview

VisArts is a nonprofit community art center (501(c)(3)) founded in 1987, offering a comprehensive portfolio of visual arts programs and services. The core offerings include: Art Classes for all ages (children's classes ages 2-17 and adult classes ages 14+) across media including ceramics, fiber, glass, mixed media, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and wood; Camps and Intensives featuring year-round options (summer camps for ages 5-12, teen intensives for ages 13-17, and seasonal craft day camps); Exhibitions in four contemporary galleries plus POD Space showcasing emerging to mid-career artists; and Private Events hosting weddings, corporate events, and milestone celebrations in Buchanan Room, Rooftop, and Artists' Concourse. Supporting programs include Accessible Arts classes, the Studio Artist Program (Bresler Residency, Gibbs Street Residency, Art + Social Justice Fellowship), VisAbility Art Lab for neurodiverse artists, and Center for Craft Studies. The organization integrates these offerings through a class registration platform and provides education scholarships and gift certificates as accessible payment options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VisAbility Art Lab: A supported studio program for neurodiverse adult artists (ages 18+) providing a place and resources to create art and develop skills necessary to work in the arts. Artists work in ceramics, glass, digital art, painting, drawing, and sculpture.
• Center for Craft Studies

Products and services

• Art Classes Comprehensive art education program offering classes and workshops for all ages and experience levels across media including ceramics, fiber, glass, mixed media, painting, drawing, multimedia, photography, sculpture, and wood.
• Children's Art Classes Age-appropriate art instruction for tots, children, tweens, and teens ages 2-17 in drawing, painting, clay, comics, illustration, and multimedia.
• Adult Art Classes Small-group sessions for adults ages 14+ offering personalized feedback with classes available mornings, evenings, and weekends across various artistic media.
• Summer Camps and Intensives Award-winning summer camps and intensives for kids ages 5-12, tweens and teens ages 13-17, featuring ceramics, painting, drawing, glass, fiber, woodworking, and mixed media. Tiered pricing from $1,150 subsidized to $1,550 supporter rate.
• Year-Round Camps and Intensives Seasonal camps including fall, winter, and spring craft day camps for ages 5-17, in addition to summer programs.
• Adult Art Parties Private art parties and team-building experiences for adults ages 14+ featuring canvas painting, collaborative murals, musical easels, ceramics, glass fusing, and wheel throwing. Base packages range from $450-$650.
• Children's Art Parties Private art parties for children ages 2+ with projects including brushstrokes, pottery painting, painting, handbuilding ceramics, fused glass, and wheel ceramics. Base packages range from $450-$550.
• Gallery Exhibitions Year-round contemporary art exhibitions in four galleries (Gibbs Street, Kaplan, Common Ground, Concourse) plus 355 POD Space Gallery, featuring diverse emerging to mid-career artists.

Quantifiable outcome

• Artists have sold more than $45,000 of art through VisAbility Art Lab
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Montgomery College Artist-in-Residence ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Montgomery College Artist-in-Residence program as part of the Bresler Residency. One of the three four-month residencies includes collaboration with Montgomery College, providing additional professional development opportunities for artists.
• Cambria Hotel RockvilleminorOthersPreferred hotel partner for VisArts event attendees, located around the corner from the venue. Offers convenient accommodation for out-of-town wedding guests and event attendees.
• B Lin CatererscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved full-service caterer for private events at VisArts venue. One of over 20 approved caterers representing various cuisines and price points.
• Ridgewells CateringcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved full-service caterer for private events at VisArts venue. Long-established catering company serving the DC metro area.
• La Prima CateringminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved caterer for corporate breakfast and lunch service at VisArts events.
• Arrowmont School of Arts and CraftsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisArts artists have received residencies and fellowships at Arrowmont, expanding professional opportunities for program alumni.
• Halcyon Arts LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisArts artists have received residencies and fellowships at Halcyon Arts Lab, expanding professional opportunities for program alumni.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Art League: Alexandria, VA-based nonprofit community art center offering classes, workshops, exhibitions, and artist studios — directly comparable to VisArts in mission, programming mix, and DC-metro geography.
• Pyramid Atlantic Art Center: Hyattsville, MD nonprofit dedicated to printmaking, book arts, and papermaking with classes, residencies, and exhibitions — comparable as a Maryland-based craft-focused art center with education programs.
• Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts: Gatlinburg, TN craft education school offering workshops, residencies, and exhibitions — directly comparable craft-focused arts education model referenced as a VisArts residency partner.
• Delaplaine Arts Center: Frederick, MD nonprofit offering art classes, workshops, and exhibitions — closely comparable regional community art center with similar operating model and Maryland footprint.
• Torpedo Factory Art Center: Iconic Alexandria, VA art center housing artist studios, galleries, and classes — directly comparable as a regional community art destination with overlapping class/exhibition/event programming.
• Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts: Annapolis, MD nonprofit performing and visual arts center with classes, exhibitions, and venue rentals — directly comparable as a Maryland-based multi-disciplinary community arts center.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution: National museum/gallery complex where VisAbility artists exhibit — a vastly larger incumbent in the same exhibitions/galleries space, relevant as competitive context for donor and visitor attention.
• The Phillips Collection: DC-based museum where VisArts artists have exhibited — established incumbent gallery relevant as a comparator for exhibition programming and DC-area cultural philanthropy.

Regional players

• Creative Alliance: Baltimore-based nonprofit arts organization offering classes, exhibitions, and venue rentals — comparable community arts model serving a different DC-area submarket.
• School 33 Art Center: Baltimore-based nonprofit art center with studio spaces, exhibitions, and classes operated by Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts — comparable community arts center model in a different submarket.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGHhS3f0YyLJ4MSgJi0rDvQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/VisArtsCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/visarts
• Instagraminstagram.com/visartscenter
• Pinterestpinterest.com/visartscenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 VisArts