Pelican Bomb
Pelican Bomb was a New Orleans nonprofit arts organization (founded February 2011, closed November 2018) that published weekly critical writing about contemporary art, ran a Community Supported Art subscription program, hosted thematic exhibitions and the Critic-in-Residence program, and operated Gallery X.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNew Orleans, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pelican Bomb does
Pelican Bomb was a New Orleans–based nonprofit arts organization founded in February 2011 by Cameron Shaw and Amanda Brinkman, dedicated to critical writing and thinking about contemporary art in the city. The organization connected New Orleans to global contemporary-art conversations through publishing, exhibitions, public projects, and creative partnerships, and positioned itself as the city's home for rigorous art criticism — a function historically underserved in the local press landscape. Operations ceased on November 30, 2018, after an eight-year run, with the content archive preserved via Rhizome's Webrecorder tool.
The organization's core programs comprised five interlocking offerings: the Art Review, a weekly online publication of exhibition reviews, features, interviews, and thematic series (serving as the primary editorial platform); Community Supported Art, a CSA-style subscription program that commissioned three limited-edition works from local artists every two months at $80 per piece, with subscription tiers at $80, $150, and $200 per release; Roving Exhibitions, thematic shows and large-scale public projects featuring international artists; the Critic-in-Residence program, which hosted national arts writers for paid one-week residencies including studio visits, museum tours, public lectures, and student workshops; and Pelican Bomb Gallery X, a physical exhibition space opened February 13, 2016 at 1612 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. Technology was limited to the publication website and the Rhizome web-archiving integration; no app, API, or proprietary platform was developed.
Pelican Bomb operated as a nonprofit reliant on a diversified but foundation-heavy funding stack. Revenue drew from organizational grants (Joan Mitchell Foundation New Orleans Initiative, Artis, Andy Warhol Foundation's Platforms Fund re-granting, Lambent Foundation), individual donations, and Community Supported Art subscription fees. The organization ran on a small staff (Executive Director Cameron Shaw, Co-founder Amanda Brinkman, Editorial and Communications Manager Charlie Tatum) and relied heavily on a wider bench of Art Review contributors for editorial output. Go-to-market was community-led: audience building through editorial content, email newsletter, social media, exhibitions, and a November 2017 partnership with NOLA Media Group that placed coverage of the Prospect.4 triennial on NOLA.com and in The Times-Picayune, funded by the Lambent Foundation.
Pelican Bomb firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pelican Bomb
- Legal name
- Pelican Bomb
- Website
- https://pelicanbomb.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Pelican Bomb was a New Orleans nonprofit arts organization (founded February 2011, closed November 2018) that published weekly critical writing about contemporary art, ran a Community Supported Art subscription program, hosted thematic exhibitions and the Critic-in-Residence program, and operated Gallery X.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pelican Bomb industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts and Cultural Services
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK), Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
Keywords
Where Pelican Bomb is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Orleans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pelican Bomb business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grant funding and philanthropy: Funded through organizational grants (e.g., Joan Mitchell Foundation New Orleans Initiative, Artis Exhibition Grant, Platforms Fund) and individual donations. The partnership with NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune was funded by Pelican Bomb through Lambent Foundation and individual donors.
- Community Supported Art (subscription-based art sales): Originally called 'The Drop,' this CSA-style program commissioned works from local artists. Each limited-edition work was priced at $80 per release. Artists received a $2,000 stipend and $500 fabrication budget. Subscription levels: $80 per release (1 of 3 works), $150 per release (2 of 3 works), $200 per release (all 3 works), totaling $1,200 per year for all 18 pieces.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Level 1: $80 per release — one of three commissioned artworks |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Level 2: $150 per release — two of three commissioned artworks |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Level 3: $200 per release — all three commissioned artworks |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Pelican Bomb product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pelican Bomb was a nonprofit arts organization that served as New Orleans' home for critical writing and thinking about contemporary art. It operated an online Art Review publication featuring weekly exhibition reviews, features, and interviews, ran a Community Supported Art subscription program commissioning limited-edition works from local artists at $80 per piece, organized thematic exhibitions and public projects through roving exhibitions and Gallery X, and hosted a Critic-in-Residence program for visiting arts writers.
Product overview
Pelican Bomb operates as a nonprofit arts organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs centered on critical writing and exhibitions about contemporary art in New Orleans. The core offerings include the Art Review (online publication with reviews, features, and interviews), Community Supported Art (subscription-based art collecting program), Exhibitions/Roving Exhibitions (thematic exhibitions and public projects), Critic in Residence Program (residency for arts writers), Pelican Bomb Gallery X (physical exhibition space), and an Events Calendar. Founded in February 2011, the organization ceased regular operations on November 30, 2018, with its archive preserved via Rhizome's Webrecorder.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Art Review: Online publication featuring exhibition reviews, features, interviews, and thematic series on contemporary art in New Orleans
- Community Supported Art
- Critic in Residence
- Pelican Bomb Gallery X
Products and services
- Art Review Weekly online publication featuring exhibition reviews, features, interviews, and in-depth thematic series engaging with artists, ideas, and artworks in New Orleans. Aimed at arts writers, critics, artists, and general readers interested in contemporary art and visual culture.
- Community Supported Art Subscription-based program commissioning limited-edition works from New Orleans artists at $80 per piece. Creates new collectors and supports local artists through $2,000 stipends and $500 fabrication budgets. Subscription tiers: $80 (1 of 3 works), $150 (2 of 3 works), $200 (all 3 works) per release, totaling $1,200 per year for all 18 pieces.
- Exhibitions / Roving Exhibitions Creative thematic exhibitions and large-scale public projects featuring international artists while exploring the intersection of New Orleans' social histories and contemporary art. Provides face-to-face opportunities for dialogue, learning, and engagement for artists, curators, and the public.
- Critic in Residence Program Program hosting arts writers in New Orleans for one-week stays including artist studio visits, museum/gallery/collection tours, public lectures, student writers' workshops, and peer-to-peer discussion groups. Targets arts writers, critics, and creative nonfiction authors seeking publication opportunities and professional development.
- Events Calendar Comprehensive online calendar of contemporary art events in New Orleans, providing a centralized source for art-related happenings across the city for artists, collectors, and the general public.
Quantifiable outcome
- Art Review published weekly with exhibition reviews, features, interviews, and thematic series from 2011 to 2018
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Pelican Bomb
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pelican Bomb technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pelican Bomb partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- RhizomecoreRhizome's Webrecorder tool was used to preserve Pelican Bomb's Art Review content and events calendar for long-term archival access. The archived content remains publicly available via Webrecorder.io/pelicanbomb/pelican-bomb. Rhizome is a New York-based organization that leads in digital content preservation resources.
- NOLA.com and The Times-Picayune (NOLA Media Group)coreArts reporting collaboration with NOLA Media Group beginning November 2017, coinciding with Prospect.4 triennial. Pelican Bomb provided in-depth coverage including reviews, features, interviews, and video content on NOLA.com and in The Times-Picayune. The partnership was funded by Pelican Bomb through Lambent Foundation and individual donors. It aimed to expand Pelican Bomb's audience, invite diverse writers to contribute to the paper, and guarantee all New Orleanians access to quality visual art coverage.
- Fallen Fruit (David Allen Burns and Austin Young)minorLos Angeles-based duo Fallen Fruit presented 'EMPIRE,' an immersive installation at Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University as part of 'Fallen Fruit of New Orleans,' a citywide project. Pelican Bomb co-presented with A Studio in the Woods and Newcomb Art Museum, running April 13 – December 22, 2018.
- BURNAWAY (Atlanta)coreDual-city Critic-in-Residence residency program with BURNAWAY in Atlanta, piloted in 2014–15. The program brought art critics from throughout the country to New Orleans through engaging paid residencies, including artist studio visits, museum/gallery/collection tours, public lectures, and student writers' workshops.
- A Studio in the WoodsminorPartnered with A Studio in the Woods and Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University to present 'Fallen Fruit of New Orleans' (2017–2018), a citywide project bringing free, publicly accessible fruit to New Orleans.
- Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane UniversityminorCo-presented 'Fallen Fruit of New Orleans' citywide project with Pelican Bomb and A Studio in the Woods (2017–2018). Also partnered for the EMPIRE exhibition by Fallen Fruit (April–December 2018).
- Platforms FundcoreRe-granting collaborative with Antenna, Ashé Cultural Arts Center, and Pelican Bomb, funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts. Provides support for the development and presentation of self-organized artistic projects in and around New Orleans. Launched October 2014.
- Ashé Cultural Arts CentercoreCo-founded the Platforms Fund with Press Street and Ashé Cultural Arts Center as part of the Andy Warhol Foundation's regional re-granting initiative in New Orleans (2014). Ashé Cultural Arts Center creates and supports programs emphasizing contributions of people of African descent and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018.
- Press Street (now Antenna)coreCo-founded the Platforms Fund with Press Street (now Antenna) and Ashé Cultural Arts Center as part of the Andy Warhol Foundation's regional re-granting initiative. Press Street also collaborated on Paper Machine, a new production space in the Lower Ninth Ward.
- Line 58 Branding and Web DesignminorPelican Bomb worked with Line 58 Branding and Web Design to build a new brand identity and a dynamic, user-friendly website as Pelican Bomb grew (2014). Line 58 also designed the Pelican Bomb website copyright footer.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pelican Bomb competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Artsy: Global online art marketplace and editorial platform. Comparable as a digital platform combining art criticism/editorial coverage with commercial functions, though operating at vastly larger scale than Pelican Bomb.
- Hyperallergic: Leading online publication covering contemporary art and culture with a focus on underrepresented perspectives. Comparable as an art criticism platform but operates nationally with a much larger editorial team and broader scope than Pelican Bomb.
- Artnet News: Global art news, criticism, and market intelligence platform. Comparable as an art criticism publication but with substantially broader scale, established market position, and commercial scope across auctions, galleries, and editorial.
Regional players
- Ashé Cultural Arts Center: New Orleans-based nonprofit creating and supporting programs emphasizing the contributions of people of African descent through arts and culture. Co-founded the Platforms Fund with Pelican Bomb and Antenna.
- Joan Mitchell Center: New Orleans-based artist residency program providing studios, residencies, and community programming for local and visiting artists. Comparable as a New Orleans contemporary arts nonprofit and a fellow Joan Mitchell Foundation grantee.
- Newcomb Art Museum: Art museum at Tulane University in New Orleans presenting contemporary exhibitions and programming. Partnered with Pelican Bomb on Fallen Fruit of New Orleans and other exhibitions including Fallen Fruit's 'EMPIRE' (2018).
- A Studio in the Woods: New Orleans-based artist residency program offering residencies to writers and artists in a forested setting. Partnered with Pelican Bomb on the Fallen Fruit of New Orleans citywide public art project in 2017–2018.
Direct peers
- BURNAWAY: Atlanta-based online magazine publishing criticism and reporting on contemporary art across the American South. Directly comparable as a regional art criticism publication with a similar nonprofit/grant-funded model; partnered with Pelican Bomb on the dual-city Critic-in-Residence program in 2014–15.
- Antenna (formerly Press Street): New Orleans-based nonprofit arts organization publishing Signal to Noise magazine and supporting literary/visual arts programming. Co-founded the Platforms Fund re-granting initiative with Pelican Bomb and Ashé Cultural Arts Center under the Andy Warhol Foundation.
- The Brooklyn Rail: New York-based nonprofit publication producing criticism and essays on contemporary art, culture, and literature. Comparable as a nonprofit arts criticism publication operating on a similar donor/subscription-funded editorial model.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pelican Bomb social profiles
Digital presencePelican Bomb financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pelican Bomb leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Pelican Bomb subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Pelican Bomb funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pelican Bomb 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 Pelican Bomb
What does Pelican Bomb do?
Pelican Bomb was a nonprofit arts organization that served as New Orleans' home for critical writing and thinking about contemporary art. It operated an online Art Review publication featuring weekly exhibition reviews, features, and interviews, ran a Community Supported Art subscription program commissioning limited-edition works from local artists at $80 per piece, organized thematic exhibitions and public projects through roving exhibitions and Gallery X, and hosted a Critic-in-Residence program for visiting arts writers.
Is Pelican Bomb a public or private company?
Pelican Bomb is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Pelican Bomb founded?
Pelican Bomb was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pelican Bomb based?
Pelican Bomb is headquartered in New Orleans, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pelican Bomb make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Grant funding and philanthropy is the primary driver. The others are community Supported Art (subscription-based art sales).
Who are Pelican Bomb's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Artsy, Hyperallergic and Artnet News. Regional players are Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Joan Mitchell Center, Newcomb Art Museum and A Studio in the Woods. Direct peers are BURNAWAY, Antenna (formerly Press Street) and The Brooklyn Rail.
Does Pelican Bomb have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pelican Bomb.
What industry is Pelican Bomb in?
Pelican Bomb's product category is Arts and Cultural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAK, Literary Arts & Writing Organizations. Its NAICS code is 712 and its SIC code is 2721.