Sunshine Artist

What Sunshine Artist does

Sunshine Artist, published by JP Media LLC and founded in 1972, is a Wisconsin-based media and directory platform serving the U.S. art and craft show industry. The company operates sunshineartist.com, a web-based content management and event directory platform offering searchable calendar and map interfaces that list art fairs, craft festivals, and related events across the United States (and select Canadian shows). The platform allows show promoters to submit events for listing, lets artists submit reviews and audits of shows they have attended, and publishes the annual "200 Best" rankings — an industry benchmark that aggregates artist-reported sales data to rank the nation's most profitable art and craft festivals in "Classic and Contemporary Craft" and "Fine Art and Design" categories.

The product surface extends beyond the directory to include a print and digital magazine, a paid subscription service unlocking full rankings and detailed show information, an article archive with business advice for working artists, free downloadable guides, and an online store. Revenue mechanics are diversified across three streams: recurring magazine subscriptions, transaction-based event listing fees (ranging from $0 to $450 per event depending on the show), and advertising sold to art-related businesses and promoters. The go-to-market motion is product-led and content-driven, with editorial coverage and the 200 Best rankings functioning as the primary demand-generation engine rather than paid marketing.

The company is family-owned, with 1–10 employees, no disclosed institutional investors or venture funding, and a 2017 SBA Wisconsin Family Owned Business of the Year recognition. The customer base is split between professional artists and craftspeople (primary segment, using the platform to identify profitable shows) and art show promoters (secondary segment, paying to list and promote events). No select customer logos, named enterprise accounts, or revenue figures are disclosed in available material.

Name

Sunshine Artist

Legal name

JP Media LLC

Website

https://sunshineartist.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sunshine Artist, published by JP Media LLC, is a Wisconsin-based media and directory platform serving professional artists and art show promoters in the U.S. through an event discovery website, print/digital magazine, artist-contributed reviews, and annual 200 Best profitability rankings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Iola

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscription: Sunshine Artist publishes a print and digital magazine covering art show resources, reviews, and industry guidance. Subscriptions provide access to detailed show information and the full 200 Best list.
2. Event Listing Fees: Event promoters pay to list events on the platform. Application fees range from $0 to $450 per event depending on the show.
3. Advertising: The magazine and website carry advertisements from art-related businesses, event promoters, and related vendors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sunshine Artist publishes a magazine and operates an online event directory covering art fairs, festivals, and craft shows in the United States. The platform enables professional artists to discover and evaluate shows through a searchable map and calendar, supports event submissions from show promoters, hosts crowd-sourced reviews and audits, and produces the annual "200 Best" rankings based on verified artist-reported sales data.

Product overview

Sunshine Artist is a media and directory platform for the art and craft show industry. The core offering consists of an event discovery platform (with calendar and map-based search), event submission services for promoters, and artist-contributed show reviews and audits. Additional products include the Sunshine Artist Magazine (print and digital), the annual '200 Best' rankings of top-performing shows, an article archive with business advice, a subscription service for full platform access, free downloadable guides, and an online store. The platform serves both artists seeking shows and promoters seeking to list events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 200 Best: Annual ranking of the nation's most profitable art and craft festivals based on artists' reported sales
• Sunshine Artist Magazine

Products and services

• Sunshine Artist Magazine
• Event Discovery Directory
• Event Listing Service
• 200 Best Annual Rankings
• Show Reviews and Audits Platform

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ArtFairCalendar.com: ArtFairCalendar is a searchable online directory of art fairs and craft festivals across North America. It is a direct competitor to Sunshine Artist's event discovery platform, serving the same artist and promoter customer base with similar calendar and listing functionality.
• FestivalNet: FestivalNet is an online festival directory that includes arts, crafts, and other event categories. It directly competes with Sunshine Artist for both artist-side event discovery and promoter-side event listing, offering a similar marketplace model with broader category coverage.
• Art Fair SourceBook: Art Fair SourceBook is a longstanding print and online directory of juried art and craft shows. It is a direct competitor to Sunshine Artist Magazine, serving artists seeking shows with comparable event listing and editorial content.

Broad incumbents

• American Craft Council: American Craft Council publishes American Craft magazine and operates craft show programming. It is a broader incumbent in the craft industry publishing space, with overlapping editorial mission and audience of professional craft artists served by Sunshine Artist.
• Craft Industry Alliance: Craft Industry Alliance provides business resources, education, and industry news for professional crafters. It is a broader incumbent in craft industry content and serves an overlapping artist customer base with comparable editorial and educational resources.

Emerging players

• IndieMe: IndieMe is an online marketplace and directory for handmade artists and crafters. It is an emerging player with partial overlap, focusing more on product sales channels but intersecting with Sunshine Artist's audience of professional craft show participants.
• Handmadeology: Handmadeology is an online resource covering handmade business topics, craft shows, and selling strategies. It is an emerging player that overlaps with Sunshine Artist's editorial content mission and serves the same craft show artist audience.

Others

• Artisphere: Artisphere is a platform supporting independent artists with promotional and sales tools. It is an adjacent player that shares the independent artist customer base but focuses more on artist promotion rather than event discovery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SunshineArtistMagazine
• Xx.com/sunshine_artist
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sunshine-artist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sunshine Artist