What ARTSOURCE does

Artsource, legally The Artists' Foundation of Western Australia Limited, is a membership-based nonprofit organization (company limited by guarantee) founded on 9 June 1986 in Fremantle, Western Australia. The organization operates from the heritage-listed Old Customs House at Level 1, 8 Phillimore Street, Fremantle, and is the sole organization in Western Australia dedicated to serving the professional needs of visual artists. Artsource provides a tiered membership program (ACCESS at $110/year, PLUS at $210/year, MAX at $340/year including $20M public/products liability insurance, and ASSOCIATES at $275/year for organizations) plus a free Friends tier, serving more than 1,000 members across professional visual artists, emerging artists, arts organizations, local governments, and corporate partners.

The organization manages 40+ private studio spaces across the Perth metropolitan area — including 25-26 studios at Old Customs House Fremantle, eight studios above Rosemount Hotel in North Perth, 18 studios at Midland, and 16 studios at Ashfield — on five-year tenure agreements, having supported over 200 artists since 1986. Supporting services include the ArtLease program connecting artists with corporate clients, an online Artist Gallery directory, the ArtLines (fortnightly) and ArtLeads (weekly) newsletters listing grants, residencies, and commissions, professional development workshops, public art consultancy services through Artsource Consulting, and the Regional + Indigenous Development Program supported by Rio Tinto. Go Anywhere residency grants of $10,000-$20,000 are also administered.

Revenue is generated through membership subscriptions, studio rental fees, government grants (DLGSC Culture and the Arts WA, Lotterywest, federal Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy), corporate partnerships (Rio Tinto), insurance brokerage arrangements with Local Community Insurance Services, exhibition and workshop ticket sales, and corporate art consultancy commissions. Distribution occurs via the Fremantle headquarters, the JoinIt online membership platform, phone/email inquiries, and direct corporate consultancy outreach. The 26-employee organization is governed by a member-elected board and operates as a nonprofit without external shareholders or institutional investors.

Name

ARTSOURCE

Legal name

The Artists' Foundation of Western Australia Limited

Website

https://artsource.net.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Artsource is a Western Australian membership-based nonprofit arts organization (founded 1986) serving 1,000+ professional visual artists through tiered memberships, 40+ studio spaces, consultancy services, and government-funded programs from its Fremantle headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremantle

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from ACCESS ($110), PLUS ($210), MAX ($340), and ASSOCIATES ($275) tiers provide recurring subscription revenue. Tax deductible for practising professionals.
2. Studio Rentals: Artsource manages over 40 private studio spaces across Perth metropolitan area including Fremantle, Rosemount, Midland, and Ashfield locations. Studios are rented to eligible members on five-year tenure agreements.
3. Professional Services and Consultancy: Art consultancy services bringing creative ideas for government and corporate clients, engaging network of visual artists for professional opportunities. Public art procurement consultancy services.
4. Insurance Services: MAX membership includes comprehensive insurance coverage (Public Liability $20M, Products Liability $20M, Personal Accident up to $1,000/week) as part of membership package.
5. Events and Exhibitions: Revenue generation through exhibitions, workshops, and events at Old Customs House including venue hire, ticket sales for workshops (e.g., Artful Practices for Wellbeing at $25 each), and professional development events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Artsource is a membership-based nonprofit organisation that sells tiered annual subscriptions (ACCESS $110, PLUS $210, MAX $340, ASSOCIATES $275, plus a free Friends tier) to visual artists and arts-related organisations in Western Australia. Memberships bundle access to 40+ managed studio spaces, an online Artist Gallery profile, fortnightly ArtLines and weekly ArtLeads newsletters listing grants and commissions, professional development workshops, advocacy representation, and (for MAX) $20M public/products liability and personal accident insurance. Complementary paid offerings include Artsource Consulting art procurement services for government and corporate clients, the ArtLease corporate art-leasing program, studio rentals on five-year tenure, and ticketed exhibitions, workshops, and events at the Old Customs House Atrium Gallery in Fremantle.

Product overview

Artsource is a membership-based arts organization offering a tiered membership structure with four paid tiers (ACCESS, PLUS, MAX, ASSOCIATES) and a free Friends tier. ACCESS provides foundational services for emerging artists including studio eligibility and networking; PLUS adds website profiles and income opportunities; MAX provides comprehensive insurance coverage. Supporting services include ArtLease (artist-corporate connections), Artist Gallery (online portfolio platform), ArtLines and ArtLeads newsletters (industry opportunities), professional development, and studio spaces across Fremantle, Rosemount, and Ashfield locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visual Artist Membership Tiered annual subscription for individual visual artists offering studio rental eligibility after one year, residency exchanges after three years, voting rights at AGM, ArtLines newsletter, event discounts, and partner discounts. ACCESS tier ($110/year, or $55 for art students) provides foundational services; PLUS tier ($210/year) adds an Artist Gallery website profile, ArtLeads newsletter with employment opportunities, and ArtLease eligibility; MAX tier ($340/year) adds comprehensive public liability ($20M), products liability ($20M), and personal accident (up to $1,000/week) insurance coverage.
• Associates Membership Annual organisational membership at $275/year for individuals and organisations with professional interest in visual arts, including architects, developers, curators, interior designers, galleries, arts organisations, local governments, schools, and tertiary institutes. Includes complimentary 250x250px Feature Box advertising on the Artsource website and newsletter, significant discounts on additional advertising, artist recommendations for projects, ArtLines newsletter, and event discounts.
• Artsource Friends Free subscription tier providing the monthly ArtConnect newsletter (sent the first Thursday of each month) with Old Customs House events, member exhibitions, staffing updates, and news. No membership commitment required; functions as the top-of-funnel acquisition channel for Artsource.
• Studio Rentals Managed network of more than 40 private artist studios across the Perth metropolitan area on five-year tenure agreements for eligible Artsource members. Includes 25 studios at Old Customs House (Fremantle), 8 studios above the Rosemount Hotel (North Perth), 18 studios at Midland (former boarding house), and 16 studios at Ashfield (two-storey building with artist-run gallery for residencies). Practitioners include painting, sculpture, textiles, photography, printmaking, digital works, and ceramics.
• ArtLease Program connecting Artsource PLUS and MAX member artists with corporate clients for art leasing opportunities, enabling income generation through workplace and commercial art placement.
• Artsource Consulting Professional art consultancy bringing creative ideas to government and corporate clients, engaging the Artsource network of visual artists for commissions and professional opportunities. Includes public art procurement consultancy services for capital projects (e.g., hospitals, infrastructure, CBD developments) and the Regional and Indigenous Development Program supported by Rio Tinto and other partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 artists have benefited from five-year studio tenure at Fremantle Studios since 1986
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• City of GosnellsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with City of Gosnells for professional development workshops for emerging artists including 'Preparing your Artwork for Exhibition' and 'Marketing and Pricing your Work' workshops in May 2021.
• Rosemount HotelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Rosemount Hotel in North Perth to revitalise eight storage rooms above the hotel into vibrant working artist studios. Provides central city spaces to Artsource membership.
• BunningsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBunnings PowerPass partnership providing Artsource members with minimum 5% discount on every purchase and up to 70% off selected items. Card mailed to members within four weeks of joining.
• Jacksons Drawing SuppliesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArt supplies supplier offering Artsource members minimum 15% discount. Located at 08 6241 6400, specializes in Fine Art, Drawing Supplies, Technical Drawing Materials, Ceramics and Craft Supplies.
• OxladesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArt supplies warehouse at Guthrie Street, Osborne Park offering 15% discount to Artsource members. Features comprehensive range of art supplies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA): WA's leading contemporary arts organisation presenting exhibitions, performances, and residencies. Operates in the same WA contemporary visual arts ecosystem with overlapping artist and audience base.
• Fremantle Arts Centre: Major Fremantle-based arts venue offering exhibitions, performances, and community programs in WA. Geographically adjacent peer operating in similar cultural infrastructure space but as a venue-operator rather than artist membership organisation.

Direct peers

• National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA): Australia's national peak body for the visual arts sector, advocating for artists and providing professional resources. Highly comparable to Artsource but operating at the national level rather than the WA state level — directly comparable membership/advocacy/services model.
• Artsupport Australia: Australia-wide platform facilitating donations to individual artists and arts organisations, including those supported by Artsource. Operates in the same visual arts funding/support space with a national digital distribution model.
• FORM: Perth-based independent creative organisation supporting WA artists, designers, and makers through residencies, exhibitions, and place-based projects. Direct geographic peer with comparable artist-services and residency model.
• Regional Arts WA: Western Australia's regional arts development organisation, providing grants, advocacy, and professional support. Operates in the same WA jurisdiction with overlapping artist-development mission and government funder relationships.

Broad incumbents

• Australia Council for the Arts: Federal government's primary arts funding and policy body. Overlaps with Artsource in serving visual artists and providing grants, but operates as a national statutory authority rather than a membership-driven nonprofit.
• Art Gallery of Western Australia: State's primary public art gallery. While focused on collection/exhibition rather than artist services, it shares WA arts funding channels, audience overlap, and policy environment with Artsource.
• Regional Arts Australia: National peak body for regional arts in Australia. Comparable in mission to support regional artists and advocate for arts funding, but with a national remit and a broader arts (not visual-arts-specific) focus.

Others

• National Trust of Australia (WA): Heritage advocacy organisation that owns/manages heritage buildings in WA including venues relevant to Artsource's Old Customs House context. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — connected through cultural/heritage real estate stewardship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artsource

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 ARTSOURCE