ArtStart/ArtScraps

What ArtStart/ArtScraps does

ArtStart is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) non-profit arts education organization founded in 1988 in St. Paul, operating under EIN 41-1618333 with 8 employees. Its core offering is arts education programming for children and adults, delivered through a portfolio that includes the ArtScraps ReUse Center (a retail store reselling donated and surplus art materials), multi-season youth art camps (summer, spring, winter, fall, plus Camp Create for teens), school residency and mini-residency programs for K-12 classrooms, Scrapmobile mobile community workshops, adult and teen art classes, and the annual EcoArts Fest at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The organization explicitly integrates environmental sustainability — material reuse, zero-waste practices, and E-STEM curricula such as River EcoJourneys — with multicultural arts education (Passport series themed around China, India, Mexico, Mongolia, Brazil, Haiti, Japan, Russia).

Name

ArtStart/ArtScraps

Legal name

ArtStart

Website

https://artstart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ArtStart is a 35-year-old Minnesota non-profit arts education organization that delivers camps, school residencies, retail reuse, and community workshops combining arts education with environmental sustainability for youth, adults, and K-12 schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Design Camps (Visual Arts, Crafts, Design Thinking) (EDAMALAH), Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA), Visual Arts & Media Arts Programs (Art Club, Photography, Film) (EDAJAJAF)

Keywords

• Arts education programs
• Youth art camps
• School artist residencies
• Creative reuse materials
• Community art workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Revenue from camps, classes, workshops, and school residency programs. Fees vary by program type - camps range from $175-$475/week, adult classes from $30-$35 per session, and school residencies are quoted upon request.
2. ArtScraps Retail Sales: The ArtScraps ReUse Center sells donated art materials, factory overruns, and scrap materials to teachers, parents, artists, and community members at their St. Paul retail location.
3. Donations and Grants: As a non-profit, ArtStart relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporate matching programs (Amazon Smile), and grants from Minnesota State Arts Board, Legacy Fund, and National Endowment for the Arts.
4. Workshop Services: Customized Scrapmobile community workshops brought to schools, festivals, and organizations with art projects designed for various age groups and learning styles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ArtStart is a non-profit arts education organization that delivers in-person arts programming combining visual arts, cultural exploration, and environmental sustainability through creative reuse of donated materials. Core offerings include the ArtScraps ReUse Center (a retail store selling surplus art supplies), school residency and mini-residency programs with professional teaching artists, year-round youth art camps (summer, spring, winter, fall, and teen), adult and teen art classes, mobile Scrapmobile community workshops, the River EcoJourneys E-STEM curriculum, educator professional development, and the EcoArts Fest annual community event.

Product overview

ArtStart is a nonprofit arts education organization offering a multi-faceted portfolio of programs centered on arts education and environmental stewardship through creative reuse. The core offerings include the ArtScraps ReUse Center (retail store selling donated art materials), School Residency Programs with artist-in-residence and mini-residency options, and Year-Round Camps (Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, and Camp Create for teens). Supporting programs include Scrapmobile mobile workshops, STUDIO A classes, Adult & Teen Art Classes, Educator Professional Development, River EcoJourneys curriculum, Birthday Parties, EcoArts Fest annual event, Between Water & Sky youth mentorship, Children's Concerts, and Art Gallery Exhibits. Programs emphasize multicultural arts education, environmental awareness through reuse/recycling, and hands-on creativity for all ages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ArtScraps: ArtScraps is the material donations and reuse center component of ArtStart, collecting scraps, overstock, factory rejects, and other items normally destined for the landfill and making them available to teachers, parents, artists, and others for art making.
• Scrapmobile
• River EcoJourneys
• EcoArts Fest

Products and services

• ArtScraps ReUse Center Retail store at 1459 St. Clair Ave, St. Paul, that sells donated surplus and discarded art materials (scraps, overstock, factory rejects) to teachers, parents, artists, and community members, diverting materials from landfills while providing affordable art supplies.
• School Residency Program Artist-in-residence program that sends professional teaching artists into schools for 4-5 day residencies focused on unlocking individual creativity, deepening learning through artistic process, and exploring connections between arts, culture, and environment.
• Mini Residencies for the Classroom A cost-effective alternative to full residencies providing one-time classroom experiences where students work with an ArtStart artist to create a simple art project, designed collaboratively with classroom teachers.
• River EcoJourneys Curriculum An arts-based interdisciplinary curriculum for 3rd-6th grade students teaching watershed stewardship and nonpoint source pollution prevention, helping students understand Minnesota's rivers and human environmental impact.
• Summer Arts Camp Week-long summer camp (Passport to China theme) for ages 4-12 featuring cultural arts education through visual arts, dance, puppetry, and craft activities, with full-day ($475/week) and half-day ($275/week) options. A Start With The Arts program for ages 4-5 also offered at $175/week.
• Camp Create for Teens Intensive arts camp for youth ages 13+ working side-by-side with professional artists to explore creativity through various media, with cultural themes (e.g., Cultural Gems of China) and an internship pathway.
• Spring Art Camp Three-day spring break camp (Passport to Mongolia theme) for ages 6-12 featuring arts activities inspired by nomadic culture.
• Winter Arts Camp Multi-day winter camp exploring arts from Russian culture including Hermitage Museum artworks, traditional dances, and matryoshka doll creation.
• Fantastic Voyages Art & Creative Writing Camp Week-long summer camp for ages 6-12 combining creative writing with visual arts through storytelling, book binding, and puppetry activities centered on fantasy/adventure themes. Half day $260/week, Full day $460/week; early bird 5% off until Feb 3.
• Scrapmobile Community Workshops Mobile workshop service bringing art materials from ArtScraps ReUse Center to external sites for customizable art projects for all ages, including The 3 R's-Artful Reuse, Many Cultures/Many Voices, and Artist's Studio programs.
• STUDIO A — Adult & Youth Classes Live art classes for adults and youth providing guided instruction in various artistic mediums and techniques.
• Adult & Teen Art Classes Series of classes taught by professional artists covering diverse techniques including sumie painting, silk screen printing, encaustic painting, jewelry making, and textile arts. $30/class members, $35/class non-members.
• Educator Professional Development Virtual workshops for general educators to develop art skills and transfer that knowledge to enhance teaching, offering CEUs and hands-on projects led by professional artists. Price varies by program design.
• Careers in the Arts Presentation program where students learn about professional artists' journeys, view their work, observe them at work, and participate in Q&A sessions about careers in the arts.
• Birthday Parties — Youth and Adult Two-hour creative birthday party experiences for youth and adults including scrap invitations, guided art projects, and take-home favor bags, available on weekends.
• EcoArts Fest One-day outdoor arts, environmental, and cultural celebration at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge featuring interactive art activities, nature programs, and zero-waste practices, engaging families with environmental issues through hands-on art making.
• Between Water & Sky Mentorship Four-week arts and ecology summer mentorship for youth ages 14-17 at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, integrating environmental learning with sound, poetry, and visual arts to create public art installations addressing climate change. Serves 15 youth ages 14-17 per cohort.
• Children's Concert Interactive concert featuring artists from ArtStart and Saint Paul Civic Symphony where families participate as actors and dancers using art and movement sequences.
• Art Gallery Exhibits Rotating exhibits in ArtStart's gallery space showcasing youth artwork and local artists' work, including seasonal exhibitions and community showcases, in partnership with Gallery B.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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, major, secondary and minor.

• Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (MVNWR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for Between Water & Sky mentorship program and EcoArts Fest. The refuge serves as program site for youth ecology and arts mentorship, and hosts the annual EcoArts Fest.
• Mount ZionmajorOthersHistoric primary venue partner for ArtStart camps and classes. Long-standing relationship; ArtStart transitioned camps to alternative location in 2026 due to ongoing renovations.
• Sunny Hollow MontessorimajorOthersNew camp venue for 2026 programs. Stepped up to welcome ArtStart camps when Mount Zion had scheduling conflicts due to renovations.
• Audubon MinnesotasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for 'Artistic Migration: Birds of the Mississippi River Flyway' residency program. Audubon provides classroom outreach on endangered species and climate change education.
• Amazon SmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Smile program donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to ArtStart. EIN 41-1618333. Passive donation stream from Amazon shopping.
• Gallery BsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to bring work of under-represented visual artists to the community through ArtStart's ArtGallery space. Collaboration expanded gallery hours.
• Prospect Park United Methodist ChurchminorOthersVenue location for Fantastic Voyages Writing Camp, providing space for the Witch's Hat Tower location in Minneapolis.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Inner-City Arts: Los Angeles nonprofit arts education provider offering classes, workshops, and residencies to youth and educators — comparable mission, multi-channel programming (classes + residencies + community events), and nonprofit funding mix.
• Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA): Mountain View, California nonprofit arts school offering classes, camps, and residencies for all ages — a near-identical mission, program portfolio, and nonprofit funding model to ArtStart's.
• COMPAS (Community Programs in the Arts): Twin Cities-based nonprofit that places professional artists in schools and communities for residencies, workshops, and performances, sharing ArtStart's K-12 + community-driven GTM and artist-roster model.
• Textile Center: Minneapolis-based nonprofit providing textile-arts education, residencies, and gallery programming for all ages, with comparable supplemental class offerings and mission-aligned nonprofit governance.
• Minnesota Center for Book Arts: Minneapolis nonprofit visual-arts school offering classes, workshops, and exhibitions for all ages; overlapping instructor-driven model, supplemental youth/adult class structure, and nonprofit funding base.
• ArtsConnection: NYC-based nonprofit delivering arts residencies, professional development for educators, and family programs in schools — directly mirroring ArtStart's residency + PD + community workshop model at greater scale.

Broad incumbents

• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National nonprofit network delivering artist residencies and arts-in-education programming to K-12 schools; competes for the same school-district residency budgets and national arts-grant pools as ArtStart.

Regional players

• High School for Recording Arts: St. Paul nonprofit arts-focused secondary school combining arts education with social-emotional support; comparable Twin Cities footprint and nonprofit model targeting youth through creative expression.
• In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre: Minneapolis nonprofit combining performance, community workshops, and youth education; comparable K-12 + community-outreach programming and nonprofit funding structure in the Twin Cities.
• MacPhail Center for Music: Minneapolis-based nonprofit community music school with broad programming for youth and adults; comparable in scale and nonprofit structure, though specializing in music rather than the broader visual/multicultural arts niche ArtStart occupies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artstartscraps
• Facebookfacebook.com/artstart.artscraps
• Instagraminstagram.com/artstart_artscraps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artstart-artscraps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 ArtStart/ArtScraps