BLACK ARTS & CULTURAL CENTER

Name

BLACK ARTS & CULTURAL CENTER

Legal name

Black Arts & Cultural Center

Website

https://blackartskalamazoo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts & Cultural Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Community arts center
• Art exhibition space
• Cultural programming services
• Event venue rental
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

KALAMAZOO, Michigan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees ranging from $100 to $500 per year across five tiers (Artist, Family & Friends, Creator, Partner, Champion). Membership provides access to newsletters, event discounts, space reservations, and other benefits.
2. Space Rental: Hourly rental of event space for meetings, rehearsals, performances, and private events. Non-member rates are $150/hour for individuals and $100/hour for non-profits, plus a $150 refundable deposit.
3. Vendor Fees: Fees collected from vendors participating in exhibits, the Black Arts Festival, and other BACC events.
4. Donations and Sponsorships: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, major sponsors, and donors supporting the nonprofit mission of celebrating and promoting Black arts and culture.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BACC is a community cultural center that operates a 1,000 sq. ft. exhibition gallery (Gail Sydnor Gallery) showcasing up to 48 artists annually through monthly rotating exhibits, a tiered annual membership program, an hourly-rentable event venue for private gatherings and rehearsals, and community/youth educational programs including Community Classes, Comic Creators, and Imagine Animation Summer Camp. Its flagship event is the annual Black Arts Festival. The organization serves artists, families, and community members in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with a mission of celebrating and promoting Black arts and culture.

Product overview

The Black Arts & Cultural Center (BACC) operates as a community cultural center offering a unified portfolio of services centered on gallery exhibition, membership programs, and event venue rental. The core offering is the Gail Sydnor Gallery, a 1,000 sq. ft. exhibition space showcasing up to 48 artists annually through monthly exhibits. The membership program provides tiered access to the center's facilities and programs. The center also offers Community Classes, Comic Creators, and Imagine Animation Summer Camp as educational programs, plus the annual Black Arts Festival as its flagship event. Event space rental and the West Café coworking amenity round out the service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gail Sydnor Gallery

Quantifiable outcome

• 48 artists showcased per year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ACGK (Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts Council of Greater Kalamazoo supports BACC as a major sponsor, contributing to the organization's cultural programming and community outreach efforts.
• Gilmore Car MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative exhibit partnership featuring photographs of the Merze Tate Explorers at the Gilmore Car Museum alongside images from Picturing Freedom, highlighting cultural exploration and discovery.
• Kalamazoo Institute of ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative exhibit partnership for 'Timeless Contributions' showcasing shared works between KIA and local collectors in the April Gallery exhibition.
• NAACP Kalamazoo BranchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAACP Kalamazoo Branch appears as a community partner supporting BACC's mission and cultural programming.
• Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi - KalamazoominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFraternal organization partner supporting BACC as a Champion-level member, contributing to community cultural initiatives.
• Alumni Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity - KalamazoominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFraternal organization partner supporting BACC as a Champion-level member, contributing to community cultural initiatives.
• Mothers of HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partner supporting BACC's cultural programming and community outreach efforts.
• PCEN (Prince Hall Community Educational Network)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational network partner supporting BACC's community programming and cultural initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio Museum in Harlem: New York-based nonprofit that exhibits work by artists of African descent and runs an artist-in-residence program. Closely comparable to BACC in mission (Black artists as primary segment), core product (gallery exhibition), and community programming, though at a much larger scale.
• Northwest African American Museum: Seattle-based nonprofit museum focused on African American art, history, and culture. Directly comparable to BACC in mission, exhibition programming, community educational offerings, and 501(c)(3) operating structure.
• Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: Regional fine arts museum and education center in Kalamazoo that is already a documented BACC collaborative partner (e.g., 'Timeless Contributions' exhibit). Comparable as a community-serving visual arts institution in the same metro with overlapping artist and audience segments.
• The African American Museum in Philadelphia: Philadelphia-based nonprofit museum dedicated to preserving and interpreting African American history and culture. Comparable to BACC across mission, exhibition programming, community education focus, and nonprofit operating model.
• DuSable Museum of African American History: Chicago-based nonprofit museum dedicated to African American art, history, and culture. Most directly comparable to BACC in mission (Black arts and cultural preservation), programming mix (exhibitions, education, community events), and nonprofit operating model, though at materially larger scale.
• The Griot Museum of Black History and Culture: St. Louis-based nonprofit museum dedicated to Black history and culture with rotating exhibits and educational programs. Directly comparable in mission (Black arts and cultural preservation), nonprofit operating model, and programming (exhibitions, community engagement, youth education).

Others

• Kalamazoo Community Foundation: A core BACC funder and the dominant community foundation in the Kalamazoo region. Relevant as an ecosystem participant that shapes BACC's funding environment and partners on community programming.
• Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo: Funder and umbrella arts-support organization in Kalamazoo that is already a documented sponsor of BACC. Relevant peer as a comparable regional cultural-infrastructure organization operating in the same market with overlapping artist and audience networks.

Regional players

• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: Detroit-based museum of African American history and culture, also in Michigan. Comparable in mission focus on Black arts and heritage, programming (exhibitions, youth education, community events), and 501(c)(3) structure, and operates in BACC's broader region.
• The Underground Railroad Museum / Black heritage centers (Michigan cluster): Network of Michigan-based Black heritage and cultural centers operating in a comparable niche (Black arts/history programming, community education) within the same state, sharing donor pools and audience segments with BACC.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-arts-&-cultural-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 BLACK ARTS & CULTURAL CENTER