Michael C. Carlos Museum

What Michael C. Carlos Museum does

The Michael C. Carlos Museum is a nonprofit university museum operated as a department of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1919, it houses one of the premier collections of ancient art in the southeastern United States, with permanent holdings spanning Africa, ancient Egypt, Nubia, the Near East, ancient Greece and Rome, the Indigenous Americas, South Asia, and European and American Works on Paper. The museum runs a rotating exhibitions program with recent shows including Compassion: What Moves You? (opening January 31, 2026) and Footwork: Where We Gather (February 26 - July 19, 2026), alongside collection-based programming.

The museum generates revenue through a diversified mix of streams: admissions, annual memberships, summer camps ($300-$350/week), adult group tours ($75-$465), school field trips ($60-$490 with Title I schools free plus bus funding up to $300/bus), virtual school tours ($100-$150), donations and named funds (Thalia N. Carlos Memorial Fund, Marguerite Colville Ingram Fund), and facility rental in spaces including Ackerman Hall. Pricing follows tiered, unit-based structures for tours and freemium models for Title I schools. Customer segments span PreK-12 students and teachers, families with children, adult general public, homeschool families, and Emory University students and faculty.

Go-to-market combines community-led engagement (educational programs across the university campus and Atlanta region) with direct-to-consumer channels (walk-in admission, memberships, donations, retail via gift shop). Distribution spans regional in-person visits on the Emory quadrangle, global virtual school tours, and statewide book distribution via the Georgia Public Library Service partnership. The museum operates with approximately 47 employees and is governed in part by a National Leadership Board. Core technology consists of museum collections management and conservation; no AI, API, or proprietary technology products are present in the data.

Name

Michael C. Carlos Museum

Legal name

Michael C. Carlos Museum

Website

https://carlos.emory.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Michael C. Carlos Museum is a nonprofit university museum at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, housing one of the southeastern United States' premier ancient art collections. It serves PreK-12 schools, families, adults, homeschoolers, and the Emory community through exhibitions, tours, camps, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

History Museums (THAJADAB), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Museum education programs
• Ancient art collections
• K-12 school tours
• Art conservation services
• Cultural heritage exhibits

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Revenue from museum admission fees charged to general public visitors.
2. Museum Membership: Annual membership program offering benefits including advance registration for camps, discounted program fees, and free admission.
3. Camp Fees: Camp Carlos week-long summer camp sessions generating revenue from non-members at $350 per week and members at $300 per week.
4. Group Tours: Docent-led guided tours for adult groups of 5 or more, with fees ranging from $75 for 5-9 individuals to $465 for 41-50 individuals.
5. School Tours: Educational field trip tours for K-12 schools, with Title I schools receiving free admission and non-Title I schools paying $60-$490 based on group size.
6. Virtual Tours: Virtual school tour programs priced at $100-$150 depending on school type and webinar format.
7. Donations and Support: Donations and support programs including the Thalia N. Carlos Memorial Fund, anonymous donors, and the Marguerite Colville Ingram Fund.
8. Facility Rental: Facility rental opportunities for events in Ackerman Hall and other museum spaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Michael C. Carlos Museum presents and conserves ancient and global art collections (Africa, ancient Egypt, Nubia, the Near East, ancient Greece and Rome, the Indigenous Americas, South Asia, and European/American Works on Paper) and delivers educational programs for visitors of all ages. Core offerings include museum admission, docent-led and virtual tours, K-12 school programs, summer camps, family and children's programs, teacher professional development, adult programs (book club, lectures, workshops), exhibitions, conservation services, and an annual membership program.

Product overview

The Michael C. Carlos Museum operates as a single unified museum offering with interconnected educational programs rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings center on exhibitions of art and artifacts spanning Africa, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome, the Indigenous Americas, South Asia, and European and American Works on Paper. These exhibitions are supported by an integrated suite of educational programming including Carlos Reads book club, guided and virtual tours, school programs, children's and family activities, Camp Carlos summer camp, teacher professional development, and Artful Stories literacy programs. The museum also provides conservation services and digital programs including online activities and publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Admission General admission to the Carlos Museum's permanent collections and rotating exhibitions at the Emory University campus location, including free Sunday public docent-led tours at 2 p.m.
• Annual Museum Membership Annual membership program providing benefits including free museum admission, advance registration for camps, and discounted program fees for members.
• Adult Group Guided Tours Docent-led guided tours for adult groups of 5 or more, available Tuesday through Friday, with themes including Highlights tours, Drawing in the Galleries, Science Behind Conservation, and Water: The Source of Civilization. Tiered pricing from $75 for 5-9 individuals up to $465 for 41-50 individuals.
• School Tours Interactive, adaptable guided tours aligned with Georgia Standards of Excellence for K-12 students, offered Tuesday-Friday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 p.m. Free for Title I schools (with up to $300 per bus funding); $60-$490 by group size for non-Title I schools. Topics span archaeology, art conservation, world religion, and AP Art History.
• Virtual School Tours Interactive 45-minute real-time virtual tours for students delivered via video conferencing, engaging with art objects across collections through standards-aligned themes. Free for Title I schools; $100-$150 per session for non-Title I schools and homeschool groups. Available Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
• Camp Carlos Week-long summer camp programs for children ages 5-12 featuring art-making inspired by museum collections, guided by practicing teaching artists. Sessions include Stories of the Nile, Little Hands Big World, and animation camps. Members pay $300 per week per child; non-members pay $350 per week per child with a 10% sibling discount.
• Children's and Family Programs Programs designed for children and families to explore museum galleries together, including Sunday FUNdays, Artful Stories for Families, SmARTy Packs, Family Guides, and online activities.
• Teacher Professional Development Programs Professional development workshops for educators utilizing works of art across subjects, with topics including object-based learning, backstrap weaving, cylinder seals, and hieroglyphs.
• Artful Stories Preschool Program Literacy program introducing young children to literature related to museum collections through readings, gallery observations, and hands-on activities, available Monday mornings when the museum is closed to the general public (in-person and online).
• Carlos Reads Book Club Book club offering opportunities to read and discuss great literature related to the museum's collections and exhibitions, guided by distinguished Emory faculty in an informal small group setting.
• SmARTy Packs In-gallery activity bags filled with guides and art activities for families, featuring themed packs with activity sheets, discussion prompts, and supplies for hands-on exploration, available free on Level One.
• Facility Rental Facility rental opportunities for private events in Ackerman Hall and other museum spaces.

Named customers6 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, flagship and minor.

• Emory Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based EthicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2026Collaborated with the Carlos Museum on the Compassion: What Moves You? exhibition as part of the University-wide Year of Compassion initiative.
• Denver Art MuseumflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2021Co-organized the Each/Other: Marie Watt and Cannupa Hanska Luger exhibition, the first exhibition to feature together the work of two leading Indigenous contemporary artists. The Denver Art Museum organized the traveling exhibition with the Carlos Museum serving as an Atlanta venue.
• Georgia Public Library ServiceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to make books from the Wrapped Up in Reading program list available at public libraries throughout Georgia.
• National Endowment for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided generous support for the Each/Other: Marie Watt and Cannupa Hanska Luger exhibition at the Carlos Museum.
• National Leadership BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory and support board of national leaders that provides strategic guidance and financial support for museum initiatives.
• Flux ProjectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with artist Cannupa Hanska Luger to create Here Song, a mobile app for sonic storytelling that engages directly with the land.
• The Industry (Los Angeles opera company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpera company that produced Sweet Land, which featured programming related to the Each/Other exhibition at the Carlos Museum.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Princeton University Art Museum: Princeton's university art museum serving students, faculty, K-12 schools, and the public with diverse global collections. Comparable in mission, governance as a university department, and educational program structure.
• Harvard Art Museums: Harvard University's art museum complex (Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, Sackler, and Harvard Art Museums). Highly comparable as a university-affiliated museum offering ancient art collections, scholarly programming, and educational programs for K-12, university, and public audiences.
• Penn Museum (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology): University of Pennsylvania's archaeology and anthropology museum with extensive ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Native American collections. Direct comparator given shared focus on ancient civilizations and university-based operation.
• Yale University Art Gallery: Yale's free-admission university art museum with extensive ancient, medieval, and global collections. Comparable as an Ivy League university museum with educational programming, scholarly resources, and an embedded academic mission.

Regional players

• Atlanta History Center: Atlanta-based history museum and research center offering exhibitions, school programs, and family events. Competes for the same regional educational and family audience segments in metropolitan Atlanta.
• High Museum of Art: Atlanta's premier general art museum, located in Midtown. Most direct local peer competing for the same Atlanta-area visitors, families, and school field trip demand.
• Fernbank Museum of Natural History: Atlanta-based natural history museum offering school field trips, family programming, and exhibitions. Comparable regional competitor for Atlanta-area family and educational visitors.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution Museums: National museum complex including the Freer/Sackler, National Museum of African Art, and American Art Museum with free admission. Broad incumbent competitor with shared collections in Asian, African, and ancient art and free public access.
• Art Institute of Chicago: Major encyclopedic art museum with extensive ancient and world art holdings. Comparable in collection breadth across ancient civilizations but with much larger scope, attendance, and endowment than a university museum.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: One of the world's largest and most comprehensive art museums based in New York. Overlaps in ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and global art collections but operates at vastly greater scale with broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carlosmuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CarlosMuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarlosMuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michael-c-carlos-museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/carlosmuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Michael C. Carlos Museum