Collage Arts
Collage Arts is a UK charitable community arts organization founded in 1985 in Wood Green, North London, operating affordable artist studios, youth performing arts programmes, creative industry training, and live venues (Karamel and McQueens Theatre) to serve under-represented communities in Haringey.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersWood Green, London, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Collage Arts does
Collage Arts is a UK-registered charitable community arts organization founded in 1985 and headquartered at 4 Coburg Road, Wood Green, North London. The organization develops creative communities in Haringey through an integrated portfolio spanning affordable artist studios (Artspaces, Chocolate Factory housing 200+ artists), youth performing arts programmes (Collage Voices, Collage Kids), accredited creative industry training and employability support (Collage Works, CLOCK Your Skills bootcamps), community arts projects targeting under-represented groups (Collage Community), and live performance venues (Karamel N22 vegan restaurant and jazz club, McQueens Theatre).
The business model is a hybrid of grant-funded charitable activity and earned revenue. Grants from the Greater London Authority, European Social Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Big Issue Invest fund community programmes and training initiatives. Earned revenue comes from subsidized studio rentals, venue food and beverage operations, event ticketing (GBP 3-10), and heavily subsidized youth classes (GBP 2.50 per session with bursaries available). Pricing is structured for accessibility rather than margin maximization, reflecting the charity's social mission. The technology base is a multi-booth recording studio with Apple Mac, Logic Pro X, and standard media production tools rather than a technology platform.
The organization serves diverse community segments in North London including children and young people, creative workers and freelancers, visual artists, older adults from Caribbean-African and Multiple Heritage communities, Kurdish and Turkish-speaking residents, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Distribution is primarily through owned physical venues and direct community outreach, supplemented by ticketing platforms (MusicGlue, DICE) and multi-channel social media presence. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees and led by CEO Manoj Ambasna.
Collage Arts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Collage Arts
- Legal name
- Collage Arts
- Website
- https://collage-arts.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Collage Arts is a UK charitable community arts organization founded in 1985 in Wood Green, North London, operating affordable artist studios, youth performing arts programmes, creative industry training, and live venues (Karamel and McQueens Theatre) to serve under-represented communities in Haringey.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Collage Arts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Arts Services
- NAICS
- Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD)
Keywords
Where Collage Arts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wood Green, London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Collage Arts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venue Operations (Karamel): 100% vegan restaurant and jazz club hosting live music, events, and private dining. Operating Thursday-Sunday with food service and ticketed entertainment.
- Training and Employability Programmes: Accredited training, creative bootcamps, and professional development courses for creative industries. Programs include CLOCK Your Skills partnership delivering GLA Creative BootCamps.
- Studio Rentals: Affordable studio spaces at multiple Artspaces locations in Wood Green, N22. All-inclusive rents available for artists and creatives.
- Event Ticketing: Ticketed performances, concerts, and theatre shows at Karamel and McQueens Theatre. Poetry and Poppadums events at £10, comedy nights at £3.
- Grants and Funded Programmes: Funding from Greater London Authority, European Social Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Big Issue Invest, and other partners for community arts projects and training initiatives.
- Class Fees: Saturday sessions for children and young people at £2.50 per class, with bursaries available for those who need financial support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Saturday Sessions - Youth Arts Classes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Poetry and Poppadums Event |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Karamel Comedy Club |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Booster Cushion Theatre Family Shows |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Collage Kids Family Programme |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Collage Arts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Collage Arts is a charitable community arts organisation based in Wood Green, North London that has operated since 1985. It delivers a portfolio of arts services spanning affordable artist studio rentals (Collage Artspaces), youth performing arts training (Collage Voices), community inclusion projects (Collage Community), accredited creative-industries employability training (Collage Works / CLOCK Your Skills), and live performance venue operations at Karamel N22 (vegan restaurant, jazz club and gallery) and McQueens Theatre.
Product overview
Collage Arts is a community arts organization based in Wood Green, North London, operating since 1985 with over 40 years of experience developing creative communities. The organization offers a multi-faceted portfolio of services structured around five core pillars: Artspaces (affordable studio rentals for artists), Community (arts projects for diverse communities), Voices (youth performing arts programme), Works (employability and accredited training), and Events (live music and theatre at Karamel and McQueens Theatre). The portfolio includes venues (Karamel N22 vegan restaurant/jazz club/gallery and McQueens Theatre), youth and family programmes (Collage Voices, Collage Kids, Saturday Sessions), community initiatives (Collage Community), and creative industry training (Collage Works, CLOCK Your Skills). The organization also runs the annual N22 Open Studios event and manages the Chocolate Factory Artists Network housing over 200 artists.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Collage Voices: Performing arts and creative media programme for children, young people and emerging artists, featuring drama, music, creative writing, and digital media classes on Saturdays at McQueens Theatre.
- Collage Works
- Collage Community
- Karamel
- McQueens Theatre
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,500 new creative jobs created through GLA/ESF supported investment
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Collage Arts
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Collage Arts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Collage Arts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Clock Your Skills (TULIP Peer2Peer Learning Ltd.)corePartnership led by Denise Stanley-Chard developing CLOCK learning and professional development programmes. GLA Creative BootCamps developed in partnership. Based on 30+ years of non-formal education and cultural learning experience across 15 countries.
- Haringey Warm SpacesminorPartner supporting the All Nations well-being group providing community space and warmth services for older community members.
- VibranceminorPartner supporting wellbeing services for older people in the All Nations well-being group programme.
- Fashion EnterminorCollaboration providing skills-building sessions for local creatives, industry events, and training opportunities focused on North London-based creatives looking to upskill and network. Project ended June 2023.
- Rinova LtdminorPartner in Creative Academies programme providing year-long creative careers support, information, advice, and guidance for over 100 Londoners. Supported by GLA and ESF.
- Jacksons LaneminorPartner in Carbon Go Green environmental project exploring how local businesses reduce carbon footprint.
- PramDepotminorPartner in Carbon Go Green environmental awareness project.
- Alexandra Primary SchoolminorEducation partner in Carbon Go Green project exploring environmental sustainability.
- Park View SchoolminorEducation partner in Carbon Go Green project.
- St Thomas More Catholic SchoolminorEducation partner in Carbon Go Green environmental project.
- Haringey WelcomeminorPartner in rekindling projects with Haringey's Kurdish and Turkish speaking communities to develop learning resources for settled communities and new arrivals to London.
- Women in Jazz MediaminorAward-winning not-for-profit organization created to support equal, diverse, safe and healthy Jazz Industry. Collaboration for jazz performances at Karamel.
- Chocolate Factory Artists NetworkminorNetwork of artists from the Chocolate Factory complex who run Tai Chi, Painting, and Jewellery Making sessions supporting the All Nations well-being group.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Collage Arts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Roundhouse: Major London charity running creative training and performance programmes for young people. Directly comparable to Collage Voices youth programming and accredited training pathways, but operates at significantly larger scale in Camden.
- Battersea Arts Centre: Long-established London community arts venue with co-working, residencies, and participation programmes. Comparable venue-plus-community engagement model but with much larger scale and broader programming.
- Hackney Empire: Long-running East London arts venue running ticketed performances, youth programmes, and community engagement. Comparable venue-plus-youth-programme combination but at much larger scale.
Direct peers
- Artsadmin: East London charity producing and supporting experimental performance and live art. Comparable in charitable structure, artist-development focus, and venue-based programme model.
- Rich Mix: East London multi-arts venue and community charity operating cinema, live performance, and creative participation programmes. Closely comparable to Collage Arts' integrated venue-plus-community-programme model in Bethnal Green.
- The Albany: Community arts charity in Deptford delivering creative programmes, events, and training with focus on under-represented groups. Closely aligned with Collage Arts' mission and integrated programming approach.
- Creative Land Trust: London charity specifically focused on securing long-term affordable workspace for creative organisations. Direct overlap with Collage Artspaces studio rental business and core mission of affordable workspace preservation.
Emerging players
- London Music Fund: Charity providing music education grants and progression support to under-represented young Londoners. Partial overlap with the Collage Voices youth music and creative training mission.
- Spread the Word: London literary development agency supporting writers from under-represented backgrounds. Comparable outreach and skills-development mission, narrower focus on literature rather than multi-discipline arts.
Regional players
- Idea Store (Tower Hamlets): Tower Hamlets council-run community learning and cultural hubs offering classes, performances, and creative programmes. Comparable community-arts-plus-learning integrated model in a different London borough.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Collage Arts social profiles
Digital presenceCollage Arts compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Collage Arts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Collage Arts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Collage Arts subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
Collage Arts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Collage Arts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Collage Arts
What does Collage Arts do?
Collage Arts is a charitable community arts organisation based in Wood Green, North London that has operated since 1985. It delivers a portfolio of arts services spanning affordable artist studio rentals (Collage Artspaces), youth performing arts training (Collage Voices), community inclusion projects (Collage Community), accredited creative-industries employability training (Collage Works / CLOCK Your Skills), and live performance venue operations at Karamel N22 (vegan restaurant, jazz club and gallery) and McQueens Theatre.
Is Collage Arts a public or private company?
Collage Arts is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Collage Arts founded?
Collage Arts was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Collage Arts based?
Collage Arts is headquartered in Wood Green, London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Collage Arts make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Venue Operations (Karamel) is the primary driver. The others are training and Employability Programmes, studio Rentals, event Ticketing, grants and Funded Programmes and class Fees.
Who are Collage Arts's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Roundhouse, Battersea Arts Centre and Hackney Empire. Direct peers are Artsadmin, Rich Mix, The Albany and Creative Land Trust. Emerging players are London Music Fund and Spread the Word. Idea Store (Tower Hamlets) is listed as a regional player.
Does Collage Arts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Collage Arts.
What industry is Collage Arts in?
Collage Arts's product category is Community Arts Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAJ, Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAH, Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs. Its NAICS code is 712110.