Columbia City Gallery

What Columbia City Gallery does

Columbia City Gallery is an artists' cooperative and community gallery located at 4864 Rainier Ave S in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood, operating as a program of the nonprofit SEEDArts (SouthEast Effective Development). Founded in 1999, the gallery maintains two concurrent exhibition spaces: a member cooperative where dues-paying artists exhibit and share operational responsibilities, and a community gallery showcasing emerging and underrepresented artists, particularly BIPOC creators reflecting Southeast Seattle's demographic diversity. Core offerings include twelve monthly exhibits, an annual juried exhibit (now in its 18th year), free public artist receptions, a year-round gift shop, and recurring portrait life drawing sessions. The gallery is staffed by approximately seven people, with a single paid Gallery Manager supported by member-artist labor.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight and consists entirely of mainstream third-party SaaS: Square powers the online shop and gift card sales, Constant Contact handles email newsletter distribution, Eventbrite manages event RSVPs, and the gallery maintains social profiles on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and Vimeo. There is no proprietary platform, mobile application, or AI/ML capability; the physical gallery at 4864 Rainier Ave S is the primary venue, and digital channels serve a supporting role. The business model combines three revenue streams: a 30% commission on all artwork sold, monthly membership dues from artist members ($75-$125 depending on exhibit participation), and episodic grants and donations, including a documented $10,000 NEA Challenge America grant awarded in 2020. Admission is free, and the gallery runs on Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 7pm.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on free public receptions, juried exhibits with external curators (including partnerships with Seattle Art Museum and King Street Station), earned media in local outlets (Crosscut, Seattle Magazine, South Seattle Emerald), and a Constant Contact email list. Customer segments span cooperative member artists, community/emerging artists, general public visitors and collectors, and the broader Southeast Seattle community. The gallery has presented more than 300 exhibits over its 20+ year operating history and is currently led by Gallery Manager Julia Azarcon, who joined SEEDArts staff in late 2024.

Name

Columbia City Gallery

Legal name

Columbia City Gallery

Website

https://columbiacitygallery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Columbia City Gallery is a Seattle-based artists' cooperative and community gallery operating as a program of SEEDArts, serving member artists and emerging BIPOC creators through exhibitions, a gift shop, and free public programming in Columbia City.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Gallery Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Art Dealers (45992)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Art gallery services
• Artists cooperative
• Community art exhibits
• Fine art sales
• Visual arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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. Art Sales Commission: Gallery earns 30% commission on all artwork sold. Artists receive payment the month following the sale.
2. Membership Dues: Monthly membership dues from artist members: $75/month (6 of 12 exhibits), $100/month (9 of 12 exhibits), or $125/month (12 of 12 exhibits), plus $100 initial fee and $12 key fee.
3. Grants and Donations: Funding from organizations like National Endowment for the Arts ($10,000 Challenge America grant in 2020). Accepts donations through website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Columbia City Gallery operates as an artists' cooperative and community gallery in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood, presenting two concurrent exhibit spaces: Member Exhibits showcasing work by gallery member artists with dedicated loft storage, and Community Exhibits providing exhibition opportunities for emerging and underrepresented (BIPOC) artists. The gallery runs an annual juried exhibit (currently in its 18th year) with external jurors, a year-round gift shop of functional art and gifts from local artists, and a structured membership program where artists pay monthly dues and share operational responsibilities.

Product overview

Columbia City Gallery is an artists' cooperative and community gallery in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood. The gallery operates as a single unified offering combining physical exhibition space with community programming. Core offerings include Member Exhibits (featuring cooperative member artists with dedicated gallery loft space), Community Exhibits (providing professional opportunities for emerging and underrepresented artists, particularly BIPOC artists), an Annual Juried Exhibit program (now in its 18th year with external juror panels), Artist Receptions and Special Events (free public events including panel discussions and artist talks), a Gift Shop powered by Square for year-round artwork sales, and a structured Membership Program with operational responsibilities. The gallery is a program of SEEDArts (SouthEast Effective Development) and partners with organizations including the Seattle Art Museum for collaborative exhibitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• King Street Station (Seattle Office of Arts & Culture)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2026James Coley, King Street Station Program Lead at Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, served as juror for 18th Annual Juried Exhibit 'Unwavering Hope'
• Avery Barnes GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2026Avery Barnes, Gallerist & Owner of Avery Barnes Gallery, served as co-juror for 18th Annual Juried Exhibit 'Unwavering Hope'
• Seattle Art Museum (SAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2025Partnership on the 17th Annual Juried Exhibit 'Answer As Question' (July 23 - August 31, 2025), presented in response to SAM's exhibition 'Ai, Rebel: The Art & Activism of Ai Weiwei.' SAM's Susan Brotman Deputy Director for Art, José Carlos Diaz, served as juror. Read about top submissions on SAM blog.
• Asian Counseling & Referral Service (ACRS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2020Partnership for 'Healing through the Arts' project: Unbound: Beautiful 2020 exhibit featuring artwork by participants of ACRS behavioral health art therapy program, curated by Vietnamese artist Chau Huynh
• SEEDArts (SouthEast Effective Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbia City Gallery is a program of SEEDArts, part of SouthEast Effective Development. SEEDArts mounted a capital campaign to purchase the current gallery location to ensure a permanent gallery space in Columbia City.
• Seward Park Clay StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity exhibit 'Tension & Tenderness' featuring Elva Bennett and Caitlin McIver, residents of Seward Park Clay Studio (July 15 - August 23, 2026)

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Henry Art Gallery: Contemporary art museum at the University of Washington. Comparable as a Seattle contemporary art institution with rotating exhibits, though operating at significantly larger scale and with deeper institutional resources.
• Seattle Art Museum: Major Seattle art museum with broad collections. Comparable as a Seattle art institution and active partner of Columbia City Gallery on annual juried exhibits, though vastly larger in scale, collection, and programming.

Regional players

• Tacoma Art Museum: Tacoma-based regional art museum with collections emphasizing Northwest art. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest regional art institution with community programming focus, though based in a different metro area.
• Bainbridge Island Museum of Art: Free-admission regional art museum on Bainbridge Island focused on Pacific Northwest artists. Comparable as a community-supported regional gallery/museum with a free admission model and emphasis on PNW contemporary artists.

Direct peers

• Bellevue Arts Museum: Eastside Seattle-area museum focused on craft, design, and contemporary art with rotating exhibits. Comparable as a Puget Sound regional institution emphasizing accessible contemporary work and community programming.
• Wing Luke Museum: Seattle museum focused on Asian Pacific American history, culture, and art with strong community-based programming. Comparable as a Seattle cultural institution centered on BIPOC community representation and culturally specific exhibits.
• Lynn Hanson Gallery: Seattle-based contemporary art gallery representing emerging and mid-career artists. Directly comparable as a Seattle gallery with overlapping member artists (e.g., Jacqui Beck is represented by both galleries) and similar price points for emerging collectors.
• Frye Art Museum: Free-admission Seattle art museum with a focus on contemporary work and community programming. Comparable as a Seattle cultural institution offering free public access to curated exhibits, with overlapping community engagement mission.
• Gallery 110: Seattle artist cooperative gallery. Highly comparable structure: member-artist operated gallery with rotating exhibits and shared operational responsibilities in the Seattle market, mirroring Columbia City Gallery's cooperative model.
• Greg Kucera Gallery: Established Seattle contemporary art gallery in Pioneer Square representing regional and national artists. Comparable as a long-running Seattle gallery focused on contemporary work, though operating as a commercial gallery rather than a cooperative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ColCityGallery
• YouTubevimeo.com/channels/columbiacitygallery
• Facebookfacebook.com/ColumbiaCityGallery
• Instagraminstagram.com/columbiacitygallery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/columbia-city-gallery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Columbia City Gallery