Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency

What Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency does

Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003 by George Scheer (grandson of original proprietress Sylvia Gray) and Stephanie Sherman in Greensboro, North Carolina. The organization operates a three-story former thrift store at 606 South Elm Street, transformed into a 'living museum' on the operating principle that 'nothing new enters, nothing leaves.' The Collection comprises approximately 10,000 articles of army surplus, 10,000 bolts of vintage fabric, 20,000 items of vintage clothing, 20,000 books, and roughly 4,000 dishware and kitchen objects, plus tools, toys, and ephemera amassed by Sylvia Gray over 60 years — an asset that serves as the foundation for an interdisciplinary artist residency program and site-specific artistic experimentation. Since 2003, Elsewhere has hosted more than 1,000 resident artists across 120+ residency sessions, with residency #119 scheduled for July 2026 signaling active post-pandemic relaunch.

Name

Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency

Legal name

Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency

Website

https://elsewheremuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency is a nonprofit living museum and artist residency in Greensboro, NC that hosts visual and performing artists to create site-specific works from a 60-year, three-story collection of vintage surplus housed in a former thrift store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

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. Admission Fees: Visitors pay $5 admission during open hours. Tours may have separate pricing through Eventbrite.
2. Membership Program: Elsewhere operates a member dinner program and maintains member relationships with exclusive events and access.
3. Donations and Grants: The museum receives grants from foundations including the Ruth Foundation for the Arts ($150,000 over 3 years), and relies on public donations and support.
4. Event Revenue: Special events, extravaganzas, and artist happenings generate revenue through ticket sales and suggested donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Elsewhere operates a living museum and artist residency inside a three-story former thrift store in Greensboro, NC, built around a preserved 60-year collection of material surplus (vintage fabric, army surplus, clothing, books, kitchenware, and ephemera). The organization invites artists from across the country and around the world to live and work within the collection under a 'nothing new enters, nothing leaves' principle, while offering the public tours, open hours, artist happenings, and member events to experience the evolving archive.

Product overview

Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency is a living museum and artist residency operating from a former thrift store in Greensboro, NC, founded in 2003. The core offering is The Collection—a 60-year accumulation of surplus objects (clothing, fabric, army surplus, books, kitchenware) that serves as material for artistic experimentation. The museum offers an Artist Residency Program that hosts artists for 2-week sessions to create site-specific works from the collection. Supporting offerings include Public Tours (1st Saturday Tours), Open Hours, Artist Happenings, the Virtual Collection (photo archive, Vimeo, Flickr), and access to the museum's multi-floor spaces including galleries, workshops, and living areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Collection A 60-year accumulation of material surplus from a former second-hand store, including approximately 10,000 articles of army surplus, 10,000 bolts of vintage fabric, 20,000 items of vintage clothing, 20,000 books, 2,000 dish-wares, 2,000 kitchen objects, tools, machinery, sewing items, toys, and ephemera, operated as a living archive for visitors, artists, and community members.
• Artist Residency Program A residency program inviting visual and performing artists from across the country and around the world to live and work within The Collection, creating site-specific work and reimagining their practice through access to the 60-year archive. The program has hosted over 1,000 resident artists across 120+ residency sessions since 2003.
• Public Tours and Events Regular public programming including 1st Saturday Tours of galleries and living spaces, Open Hours access to all three floors, Artist Happenings, and special events with member dinners, available to local visitors, tourists, and community members.
• Virtual Collection A free digital archive including a photo archive, Vimeo video collection, and Flickr photo documentation that records the collection and artist projects for online audiences worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ resident artists hosted since 2003
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Weaver AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt Everywhere was a pilot afterschool collaboration between Elsewhere and Weaver Academy, a local arts high school. Students explored public art concepts through lectures, discussions, and performative public projects.
• Greensboro Contemporary Jewish MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative Social Practice Institute & Residency partnership.
• Table 16 RestaurantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef Graham from Table 16 collaborated with Elsewherians on cooking events and feasts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pioneer Works: Artist-run cultural institution in Brooklyn that combines an artist residency, exhibitions, and community programming under one roof. Shares Elsewhere's DIY ethos, hybrid residency/museum model, and community-centered approach.
• Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: Artist residency and exhibition space in Omaha offering a year-long residency program and site-specific installations. Comparable residency model, scale, and focus on artist-driven experimental work.
• Headlands Center for the Arts: Artist residency program in Marin County, California, offering residencies in former military buildings. Comparable residency program structure, scale, and artist-driven curatorial approach.
• Museum of Jurassic Technology: Los Angeles-based museum presenting unusual, ambiguous collections in an immersive cabinet-of-curiosities format. Conceptually the closest peer to Elsewhere's experimental, wonder-cabinet approach to exhibiting accumulated objects.
• Yaddo: Historic artist residency in Saratoga Springs, NY, hosting hundreds of resident artists annually. Comparable residency program model and foundation-funded nonprofit structure.
• ISCP (International Studio & Curatorial Program): New York-based residency and curatorial program supporting international artists. Comparable residency model and nonprofit/funder-supported operations, though located in a different city.
• Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture: Prestigious nine-week artist residency program. Comparable core offering (artist residency) and similar reliance on foundation funding, though operating at a more established and recognized scale.
• The Watermill Center: Artist residency in a former industrial space on Long Island supporting site-specific installations and interdisciplinary collaboration. Shares Elsewhere's repurposed-space residency model and emphasis on process-driven art.
• Mattress Factory: Pittsburgh museum of contemporary art dedicated to site-specific installations created in residence. Comparable residency-driven installation model and experimental curatorial approach.

Broad incumbents

• Mass MoCA: Large contemporary art museum with an active residency program and long-duration installations. Operates at much greater scale and institutional maturity but shares the museum-plus-residency combination and large-scale installation focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/elsewheremuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elsewhere-living-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Elsewhere Living Museum and Artist Residency