EXHIBIT ENVOY INC

What EXHIBIT ENVOY INC does

Exhibit Envoy Inc is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 73-1644833) founded in 1988 that develops and tours affordable traveling exhibitions to small and mid-sized cultural institutions across the United States. Originally established as the Rural Museums Consortium under the California Council for the Humanities, the organization became an independent 501(c)(3) in 2002 as California Exhibition Resources Alliance (CERA) and was rebranded to Exhibit Envoy in 2011. Over its operating history it has produced 90+ exhibitions spanning art, history, culture, and natural history — designed to fit the 500–2,000 sq ft galleries typical of community museums — and has placed those exhibitions with 250+ host venues (museums, libraries, cultural centers, nature centers, schools, and colleges), reaching 3 million+ visitors.

The organization's core offerings are ready-to-install physical traveling exhibitions rented for typical 8-week periods at fees of $350–$5,000+ plus shipping, and virtual/online exhibitions hosted on Exhibit Envoy's own servers for 6-week periods at $250 (Essentials tier) or $500 (All the Extras tier) with multi-institution co-hosting capability. Distribution is direct: hosts book via the website (exhibitenvoy.org) or by phone (415.525.1553), sign an Exhibition Rental Contract, and pay a 25% deposit. Physical-touring logistics are managed via Champagne Logistics (agent of STI), with banner shows shipping via FedEx or UPS. The organization also offers sliding-scale consulting services (starting at $100/hour) and a $350 'Getting Started with Exhibits' workshop, and accepts contributed revenue through an Annual Fund plus project grants (documented funders include California Humanities, the NPS Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program, and the Schmidt Family Foundation).

Operationally, Exhibit Envoy runs with approximately five staff led by Executive Director Amy Cohen (appointed September 2015; oversees the development and tours of 50+ exhibitions) and Exhibition & Communications Assistant Iliana Morton (Harvard Museum Studies). The organization is a content-and-service operation rather than a technology platform: there is no proprietary software, no API, no SDK, and no AI/ML components disclosed in the public record. Content is co-developed with flagship partners including the Smithsonian Institution, Oakland Museum of California, California Historical Society, California State Library, Fred T. Korematsu Institute, UC Merced Library, California Humanities, and the Center for American War Letters at Chapman University. Strategic priorities evidenced in the data include diversifying product mix (adding online exhibitions and consulting), broadening institutional partnerships for content development, and serving the small/medium-museum segment that larger traveling-exhibition companies do not economically address.

Name

EXHIBIT ENVOY INC

Legal name

Exhibit Envoy

Website

https://exhibitenvoy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Exhibit Envoy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that develops and tours affordable traveling art, history, culture, and natural history exhibitions to 250+ small and mid-sized museums, libraries, cultural centers, schools, and colleges across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traveling Exhibitions and Museum Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Traveling exhibitions
• Museum exhibition rentals
• Online exhibitions
• Museum consulting services
• Community museum programming

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Traveling Exhibition Rentals: Museums, libraries, and cultural institutions rent traveling exhibitions for 8-week periods (or 4 weeks and longer). Fees range from $350 to $5,000+ plus shipping. Typical 25% deposit required to secure booking.
2. Online Exhibition Hosting: Virtual exhibitions hosted on Exhibit Envoy servers, available for 6-week periods. Two price tiers: $500 for 'All the Extras' versions with audio/video components, or $250 for 'Essentials' versions with basic images and text.
3. Consulting Services: Professional services including exhibition development, project management, workshops, and consulting for museums and libraries. Sliding scale fees beginning at $100/hour based on organizational budget.
4. Workshop Fees: 2.5-hour 'Getting Started with Exhibits' workshop for community museum staff and volunteers. Fee is $350 per session.
5. Donations and Grants: 501(c)(3) nonprofit receives donations and project support from foundations and organizations. Tax ID# 73-1644833.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Exhibit Envoy develops and rents affordable, ready-to-install traveling exhibitions covering art, history, culture, and natural history to museums, libraries, cultural centers, schools, and colleges across the United States for typically 8-week rental periods at $350–$5,000+ per booking. It also hosts online exhibitions on its own servers for 6-week periods ($250 or $500 tiers) and provides consulting, workshops, and project management services to support community museum exhibition development.

Product overview

Exhibit Envoy provides two core offerings: physical traveling exhibitions (touring since 1988 to museums, libraries, and cultural centers across the U.S.) and online exhibitions (hosted on Exhibit Envoy's servers, branded for each host institution). The physical exhibitions range from $350 to $5,000+ and span art, history, culture, and natural history disciplines, with major exhibits including Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees (natural history), 'Am I An American or Am I Not?' (history), MONSTRAS (culture), Breakthrough in Black (art/history), Building a New Future (history), and An Age of Change (art/history). The online exhibitions are priced at $500 (All the Extras tier with audio/video) or $250 (Essentials tier) for 6-week hosting periods. Consulting services include a 'Getting Started with Exhibits' workshop ($350) and project management at sliding-scale rates ($100+/hour).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consulting Services Professional consulting and workshop services for museums and libraries, including exhibition development, project management, curatorial and interpretation services, basic exhibition design, registration, fabrication, and installation. Includes a 2.5-hour 'Getting Started with Exhibits' workshop for community museum staff and volunteers. Sliding scale fees begin at $100/hour based on organizational budget.
• Online Exhibitions (Essentials and All the Extras tiers) Virtual, ready-to-share online exhibits hosted on Exhibit Envoy's servers and available for 6-week rental periods. Two price tiers: 'All the Extras' ($500) with audio/video components, extra downloadable content, and activities; and 'Essentials' ($250) with basic images and text. Each exhibit is password-protectable and can be co-hosted by multiple institutions simultaneously with branded links.
• Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees A natural history traveling exhibition featuring 27 documentary photographs by John Whittlesey showcasing California's 25 bumble bee species, with text panels, diary panels, audio/video modules, and hands-on interactives. Size: 800–1,400 sq. ft. Rental fee: $2,000 + shipping for 8 weeks.
• "Am I An American or Am I Not?" Fred Korematsu Exhibition A two-version history exhibition developed with the Fred T. Korematsu Institute exploring WWII Japanese American incarceration and its parallels to modern injustices. Version A: 1,200–2,000 sq. ft., $3,000/8 weeks; Version B freestanding: 700–900 sq. ft., $1,000/8 weeks.
• MONSTRAS: Female Legends of Latin America A bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibition exploring 10 female Latin American monsters based on a podcast by Dr. Orquidea Morales and Brenda Salguero, featuring original commissioned artwork by three contemporary artists. Size: 650–850 sq. ft. Rental fee: $1,200 + shipping via FedEx.
• Breakthrough in Black: African American Cinema from the 1920s–1950s An exhibition featuring 30 colorful reproductions of race movie posters with bilingual text panels, exploring early African American cinema produced outside the Hollywood studio system. Size: 150–200 linear ft. Rental fee: $2,350 for 8 weeks.
• Building a New Future: Art and Activism in Farmworker Organizing An exhibition of 54 framed black-and-white photographs by George Ballis documenting farmworker organizing movements in California's Central Valley, developed by UC Merced Library. Size: 150 linear ft. Rental fee: $1,350/8 weeks.
• An Age of Change: The Works of American Photographer James Abbe, 1910–1950 An exhibition of 32 framed photographs by James Abbe chronicling American transformation from 1910–1950, featuring Hollywood stars, American icons, and WWII imagery. Size: 85–130 linear ft. Rental fee: $2,275 for 8 weeks.
• We Are Not Strangers Here: African American Histories in Rural California A freestanding banner exhibition of 7 banners (5'H x 7'W each) with a cell phone audio tour and 6-part podcast from Cal Ag Roots, exploring African American rural history in California. Size: 60 linear ft. Rental fee: $1,000 + shipping.
• War Comes Home: The Legacy An exhibition presenting private correspondence from veterans across U.S. conflicts, paired into five thematic sections exploring the experience of returning home from war. Size: 42' total linear feet. Rental fee: $1,000 + shipping.
• Wherever There's a Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California A freestanding banner exhibition of 13 text/photo banners (3' wide x 6.75' tall each) covering civil liberties struggles in California from the Gold Rush to the post-9/11 era. Size: 45 linear ft. Rental fee: $350 + shipping.
• Yosemite People An exhibition of 42 framed photographs by Jonas Kulikauskas capturing visitors, rangers, and workers at Yosemite National Park, with oral histories and historic photographs. Size: 1,000 sq. ft. Rental fee: $2,500 + shipping for 8 weeks. Available as both physical and online exhibition.
• Albatross: Life on the Wind and Sea A family-friendly online and physical exhibition exploring albatross biology, lifestyles, and conservation with colorful art and engaging text, available as 'All the Extras' ($500) online or as a physical traveling exhibit.
• Multiply by Six Million: Portraits and Stories of Holocaust Survivors A visually arresting online exhibition featuring portraits and personal stories of 38 Holocaust survivors by Evvy Eisen, with a 24-minute documentary and curriculum guide. Available as 'All the Extras' ($500) or as a physical traveling exhibition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million+ visitors have experienced traveling exhibitions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Smithsonian InstitutionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Smithsonian for exhibition collaboration and content development.
• Oakland Museum of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for exhibition collaboration and content development.
• California Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for exhibition collaboration.
• California State LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for exhibition collaboration and War Comes Home partnership.
• Heyday BookscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher partner for exhibition content development including Wherever There's a Fight publication.
• The Black CanoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts collective that originated Breakthrough in Black exhibition. The Black Canon Collection contains the work of historian James E. Wheeler.
• Fred T. Korematsu InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped 'Am I An American or Am I Not?' exhibition in partnership with the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, AGH Arts Strategies, with funding from NPS Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program.
• UC Merced LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped 'Building a New Future: Art and Activism in Farmworker Organizing' exhibition. UC Merced Library developed the exhibition and it tours through Exhibit Envoy.
• Gateway Science MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees exhibition with Gateway Science Museum.
• James Abbe ArchivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganized An Age of Change: The Works of American Photographer James Abbe exhibition with the James Abbe Archive, Jenny Abbe, and Julie Fry of Dot to Dot Consulting.
• California HumanitiesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for War Comes Home initiative. California Humanities aims to raise awareness of veterans and explore war's impact on communities.
• Center for American War Letters at Chapman UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSource of collection for War Comes Home exhibition. Curated by Andrew Carroll, Director of CAWL, and John Benitz of Chapman University.
• California Institute for Rural Studies (Cal Ag Roots Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Cal Ag Roots Project for We Are Not Strangers Here exhibition, supported by California Humanities and Schmidt Family Foundation.
• California African American MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for We Are Not Strangers Here exhibition through Susan Anderson of the museum.
• AGH Arts StrategiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with AGH Arts Strategies for Am I An American or Am I Not? exhibition development.
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided funding for Am I An American or Am I Not? exhibition as part of Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program.
• John F. Kennedy UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for museum studies and exhibition development, referenced in staff credentials and exhibition development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• California Humanities: California-based humanities council that funds and develops public humanities programming including exhibitions. Directly comparable as both a funder/source of grants and a producer of traveling exhibitions on California history and culture; also an active partner of Exhibit Envoy.
• Mid-America Arts Alliance: Regional arts organization that operates ExhibitsUSA, a touring exhibition program bringing curated shows to community venues. Most directly comparable peer in business model (renting affordable exhibitions to small/medium museums and libraries) and customer base, though regionally focused on the central U.S.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES): The Smithsonian's national traveling exhibition program develops and circulates exhibitions to museums across the U.S. Directly comparable service offering (touring exhibitions to host venues) but at much larger scale, with bigger budgets and institutional backing; serves the same host-venue customers as Exhibit Envoy.

Regional players

• Humanities New York: New York State humanities council that supports traveling exhibitions, public programs, and grants to cultural institutions. Comparable as a nonprofit exhibition-touring peer operating in a different state geography, with similar mission and small/medium museum audience.
• Minnesota Historical Society: Statewide historical society that develops and circulates traveling exhibitions on regional history. Comparable as an institution producing and lending exhibitions to smaller museums, schools, and libraries, primarily within a defined state geography.

Emerging players

• International Coalition of Sites of Conscience: Global network of historic sites, museums, and memory institutions developing exhibitions and programming on social justice themes. Comparable in mission alignment around underrepresented histories and human rights storytelling, though more network/advocacy focused than touring-exhibition operator.
• Indiana Historical Society: Statewide historical society that develops and circulates exhibitions on Indiana and American history. Comparable as a mid-sized institution producing traveling exhibitions for community museums, libraries, and cultural centers on a regional basis.

Others

• AASLH (American Association for State and Local History): Professional association serving state and local history organizations including museums and historical societies. Comparable as adjacent ecosystem player that supports small museums' exhibition capacity through training, resources, and a network similar to Exhibit Envoy's consulting/workshop services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/exhibitenvoy
• Instagraminstagram.com/exhibitenvoy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exhibit-envoy-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 EXHIBIT ENVOY INC