MARK ALLEN

What MARK ALLEN does

Mark Allen is a Los Angeles-based artist, educator, and curator whose portfolio website (markallen.com) showcases original artwork, publications, and collaborative projects. He is the founder and executive director of Machine Project, an arts organization that has produced over 1,500 events, workshops, and installations. Allen holds an MFA in Visual Art from the California Institute of the Arts, serves as Associate Professor of Art at Pomona College, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The portfolio is organized into four content sections: Prints and Posters, Drawings, Texts (PDF publications such as 'The Curiosity Effect' and 'Notes Toward Socratic Gardening'), and Collaborations with other artists including Gray Wielebinski, Emily Joyce, Paul Morgan, and Becca Lofchie.

The underlying "technology" is visual art production across multiple mediums—prints, drawings, silkscreened and CMYK-process collaborative collages, artist books, and sewn merchandise (tote bags produced by Davis Menard). Product offerings are physical art objects and downloadable PDFs rather than software or digital platforms. Distribution occurs through direct-to-consumer channels: the markallen.com portfolio site, the Machine Project online store (store.machineproject.com), and gallery exhibitions (e.g., Inman Gallery in Houston, Texas).

The business model is one-time sale of original artwork, prints, posters, drawings, books, and merchandise to individual art collectors and enthusiasts. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Revenue also derives from Machine Project's event and workshop programming. The entity is structured as an individual artist practice rather than a registered commercial company; there is no evidence of incorporation, outside funding, or parent/subsidiary structure.

Name

MARK ALLEN

Legal name

Mark Allen

Website

https://markallen.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mark Allen is a Los Angeles-based artist, educator, and curator who sells original artwork, prints, drawings, books, and collaborative art projects directly to individual collectors via his portfolio site and the Machine Project online store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Fine Art

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Branded Merchandise & Corporate Gifts (BPAFAMAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary fine art
• Original prints and posters
• Artist books
• Art collaborations
• Curatorial art events

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Art Sales: Sale of original artwork including prints, posters, drawings, and collaborative pieces. Sold directly through website and online store.
2. Books and Publications: Sale of artist books such as 'Two Parrots' through Machine Project store.
3. Event Production: Production of events, workshops, and installations through Machine Project organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Mark Allen produces and sells original contemporary artwork directly to consumers, including limited-edition prints and posters, original drawings, downloadable written texts/publications, artist books, tote bags, and collaborative art pieces with other artists. Distribution is via his personal portfolio website (markallen.com) and the Machine Project online store, supplemented by gallery exhibitions.

Product overview

Mark Allen operates as an independent artist and curator offering original artwork, publications, and collaborative art projects. The portfolio consists of prints and posters, original drawings, written texts/publications, and various collaborative works including books, merchandise (tote bags), and limited-edition art collaborations with other artists. The offerings are primarily physical art objects and downloadable publications rather than a software platform or digital product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prints and Posters Original prints and poster artworks created by Mark Allen, available for viewing on his portfolio website for individual art collectors and enthusiasts.
• Drawings Original drawing artworks including portraits, landscapes, and conceptual pieces created between 2014 and 2015, presented as a portfolio on the artist's website for collectors.
• Texts Written works and publications by Mark Allen, including 'The Curiosity Effect', 'Notes Toward Socratic Gardening', and 'How To Make an Interactive Work of Art, For Beginners', distributed as PDF downloads from the artist's website.
• Two Parrots A book of drawings by Mark Allen with patterns and design by Becca Lofchie, published in September 2015 and sold through the Machine Project online store.
• Mark Allen Tote Bags Tote bags featuring Mark Allen's 'bad paintings', sewn by collaborator Davis Menard as part of the collaborations series and sold to consumers.
• Zentai Suit Layout Collaborative collage design by Mark Allen and Gray Wielebinski (June 2015), used as a fabric pattern for manufactured items including baseball hats, kimonos, leggings, and full-bodied Zentai suits.
• Puttin' on the Ritz Collaborative art series with Emily Joyce, shown at Inman Gallery in Houston, Texas, featuring silkscreened prints and colored pencils on bristol board (18" x 18", 2015).
• Mark Allen and Paul Morgan Collaboration Limited-edition collaborative collage process printed CMYK on Domtar Cougar 100 lb cover, edition size 20, 26" x 40", produced by Mark Allen with master printer Paul Morgan of San Francisco.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Davis MenardminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Tote bag production - tote bags sewn by Davis Menard.
• Becca LofchieminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2015Book of drawings 'Two Parrots' by Mark Allen with patterns and design by Becca Lofchie.
• Paul MorganminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2015Collaborative collage from San Francisco, master printer. Process printed CMYK on Domtar Cougar 100 lb cover. Edition size 20, 26" x 40".
• Gray WielebinskiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2015Collaborative design partnership creating fabric patterns used for manufacturing baseball hats, kimonos, leggings, and Zentai Suits. Collaborative collage work produced in June 2015.
• Emily JoyceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Collaboration as part of the 'Puttin' on the Ritz' series, shown at Inman Gallery in Houston, Texas.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• David Zwirner: David Zwirner is a major global gallery representing contemporary artists and selling original works, prints, and editions through gallery and online channels. It is comparable as an incumbent that markets and distributes contemporary artists' prints and editions to a collector base similar to Mark Allen's.
• Hauser & Wirth: Hauser & Wirth is a global gallery representing contemporary artists and managing editions, prints, and publications. It is a broad incumbent comparable to the gallery-distribution channel (e.g., Inman Gallery) through which Mark Allen's collaborative works are exhibited and sold.

Emerging players

• Saatchi Art: Saatchi Art is an online marketplace selling original artwork, prints, and limited editions directly to consumers globally. It is comparable to Mark Allen's direct-to-consumer model of selling original art and prints through his own website, though at vastly greater scale.
• Artsy: Artsy is an online platform connecting collectors with galleries and original artwork, including editions and prints. It functions as a comparable digital distribution channel for the kind of limited-edition prints and collaborative works Mark Allen produces and sells through galleries like Inman.
• Etsy: Etsy is a marketplace that sells handmade and artist-produced merchandise including prints, books, and tote bags. It is a comparable direct-to-consumer channel for the kind of limited-run artist's books and custom-sewn tote bags that Mark Allen sells through his own site.
• Editions / EwingCole Press: Small-batch fine art print publishers and editioning houses that produce limited-edition prints for artists (silkscreens, CMYK process prints, etc.) are comparable to the production role Paul Morgan played in Mark Allen's 26"x40" CMYK collaborative collage, edition size 20.

Direct peers

• Machine Project: Machine Project is the Los Angeles-based artist-run organization founded by Mark Allen that produces the events, workshops, and installations listed in this profile. It is the operating entity through which most of his programming and book sales are executed, making it the central comparable for the curatorial/programming side of the business.
• Printed Matter, Inc. Printed Matter is a leading non-profit bookstore and publisher dedicated to artists' books and editions - directly comparable to Mark Allen's publishing of the 'Two Parrots' artist book and his practice of producing limited-edition printed works.

Others

• The Arts Board (Andy Warhol Foundation-adjacent artist platforms): The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, on whose board Mark Allen serves, supports alternative and artist-run spaces - making foundation-adjacent artist organizations and recipients (e.g., similar artist-run spaces) thematically comparable as the institutional ecosystem in which this entity operates.

Regional players

• Inman Gallery: Inman Gallery is a Houston, Texas-based contemporary art gallery that exhibited Mark Allen's Puttin' on the Ritz series with Emily Joyce. It is directly comparable as a regional gallery channel that distributes a contemporary artist's prints and collaborative editions to collectors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mark-allen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MARK ALLEN