Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke

What Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke does

The Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke (MBAS) is a registered Canadian non-profit art museum and charitable organization founded in 1982 in Sherbrooke, Quebec. It operates as the principal institution for preserving and disseminating visual art in Quebec's Eastern Townships region, maintaining a permanent collection of nearly 4,800 works by more than 850 artists, with emphasis on regional Quebec creators. The museum is housed in the former Eastern Townships Bank building (built 1874-1876 in Second Empire style, donated by the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1994 for one dollar and renovated by the museum before opening on site in 1996) and was accredited by Quebec's Ministry of Culture and Communications in 1990, receiving formal official museum certification in 2019.

Name

Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke

Legal name

Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke

Website

https://mbas.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Visual arts museum
• Art exhibitions
• Educational programming
• Cultural mediation
• Heritage preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Sherbrooke

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Admission tickets: Revenue from ticket sales for museum admission, with tiered pricing for adults, seniors, students, children, and families.
2. Membership subscriptions: Annual and biennial membership fees providing free admission, VIP pre-opening visits, discounted activities, voting rights, and partner benefits. Membership tiers include Membre+1, Adulte, Aîné, Étudiant, Famille, Famille+, and Corporatif.
3. Donations and charitable contributions: The museum is a registered charitable organization that accepts financial donations, including major cultural donations over $5,000 with specific tax measures. Donations generate tax receipts for donors.
4. Fundraising events: Major benefit events including Martini au Musée (annual cocktail evening with auctions, tickets from $125, tax receipts of $80+) and Soirée des beaux-arts annual art auction (single ticket $200, table of 8 for $1,500).
5. Museum boutique: On-site boutique selling Quebec artisan products including ceramic jewelry, hand-painted jewelry, ceramic tableware, baby bibs, flower jewelry, cards, posters, hot water bottles, games, screen prints, decorative plush toys, plus gift certificates, artworks, greeting cards, and catalogs.
6. Educational programs and activities: Revenue from school group visits, creative workshops, corporate team-building activities, day camp programs, and childcare service workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke operates as a non-profit visual arts museum, presenting temporary and permanent exhibitions drawn from a collection of nearly 4,800 works by more than 850 artists, and delivering educational programs, cultural mediation activities, and community events. It sells admission tickets, memberships, and on-site boutique products, and supplements revenue through charitable donations, fundraising events, and government grants.

Product overview

The Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke is a visual arts museum providing a unified experience centered on exhibitions, education, and community engagement. Its core offerings include temporary exhibitions and the permanent exhibition 'Couleurs Manifestes', supplemented by educational programs for schools (preschool to post-secondary), mediation activities (narrated tours, creative workshops, Art Hive, Soirée Soif d'Expression), membership and donation programs, annual benefit events (Soirée des Beaux-Arts art auction, Martini au Musée), a boutique, and the Urban Walking Tour. The museum's collection comprises nearly 4,800 works by over 850 artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibitions Program Rotating program of temporary exhibitions featuring regional, national, and international artists, including retrospectives of iconic Quebec artists, for general public visitors and art enthusiasts.
• Couleurs Manifestes (Permanent Exhibition) Permanent exhibition celebrating the evocative power of color through approximately 50 works from the museum's collection, featuring artists such as Serge Lemoyne, André Fournelle, Peter Krausz, and Armand Vaillancourt, for general public visitors.
• School Group Visits and Educational Programs Educational programs for preschool through post-secondary students including guided tours and creative workshops aligned with Quebec school curricula, developed by museum education experts.
• Mediation Activities Cultural mediation activities including narrated tours, group visits, Soirée Soif d'Expression (creative evenings with wine), creative workshops, Art Hive sessions, and family activities for visitors and groups.
• Membership Program Annual and biennial memberships offering free admission, VIP pre-opening visits, reduced rates for activities, voting rights, and partner discounts at museums across Quebec, for individual supporters and corporate members.
• Donation Program Financial donation program allowing donors to receive tax receipts, supporting the museum as a recognized charitable organization.
• Soirée des Beaux-Arts (Annual Art Auction) Annual benefit art auction held at the Granada Theatre raising funds for the museum's mission, featuring live auctions and artist participation, with over 30 years of history.
• Martini au Musée Annual benefit event featuring cocktails, appetizers, silent auctions, and live music, with proceeds supporting exhibitions, collection development, and educational activities.
• Museum Boutique On-site shop featuring Quebec artisan creations including ceramic jewelry, hand-painted items, textile crafts, cards, posters, and museum merchandise, open during museum hours.
• Urban Walking Tour (Randonnée urbaine) Podcast-based cultural walking tour in partnership with Mhist and Musée de la Nature et des Sciences, covering 4.06 km of downtown Sherbrooke with 15 points of artistic and historical interest, available on BaladoDécouverte app and web.
• KESAR Creation Grant Annual $12,000 grant for professional visual artists from visible minorities, awarded through a jury selection process, with recipients participating in creative residencies at Jardins Racine Art Centre and culminating in a 2028 collective exhibition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $180,000 raised at Soirée des beaux-arts 2026 with 130 participants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major, core and minor.

• SherwebflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026Official presenting partner of the Soirée des beaux-arts 2026, with Caroline Grégoire Cassar serving as honorary president. Raised over $180,000 for the museum's mission.
• Angus (Mécène sponsor)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026Mécène-level sponsor of the Soirée des beaux-arts 2026, a significant benefactor designation.
• American BiltriteflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Presenting sponsor of Martini au Musée 2025 and 2024 events (16th and 15th editions), with prominent logo placement on event materials.
• DesjardinsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor sponsor presenting Art Hive programming; d15-desjardins-logo featured as Art Hive sponsor for eight consecutive years.
• QuébecormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor sponsor of the museum with prominent logo placement on sponsor sections.
• Musée de la nature et des sciences de Sherbrooke (Museum of Nature and Science)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore museum partner in the Museum Quarter collaboration, jointly presenting the Urban Walking Tour podcast (4.06 km route) and Passeport Quartier des Musées.
• Musée d'histoire de Sherbrooke (Mhist)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore museum partner in the Museum Quarter collaboration, jointly presenting the Urban Walking Tour podcast and Passeport Quartier des Musées.
• Destination SherbrookemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism organization collaborating on the Parcours Photo Sherbrooke exhibition, a major cultural and tourism event.
• Jacques-Cartier Arts and Culture CommitteemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural committee collaborating on the Parcours Photo Sherbrooke exhibition and urban art initiatives.
• Club photo de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke Photo Club)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography club collaborating on the Parcours Photo Sherbrooke exhibition, supporting regional photographers.
• La Centrale Métiers d'art (formerly CMAQE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional arts and crafts association presenting the Espace Dialogue gallery exhibition-sale at the museum featuring seven regional craft artists.
• Jardins Racine Art CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative residency space for KESAR Creation Grant recipients, fostering inspiration, collaboration, and shared narrative among visible minority artists.
• Théâtre GranadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric Sherbrooke theater hosting the annual Soirée des beaux-arts art auction event, providing the venue for major fundraising.
• Tourisme Cantons-de-l'EstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional tourism organization promoting cultural tourism to the museum and Eastern Townships region.
• Musée d'art contemporain de Baie-Saint-PaulmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner museum lending the Fables exhibition (Chagall and Wainio) for circulation, expanding exhibition offerings.
• Gîtes MemphrémagogminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInn network offering Couette & Museum special (20% off regular adult admission) to their guests, expanding reach to overnight tourists.
• Marché ProspectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner supporting the Soirée Soif d'expression creative evening programming.
• SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partner for Soirée des beaux-arts events, providing beverage service for the benefit auction.
• Strøm Spa Nordique SherbrookeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpa partner offering exclusive member discounts via MBAS member newsletter, providing additional member benefits.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Musée de la civilisation: Quebec City museum with rotating exhibitions and educational programming, government-supported and recognized as a Quebec cultural institution. Comparable as a Quebec-based accredited museum with educational outreach, though focused on civilization/social history rather than fine art.

Direct peers

• Musée d'art de Joliette: Regional Quebec art museum holding a substantial Quebec art collection with comparable permanent and temporary exhibitions. Direct peer in scale and mission: a non-metropolitan Quebec art institution with a significant permanent collection, educational programming, and government accreditation.
• Beaverbrook Art Gallery: Regional Canadian art museum in Fredericton, New Brunswick, with a permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and educational programming. Comparable as a Canadian regional art museum of similar institutional scale, mission, and reliance on government and donor support.
• Musée d'art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul: Regional Quebec art museum that also lends exhibitions to the MBAS (Fables/Chagall-Wainio). Comparable as a regional-scale Quebec art museum focused on contemporary and modern Quebec art, with touring exhibition capability and government recognition.

Broad incumbents

• National Gallery of Canada: Canada's national art museum in Ottawa, with a major permanent collection and federally funded operations. Comparable as the apex Canadian art museum with educational programming, though orders of magnitude larger and federally supported.
• Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ): Quebec's principal provincial art museum in Quebec City, operating exhibitions, educational programs, and a permanent collection across historical and contemporary Quebec art. Comparable as a Quebec-anchored fine arts institution with similar mission and audience, though materially larger and government-affiliated.
• Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO): Major Canadian art museum in Toronto with a deep permanent collection, educational programming, and membership-driven revenue. Comparable in operating model (permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, memberships, education), though much larger and located in a major metropolitan market.
• Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC): Montreal-based contemporary art museum with exhibitions, educational programming, and government recognition. Comparable as a Quebec contemporary art institution with overlapping curatorial scope and reliance on public funding, though specialized in contemporary work.
• Musée McCord Stewart: Montreal museum with a large historical and visual arts collection, educational programs, and government-supported operating model. Comparable in curatorial depth and educational outreach, though focused on social history rather than fine arts.
• Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (MBAM): Montreal's largest art museum, holding over 41,000 works with educational programming, member-based revenue, and government funding. Directly comparable in core activity (visual art museum with permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, memberships, education) and serves as the dominant Quebec art institution the MBAS is differentiated against.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MBASherbrooke
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCizfj7z2R86jBZw7sKE6j9A/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/MBASherbrooke
• Instagraminstagram.com/mbasherbrooke
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mus%C3%A9e-des-beaux-arts-de-sherbrooke

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke