What Monument Lab does

Monument Lab is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit public art, history, and design studio founded in 2012 that operates as a participatory platform for reimagining the United States monument landscape. The organization works with artists, students, activists, municipal agencies, and cultural institutions to advance what it describes as justice through reimagined monuments, with primary constituents including the Artists and Creatives, Students and Educators, Activists and Community Organizers, and Municipal Agencies and Cultural Institutions segments. Core programmatic products include the National Monument Audit (a comprehensive assessment of 50,000+ US monuments drawing on federal, state, local, tribal, institutional, and publicly assembled data sources), the Bulletin print journal (launched mid-2024, edited by Patricia Eunji Kim), the Future Memory podcast (46 episodes distributed across Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher), the Fellows Program, and a biennial Summit (2026 edition titled 'School of Monumaking').

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight: a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront for publications and merchandise, a basic augmented reality mobile application for exploring invisible city histories, a website built on a Nuxt-based framework, and third-party analytics and PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing. No proprietary AI/ML systems, APIs, or SDKs are disclosed; the National Monument Audit functions as a data aggregation and curation effort rather than an algorithmic pipeline.

Monument Lab is structured as a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit corporation incorporated in Pennsylvania, governed by a nine-member Board of Directors chaired by Tiffany Tavarez. Revenue derives from a concentrated base of foundation grants (with the Mellon Foundation as lead supporter and Director Paul Farber joining the Mellon board in February 2024), ticket sales from the Summit and ancillary events ($150-$300 per attendee across Student, General, and VIP tiers), Shopify-driven sales of publications and merchandise, and individual donations processed through Givebutter. Distribution combines direct digital channels (website, podcast platforms, social media, email newsletter), earned media in outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian, and Smithsonian, and in-person events at partner institutions including the National Mall, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Bryn Mawr College, and Historic Pennsbury Manor.

Name

Monument Lab

Legal name

Monument Lab

Website

https://monumentlab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Monument Lab is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit public art, history, and design studio founded in 2012 that works with artists, students, activists, and cultural institutions to reimagine US monuments through research, exhibitions, publications, and fellowships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Art & Cultural Research Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Public art studio
• Monument research
• Exhibition programs
• Public memory
• Cultural consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Monument Lab relies heavily on grants from foundations including Mellon Foundation, Forman Arts Initiative, The Hearthland Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Philadelphia Foundation, and Wagner Foundation. Individual donations are accepted via givebutter.com.
2. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from Summit registrations including General ($250), VIP ($300), Student/Educator/Artist ($150), and add-on tickets for Livestream and Promument events. Includes meals and networking sessions.
3. Publications and Merchandise: Sales of print journal 'Bulletin', exhibition newspapers, activity booklets, and merchandise through the Monument Lab Store (powered by Shopify).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Monument Lab is a nonprofit public art, history, and design studio that conducts research, produces exhibitions, and runs educational programs focused on reimagining monuments and public memory in the United States. Its core offerings include the National Monument Audit (a comprehensive assessment of 50,000+ U.S. monuments), the Bulletin print journal, the Future Memory podcast, a Fellows Program for artists and activists, and biennial Monument Lab Summits. The organization works with artists, students, activists, municipal agencies, and cultural institutions to develop participatory approaches to public engagement and collective memory.

Product overview

Monument Lab is a nonprofit public art, history, and design studio that operates as a platform offering multiple interconnected programs and publications. The core offerings include the National Monument Audit (a comprehensive assessment of US monuments), the Bulletin print journal, the Future Memory podcast, and a Fellows Program. Monument Lab produces a wide range of publications including exhibition guides, activity booklets, and exhibition newspapers documenting its projects. The organization also hosts the biennial Monument Lab Summit. These products and services work together to advance the organization's mission of reimagining monuments as places for belonging, learning, and healing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Future Memory: Monument Lab's podcast featuring conversations about the future of monuments and public memory.
• Bulletin

Products and services

• National Monument Audit Comprehensive U.S.-wide assessment of the monument landscape analyzing 50,000+ monuments drawn from federal, state, local, tribal, institutional, and publicly assembled sources. Aimed at informing public discourse on what, who, and how the nation chooses to commemorate.
• Bulletin Print Journal A public art and history print journal offering perspectives on critically reading and reimagining monuments, published in collaboration with artists, scholars, curators, activists, and writers. Available for purchase through the Monument Lab Shopify store.
• Future Memory Podcast Podcast featuring conversations about the future of monuments and the state of public memory in the U.S. and across the globe, distributed across Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
• Monument Lab Fellows Program Fellowship program that supports artists, scholars, and activists working on public art and memory projects, providing platforms and resources to engage with the organization's mission.
• 2026 Monument Lab Summit: School of Monumaking Biennial summit inviting artists, educators, activists, and cultural leaders to imagine monument-making as a living classroom through keynote conversations, creative sessions, workshops, film screenings, and networking events.
• Beyond Granite Exhibition (National Mall) Exhibition staging six temporary art installations on the National Mall representing underrepresented American histories, presented in partnership with the National Park Service and others.
• Exhibition Guides and Publication Catalog Catalog of printed publications including exhibition guides (e.g., Beyond Granite: Pulling Together, Declaration House, Staying Power), activity booklets, exhibition newspapers, and field trip publications documenting Monument Lab's projects between 2015 and 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• National Monument Audit analyzed over 50,000 monuments across the United States
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Pennsbury ManormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric site partner for nkwiluntàmën project featuring Nathan Young's sound installation exploring Lenape/Delaware presence and historical memory.
• Philadelphia Museum of ArtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative exhibition 'Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments' bringing the Rocky statue indoors for the first time, exploring how monuments become pilgrimage sites.
• Bryn Mawr CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARCH Project collaboration resulting in 'Don't Forget to Remember (Me)' monument in the Cloisters, honoring Black workers' legacy and generations of Black history.
• Village of Industry and Art (VIA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for the 2026 Monument Lab Summit 'School of Monumaking' at 320 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19102.
• Hyatt Centric Rittenhouse SquareminorOthersLead Hotel Partner for the 2026 Monument Lab Summit offering discounted rate of $215/night for attendees.
• Tulsa Artist FellowshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist fellowship program where Nathan Young was a fellow, connecting to Ryan Strand Greenberg who gave an artist talk that led to the Pennsbury Manor collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Creative Time: New York-based nonprofit that commissions ambitious public art projects in the public realm. Highly comparable mission of bringing art into civic life, similar nonprofit funding model, and analogous fellowship/artist-engagement programs.
• More Art: Nonprofit that commissions socially engaged public art projects addressing urgent social issues. Closely comparable in combining artistic practice with research, community engagement, and critical public programming.
• For Freedoms: Artist-founded organization focused on civic engagement, public art, and monuments. Directly comparable in addressing contested symbols and reimagining who is commemorated, with similar exhibition and convening formats.
• Project for Public Spaces: Nonprofit focused on reimagining public spaces and monuments through community engagement. Highly comparable participatory, place-based methodology and national convening model.
• Public Art Fund: New York-based nonprofit dedicated to public art projects in civic spaces. Comparable as a nonprofit producing temporary and permanent public art, with overlapping artist and partner network dynamics.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit focused on preservation of historic places, including monuments. Comparable in operating a national-scale preservation mission, running a fellowship-style network, and engaging communities around memory and place.

Emerging players

• The Laundromat Project: Nonprofit that supports community-based artists and public art projects addressing social justice. Comparable in being a community-rooted public art nonprofit with fellowships, neighborhood programming, and equity-centered mission.
• Wide Awakes: Artist- and civic-engagement collective producing public-facing art and activism projects. Comparable in operating at the intersection of art, civic discourse, and grassroots mobilization, though at smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• Philadelphia Museum of Art: Major art museum and direct exhibition partner on the 'Rising Up' project. Comparable as a large cultural institution engaging the public with monuments and public memory, though with much broader institutional scope.
• Smithsonian American Art Museum: National museum with public art and monuments programming. Comparable as a federal-scale cultural institution convening artists and the public around American memory and identity, though serving a much broader mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/monument-lab

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Monument Lab