Surrey Art Gallery Association

What Surrey Art Gallery Association does

Surrey Art Gallery Association (SAGA) is a non-profit society founded in 1984 and based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, operating as the dedicated auxiliary support organization for the municipally run Surrey Art Gallery. The association's stated mission is to raise funds and run programs that complement the gallery's offerings, with proceeds directed toward the gallery's exhibitions, publications, educational programs, permanent collection acquisitions, and the UrbanScreen digital art initiative. The organization serves two primary constituencies: general community art enthusiasts who engage with contemporary art, and local visual artists who receive funding support, exhibition opportunities, and access to retail channels.

SAGA's product set is built around four core offerings: a $10 annual "friend" membership that includes a monthly e-newsletter, gallery evites, shop and publication discounts, art rental access, the ability to apply as a shop artist, and AGM voting rights; the SAGA Shop, a small retail storefront inside Surrey Arts Centre selling handcrafted items on limited hours (Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons, plus select gallery and theatre events); an Art Rental Program available to members; and a Community Events program anchored by monthly Thursday Artist Talks and the annual Heart to Home Holiday Market. Distribution is exclusively physical and local, fronted by the Surrey Arts Centre front desk for membership sales and the on-site SAGA Shop for retail. Marketing runs through a monthly email newsletter, the sagabc.com website, and direct event-based engagement at the gallery.

The revenue model is a mix of subscription-style recurring membership fees, transactional retail income from the SAGA Shop, transaction-based income from the art rental scheme, and charitable contributions via fundraising. There is no proprietary technology platform, no app, no API, and no AI capability disclosed. SAGA operates with a small team of approximately 8 employees and no parent company, subsidiaries, or investor ownership structure, functioning as an independent membership-based association tied to a single municipal partner.

Name

Surrey Art Gallery Association

Legal name

Surrey Art Gallery Association

Website

https://sagabc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Surrey Art Gallery Association (SAGA) is a Surrey, BC-based non-profit society founded in 1984 that supports the municipal Surrey Art Gallery through fundraising, a $10 annual membership program, the SAGA Shop retail storefront, an art rental scheme, and community events for local artists and art enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Non-Profit Support Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Art Dealers (459920), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Non-profit arts association
• Art gallery support
• Membership programs
• Community arts events
• Art retail shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Surrey

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide recurring revenue with tiered benefits including newsletter access, gallery invites, program guides, and discounts at the SAGA Shop.
2. SAGA Shop Sales: The SAGA Shop at Surrey Arts Centre sells unique handcrafted items, generating revenue through retail transactions with 10% member discounts.
3. Art Rental Program: Members gain access to an art rental program, allowing them to rent artworks which generates additional revenue stream while supporting artists.
4. Fundraising: Proceeds from fundraising activities contribute to Surrey Art Gallery's exhibitions, publications, programs, and acquiring artworks for the permanent collection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Surrey Art Gallery Association (SAGA) is a non-profit society that supports Surrey Art Gallery through fundraising and complementary programs. It sells an annual $10 friend membership providing benefits such as newsletter access, art rental, shop and publication discounts, and AGM voting rights. SAGA also operates the SAGA Shop at Surrey Arts Centre, hosting community events such as monthly Thursday Artist Talks and the annual Heart to Home Holiday Market.

Product overview

Surrey Art Gallery Association operates as a non-profit society that supports Surrey Art Gallery through complementary programs. The core offerings include SAGA Membership (a $10 annual friend membership with benefits including newsletter, art rental access, and discounts), the SAGA Shop (a retail store at Surrey Arts Centre with unique crafted items), and a Community Events Program featuring monthly Artist Talks and the annual Heart to Home Holiday Market. SAGA also supports digital art initiatives including the UrbanScreen display and contributes to the gallery's exhibitions, publications, and permanent collection acquisition through fundraising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SAGA Shop: A retail shop located in Surrey Arts Centre offering a wide selection of unique and finely crafted items.

Products and services

• SAGA Friend Membership An annual $10 friend membership providing access to the monthly SAGA + Gallery e-newsletter, gallery evites, seasonal program guides, a 10% discount at the SAGA Shop, a 10% discount on Gallery publications, the ability to apply as a shop artist, and invitation and voting privileges at the Annual General Meeting.
• SAGA Shop A retail shop located in Surrey Arts Centre offering a wide selection of unique and finely crafted items. Open Thursday 3:30-7:30pm and Saturday 12:00-4:00pm, plus select Gallery and Theatre events. Members receive a 10% discount.
• Community Events Program A series of community events hosted by SAGA at Surrey Art Gallery, including monthly Thursday Artist Talks and the annual Heart to Home Holiday Market. These events engage art lovers, support local artists, and recruit new members.
• Art Rental Program A membership benefit allowing members to rent artworks, with proceeds supporting Surrey Art Gallery's exhibitions and programs.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Surrey Art GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA is the dedicated non-profit support organization for Surrey Art Gallery, raising funds and operating programs that complement the gallery since 1984. Proceeds from SAGA's fundraising contribute to the gallery's exhibitions, publications, programs, and acquiring artworks for the permanent collection. SAGA also supports the gallery's UrbanScreen digital art program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Membership: Global benchmark for paid art-museum membership programs with retail, exhibition access, and member events. Comparable revenue model (membership dues + retail shop + program access) executed at scale.
• Tate Members: Membership program for the UK's Tate gallery network. Same core model (membership tiers supporting a major art gallery's programming), but at vastly larger scale, providing a benchmark for what a mature gallery support program looks like.

Direct peers

• National Gallery of Canada Foundation: Philanthropic foundation supporting Canada's flagship national art museum. Comparable as a non-profit that channels member and donor funds into gallery programming and permanent collection acquisition.
• Contemporary Art Gallery Vancouver: Vancouver-based contemporary art gallery operating a membership and patron program that supports exhibitions and public programming. Directly comparable as a small-team BC art gallery support organization.
• Vancouver Art Gallery Association: Volunteer membership society supporting the Vancouver Art Gallery, the regional counterpart to SAGA. Mirrors SAGA's model of fundraising, membership programs, and event-based engagement for a British Columbia art gallery.
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection Foundation: Foundation that fundraises and runs membership for McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Ontario. Directly comparable as a non-profit support arm sustaining exhibitions and the permanent collection of a regional Canadian art gallery.
• Richmond Art Gallery Association: Volunteer-driven support society for the Richmond Art Gallery in Metro Vancouver. Closely mirrors SAGA's structure: a non-profit auxiliary fundraising for a municipal gallery and engaging local artists through events and exhibitions.

Regional players

• Burnaby Art Gallery: Municipal art gallery in adjacent Burnaby, BC, with its own membership and exhibition programming. Comparable as a regional BC art gallery competing for the same pool of Lower Mainland arts donors and visitors.

Emerging players

• Vancouver Biennale: Metro Vancouver public-art organization producing large-scale outdoor exhibitions with corporate and donor sponsorship. Comparable through its focus on contemporary public art and donor-funded programming in the BC region.

Others

• ArtsBC (BC Arts Council): Provincial arts funding body operating grant and capacity-building programs for BC arts organizations. Indirectly comparable as a key funder and ecosystem counterpart in the BC non-profit arts space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surrey-art-gallery-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Surrey Art Gallery Association