What Powerhouse Arts does

Powerhouse Arts (PHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit creative production center located in a Herzog & de Meuron–redesigned former power plant at 322 3rd Avenue in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The organization was founded in 2016 and opened to the public in May 2023. PHA operates four core fabrication shops — Ceramics (wheel-throwing, slip casting, firing, 3D ceramic printing, bespoke glazes), Print (screenprinting and a Digital Print Lab with UV and wide-format latex capabilities), Public Art (full lifecycle support from concept through installation and de-installation), and The Alpha Workshops (handmade wallpapers and textiles plus decorative-arts training for community members with disabilities). The platform-plus-services model is delivered through multi-disciplinary equipment and an in-house team of ~90+ staff including expert fabricators, curators, educators, and administrators.

PHA generates revenue through a hybrid nonprofit model: fee-for-service fabrication commissions for artists and institutions, recurring membership dues from two community studios (MGC Community Print Studio and Community Ceramics Studio), venue rentals of the building's column-free halls and salons for film/fashion/brand events, retail sales through the PHA Store (physical and online), tuition from classes and workshops, and tax-deductible donations plus grants from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The go-to-market motion is community-led, anchored by an Artist Subsidy Program and paid Artist-in-Residence program that subsidize qualifying NYC-based artists facing financial barriers.

PHA serves four primary segments: NYC-based emerging-to-mid-career artists (the lead segment), museums and cultural institutions (e.g., Cooper Hewitt, Queens Museum, The Shed, Times Square Arts, NYC AIDS Memorial, Smack Mellon), independent studio artists seeking membership access, and event renters from the film/fashion/brand industries. The organization expanded its public-facing surface in 2026 with The Ark, its first major exhibition space, signaling a strategic evolution toward consumer exhibitions alongside its B2B fabrication core.

Name

Powerhouse Arts

Legal name

Powerhouse Arts, Inc.

Website

https://powerhousearts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Powerhouse Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a multi-disciplinary fabrication facility in a Herzog & de Meuron–converted Brooklyn power plant, providing ceramics, print, public art, and textile fabrication services to NYC artists and cultural institutions, alongside membership studios, venue rentals, retail, and arts education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Fabrication Services

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

Keywords

• Art fabrication services
• Ceramics printmaking studios
• Public art fabrication
• Nonprofit arts center
• Creative arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fabrication Services: Fee-for-service fabrication work for artists on projects across ceramics, print, public art, and textiles. Artists and institutions pay for fabrication services, with subsidies available for qualifying NYC-based artists.
2. Membership Studios: Membership-based access to Community Ceramics Studio and MGC Community Print Studio for artists, providing recurring revenue through monthly or annual membership fees.
3. Venue Rentals: Rental of unique spaces including intimate salons and column-free halls for film, fashion, culture, and brand experiences. Proceeds support PHA's creative mission.
4. Retail Sales: Brick-and-mortar PHA Store featuring artworks fabricated at the facility, plus online store.
5. Classes and Workshops: Educational programming including classes and workshops for the community.
6. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and foundation grants supporting the nonprofit mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Powerhouse Arts is a nonprofit creative production center in Gowanus, Brooklyn, providing multi-disciplinary art fabrication services across ceramics, printmaking, public art, and textiles. It operates membership studios, an artist-in-residence program, classes and workshops, venue rentals, the PHA retail store, and The Ark public exhibition space, all housed in a converted century-old power plant redesigned by Herzog & de Meuron.

Product overview

Powerhouse Arts (PHA) is a not-for-profit creative production center in Gowanus, Brooklyn offering a platform-plus-services model. The organization provides core fabrication services through four distinct shops: Ceramics (wheel-throwing, slip casting, 3D printing, bespoke glazes), Print (screenprinting at non-traditional scales), Public Art (full project lifecycle support), and The Alpha Workshops (handmade wallpapers and textiles with disability training). These core offerings are complemented by Artist-in-Residence and Artist Subsidy programs supporting NYC-based artists, plus membership studios (MGC Community Print Studio and Community Ceramics Studio) for independent practitioners. Additional services include venue rentals, classes and workshops, The Ark exhibition space, and the PHA Store retail operation. Every program, rental, and partnership helps fund PHA's creative mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ceramics Fabrication Full-service ceramics fabrication offering wheel-throwing, slip casting, firing, 3D ceramic printing, and bespoke glazes at various scales, guided by expert fabricators. Targeted at artists and cultural institutions requiring sculpture production.
• Print Fabrication Screenprinting services with capacity for non-traditional and technically ambitious media printed at scales larger than typically feasible, including a digital print lab with wide-format latex and UV printing. Targeted at artists, galleries, and museums requiring limited editions and large-scale prints.
• Public Art Fabrication Comprehensive support for public art projects from early-stage conception and design through fabrication, assembly, installation, maintenance, cleaning, and de-installation. Serves museums, cultural institutions, and city agencies commissioning public artworks.
• The Alpha Workshops Fabrication shop producing handmade wallpapers and handwoven/hand-dyed textiles, combined with decorative arts training for community members with visible or invisible disabilities. Targets designers, architects, and interior projects requiring bespoke decorative surfaces.
• Artist-in-Residence Program Paid six-month residency supporting emerging to mid-career NYC-based artists working in print, ceramics, public art, and textiles to develop new fabrication-driven work. Targeted at artists seeking financial support and facility access.
• MGC Community Print Studio Membership-based studio providing affordable, inclusive professional space for printmakers at all stages of development, supplemented by classes, fellowships, and exhibitions. Targets printmakers seeking studio access and community.
• Community Ceramics Studio Membership studio with robust facilities and resources for experienced ceramics artists, featuring staff guidance and communal knowledge-sharing in a safe environment. Targeted at professional and emerging ceramics artists.
• Venue Rentals Rental of unique spaces including intimate salons and column-free halls for film, fashion, culture, and brand experiences, with proceeds supporting PHA's creative mission. Targets production companies, fashion brands, and cultural organizations.
• Classes & Workshops Educational programming offering hands-on learning opportunities in fabrication techniques across print, ceramics, and textiles. Targeted at community members and learners interested in art fabrication skills.
• The Ark Exhibition Space Major public exhibition space hosting sweeping group exhibitions, beginning with 'What is Wild is Sacred.' Targeted at art audiences and visitors seeking curated exhibitions.
• PHA Store Brick-and-mortar and online retail store featuring artworks crafted through PHA's fabrication facilities and a vibrant interdisciplinary artist community. Targeted at consumers purchasing art and design objects.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Herzog & de MeuroncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2023Swiss architecture firm that designed the adaptive reuse of the century-old power plant into Powerhouse Arts. The landmark conversion project transformed the historic Gowanus building into a creative production center.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MASS MoCA: Massachusetts-based nonprofit contemporary art museum with large-scale fabrication facilities, artist residencies, and long-duration exhibitions in a converted industrial building; closest analog to PHA's industrial-reuse-plus-fabrication-plus-exhibition model.
• Fabric Workshop and Museum: Philadelphia-based nonprofit that collaborates with artists to produce handcrafted works in experimental materials; offers residency and exhibition programs similar to PHA's fabrication-plus-exhibition model.
• Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC): NYC nonprofit providing artist residencies, workspace, and grants; comparable artist-services mission serving the NYC creative community.
• Haystack Mountain School of Crafts: Maine nonprofit craft school offering residencies, workshops, and fabrication studios across ceramics, print, textiles, and wood; comparable multi-discipline education-plus-fabrication nonprofit.
• International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP): Brooklyn-based nonprofit offering international artist residencies and studio programs; directly comparable in providing subsidized workspace to NYC artists.
• Socrates Sculpture Park: Long Island City outdoor sculpture fabrication park with public art commissions, residency, and exhibitions; directly comparable to PHA's public art fabrication lifecycle services.
• Dieu Donné: NYC nonprofit papermaking studio and workspace offering artist residencies, fabrication services, and exhibitions; directly comparable to PHA's print and ceramics fabrication programs.
• Penland School of Craft: North Carolina nonprofit craft education center with studios and residency programs; parallels PHA's studio-membership and workshop programming across multiple craft disciplines.
• UrbanGlass: Brooklyn-based nonprofit glass fabrication center with artist residencies, education programs, and a retail gallery; highly comparable material-disciplines-plus-community model.

Regional players

• The Drawing Center: NYC nonprofit exhibition and education space focused on drawing as a fine art; overlapping NYC nonprofit arts-and-education audience and donor base with PHA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/powerhouse-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Powerhouse Arts