Tides Institute & Museum of Art

What Tides Institute & Museum of Art does

The Tides Institute & Museum of Art (TIMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution founded in 2002 and headquartered in Eastport, Maine, on the U.S./Canada border on traditional Passamaquoddy homelands. TIMA operates as a museum, cultural anchor, and steward of 12 cultural places including 9 historic buildings dating from 1819-1942, four of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Core programmatic offerings include curated collections (over 8,000 online records spanning paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, Wabanaki basketry, ship models, and 5,000+ library volumes), rotating exhibitions, the StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program (119+ artists from 28 states and 9 countries since 2013), the Hand Line Press letterpress publishing imprint, the ArtLink educational initiative distributed to Washington County schools, and the Artsipelago cross-border cultural guide covering 20 communities.

Underlying technology is primarily non-digital: a letterpress studio with a Vandercook Number 4 proofing press and etching presses, a custom 1961 Schlicker chamber organ installed in the North Church Project Space, and digital infrastructure limited to an online collections database, virtual exhibition resources, and an e-commerce museum shop. Business model is diversified across donations and an annual fund, tiered memberships ranging from $15 Student/Senior to $1,000 Benefactor (Audubon Circle), museum shop sales, $3,000-per-month artist residency sponsorships, $20 event tickets, and major project-restricted grants from ArtPlace, NEH, and Congressional Directed Spending. Admission to the museum is free, and the organization is governed by a board of trustees and operates with a small professional staff of approximately 5 led by Director Hugh French.

Name

Tides Institute & Museum of Art

Legal name

Quoddy Tides Foundation

Website

https://tidesinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tides Institute & Museum of Art is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 in Eastport, Maine, stewarding historic buildings, art collections, and an artist residency program serving the eastern Maine region's communities, schools, and cross-border cultural audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums (71211), Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAA

Art Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAJADAJ

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAKAOAK

Culture, Heritage & Arts Itinerary Planning

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Custom Itinerary Planning Services

SECONDARYTHAJAAAC

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Guided Tours (City, Cultural & Historical)

Keywords

• Museum collections
• Artist residency programs
• Arts education
• Cultural preservation
• Exhibition programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership program with multiple tiers ranging from Student/Senior ($15) to Benefactor ($1,000). Individuals contributing $1,000 or more become part of TIMA's Audubon Circle. Supports ongoing annual operations including exhibitions, collections and educational outreach.
2. Donations and Annual Fund: Tax-deductible charitable contributions to support TIMA's mission. Legal entity is Quoddy Tides Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 01-6046843). Canadian donors can receive charitable donation tax credit through the Council for Canadian American Relations.
3. Museum Shop Sales: Physical and online gift shop offering merchandise. Accessible online and in person during gallery hours.
4. Artist Residency Sponsorships: Opportunity for individuals to sponsor one artist-in-residence for one month at $3,000, with sponsor name attached.
5. Grants and Capital Campaign Funding: Major grants including $400,000 NEH Challenge Grant (2023), $2 million Congressional Directed Spending grant (2026), and previous ArtPlace awards ($250,000 in 2012, $150,000 in 2014). Rising Tides Campaign targeting $6.5+ million for Masonic Hall redevelopment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Tides Institute & Museum of Art (TIMA) operates as a cultural institution that stewards an extensive art, architecture, and history collection of the northeast U.S./Canada coast, presents rotating exhibitions, runs the StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program, delivers educational outreach through ArtLink materials, publishes the Artsipelago regional cultural guide and Hand Line Press letterpress posters, and preserves nine historic buildings (four listed on the National Register of Historic Places) in downtown Eastport, Maine on the U.S./Canada border.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Artsipelago: Annual cultural guide (print and online) to the greater Passamaquoddy border region covering 20 adjacent communities in the U.S. and Canada, launched in 2012
• StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program
• Hand Line Press
• ArtLink

Products and services

• StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program A residency program offering private studios, common work areas, a ground-floor printmaking and letterpress studio (Nina Bohlen Studio), and housing to visual artists from the U.S. and abroad to develop their practice within a community and regional setting on the U.S./Canada border. Open to artists at any stage, with individual artists-in-residence available for monthly sponsorship at $3,000.
• TIMA Online Collections Database Publicly searchable digital database of over 8,000 cultural collection records spanning art, architecture, and history of the northeast U.S./Canada coast, accessible online at tidesinstitute.org/the-tides-institutes-online-collections/.
• Exhibitions and Public Programs Rotating and special exhibitions in TIMA galleries complemented by performances, public talks, workshops, and community events. Free admission to galleries Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm.
• ArtLink Education Programs Place-based educational programs and materials for schools, students, and educators, including ArtLink poster sets and ABC Picture and Vocabulary Cards, hands-on projects, school field trips, pre- and post-visit sessions, and visual thinking strategies in the galleries.
• Hand Line Press TIMA's letterpress publishing imprint that produces place-based posters and printed materials, using a Vandercook Number 4 proofing press, etching presses, and custom-built equipment at the Nina Bohlen Studio.
• Artsipelago Cultural Guide Annual print and online cultural guide covering arts, culture, and heritage offerings across 20 communities in the greater Passamaquoddy border region of the U.S. and Canada.
• TIMA Museum Membership Annual membership program with tiered dues providing ongoing support for TIMA operations, with recognition levels for higher-tier contributors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 119 artists from 28 states and 9 countries have participated in StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program since 2013
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Maine PreservationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Jane's Walk Maine 2026 (65+ walks statewide) is organized under the leadership of Maine Preservation. TIMA hosts a Jane's Walk at Hillside Cemetery in Eastport.
• Cobscook ShorescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCobscook Shores provided sponsorship for the Parker String Quartet performance at North Church on August 8, 2026. TIMA's North Church performances are made possible through community support from organizations like Cobscook Shores.
• Council for Canadian American RelationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIMA is the only institution in Maine approved as a cultural partner beneficiary of the Council for Canadian American Relations based in New York City. Canadian donors can receive charitable donation tax credit through the Council for filings with Revenue Canada.
• Machado Silvetti (Boston)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAward-winning Boston-based architect firm developing designs and construction drawings for Masonic Hall redevelopment. Firm has worked on Getty Villa Museum, Ringling Museum of Art, and Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
• Buro Happold (New York City)coreTechnology or IntegrationEngineering firm working with Machado Silvetti on designs and plans for Masonic Hall. Developing construction drawings for exterior brick restoration, new roof, and substantial mechanical systems.
• Res Artis Worldwide Network of Artist ResidenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIMA / StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program is a member of this worldwide network of artist residencies, connecting the program internationally with other residency opportunities.
• Artist Communities AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIMA / StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program is a member of Artist Communities Alliance, supporting artist residency professionals and programs.
• New England Museum AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIMA is a member of the New England Museum Association, connecting with regional museum professionals and institutions.
• Maine Archives and MuseumsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIMA is a member of Maine Archives and Museums, connecting with regional cultural institutions in Maine.
• Maine Historic Preservation CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIMA is working with Maine Historic Preservation Commission on the Proposed Eastport Central Neighborhood Historic District nomination. Expected to take two more years of work before district nomination is made.
• Kiel Moe (Architect)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLeading world authority on energy efficient structures contributed pro bono design for StudioWorks as a downtown energy efficiency demonstration model. Now Gerald Sheff Chair of Architecture at McGill University.
• Maine Senators Susan Collins and Angus KingminorOthersMaine's U.S. Senators expressed support for TIMA's NEH Challenge Grant award, citing Washington County's cultural heritage and TIMA's work to share the region's cultural legacy.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mass MoCA: Large contemporary art museum in a converted industrial complex in North Adams, MA. Comparable as a transformed-historic-building cultural institution that drives regional economic revitalization in a rural area.
• Peabody Essex Museum: Major New England art and culture museum in Salem, MA with extensive collections and historic building campus. Comparable as a New England museum with multi-building campus, significant collections, and educational programming.

Direct peers

• Haystack Mountain School of Crafts: Maine-based craft and arts residency and education program. Comparable as a Maine-based artist residency in a coastal/rural setting with strong educational programming and historic facilities.
• Salt Institute for Documentary Studies: Former Maine-based documentary studies program with shared heritage to TIMA's regional programming. Listed in TIMA's product portfolio as a sub-brand, indicating a programmatic relationship in documentary storytelling and visual arts education.
• Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture: Highly regarded residency program in Maine serving artists from across the U.S. and internationally. Directly comparable as a Maine-based artist residency program with international reach and community-engaged programming.
• Yaddo: Historic artist residency in Saratoga Springs, NY hosting artists of all disciplines. Directly comparable as a long-running, internationally recognized artist-in-residence program operating in historic buildings with international recruitment.
• Maine Historical Society: Statewide historical society in Portland, Maine operating museum, library, and historic houses. Comparable as a Maine heritage institution with collections, educational programs, and historic building stewardship.
• Penobscot Marine Museum: Maritime heritage museum in Searsport, Maine stewarding multiple historic buildings and collections. Comparable as a small Maine museum with multi-building stewardship, historic preservation, and maritime/coastal heritage focus.

Regional players

• Bowdoin College Museum of Art: College-affiliated art museum in Brunswick, Maine featuring diverse collections and educational programming. Comparable as a Maine art museum with strong collection and educational mission, and previously partnered with TIMA's architect Machado Silvetti.
• Farnsworth Art Museum: Regional art museum in Rockland, Maine with similar focus on American art, Maine cultural heritage, and historic building stewardship. Comparable as a Maine-based mid-sized art museum with educational programs and significant collections.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCymukiTiMAWYkAgjF03PFFQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/tidesinstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/tidesinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tides-institute-museum-of-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Tides Institute & Museum of Art