Artists Working in Education
Artists Working in Education (AWE) is a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1998, that delivers free visual-arts enrichment to thousands of youth annually through mobile Truck Studios, artist residencies, and studio programs while also employing local teaching artists.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersMilwaukee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Artists Working in Education does
Artists Working in Education (AWE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 and headquartered at 4315 West Vliet Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its mission is to provide Milwaukee youth with accessible arts enrichment through hands-on programming led by professional teaching artists, while also creating meaningful employment for local artists. Core programs include Truck Studio (a mobile drop-in art experience operating in parks, libraries, and public spaces), Artist-in-Residence (AIR, which produces public murals and community installations) and Rising Artists Council (RAC, a high school studio program with stipends and public exhibitions); supplementary offerings extend to Middle School Art Club, Paint it Forward (a monthly artist-talk series hosted with TankThink, MKE<->LAX, and Washington Park Media Center), Art Teacher Art Club (ATAC), and Art Connect (quarterly family workshops). AWE also operates a Hire AWE service line that delivers paid creative experiences such as corporate murals, mosaics, and team-building art events to enterprise and community clients.
AWE does not develop proprietary technology; its operating model is built on physical distribution (mobile Truck Studios), community-based facilities (its Vliet Street studio), and human capital (a network of teaching artists plus a small core team led by Executive Director Keri Schroeder and Director of Programming Brett Henzig). The organization has run continuously for over 25 years and reports reaching thousands of children and community members annually across Milwaukee's underserved neighborhoods, with named municipal and institutional partners including Milwaukee County Parks, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee Recreation, and Sojourner Family Peace Center.
Revenue is not publicly disclosed and is sourced from four streams: individual donations, foundation and corporate grants (Herzfeld Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Gardner Family Foundation, Holz Family Foundation, Ruth Arts, Harri Hoffmann, Johnson Controls, Kohls, A.O. Smith), government arts funding (Milwaukee Arts Board, Wisconsin Arts Board), and earned revenue from Hire AWE services (quote-based pricing for corporate and private events). Core youth programming is free at the participant level. The organization carries no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity disclosed in the input data.
Artists Working in Education firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Artists Working in Education
- Legal name
- Artists Working in Education Inc
- Website
- https://awe-inc.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Artists Working in Education (AWE) is a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1998, that delivers free visual-arts enrichment to thousands of youth annually through mobile Truck Studios, artist residencies, and studio programs while also employing local teaching artists.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Artists Working in Education industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Arts Education Services
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD)
Keywords
Where Artists Working in Education is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milwaukee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Artists Working in Education business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: AWE relies on individual donors who provide philanthropic support critical to sustaining operations and programs. Donations can be made online through Network for Good.
- Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funders include foundations (Herzfeld Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Gardner Family Foundation, Holz Family Foundation, Ruth Arts, Harri Hoffmann) and corporations (Johnson Controls, Kohls, A.O. Smith).
- Government Funding: Receives support from government entities including Milwaukee Arts Board and Wisconsin Arts Board.
- Hire AWE Services: AWE offers creative services (Truck Studio workshops, live art at events, group art experiences, public art projects) that can be hired for corporate events, community festivals, and private functions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | — | Free youth programs |
| Other | — | Hire AWE creative services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Artists Working in Education product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Artists Working in Education delivers free, in-person visual arts enrichment programs to Milwaukee youth through mobile Truck Studio drop-in activities in parks and public spaces, Artist-in-Residence public art projects, Rising Artists Council and Middle School Art Club studio programs, Art Connect family workshops, and Paint it Forward artist talks. The organization also offers hireable creative services (Hire AWE) for corporate events, team building, and community festivals. All programs are led by professional teaching artists and emphasize process over product, targeting youth in underserved Milwaukee neighborhoods.
Product overview
Artists Working in Education (AWE) is a nonprofit arts education organization that provides a portfolio of visual arts enrichment programs for Milwaukee youth. Its core programs include Truck Studio (mobile art activities), Artist-in-Residence (public art creation), and Rising Artists Council (high school program). Additional offerings include Middle School Art Club, Paint it Forward (artist talks), Art Teacher Art Club (professional development), Art Connect (family workshops), and Creative Services for event hire. Together, these programs bring hands-on visual arts experiences directly to schools, community spaces, parks, and AWE's studio, serving youth and families across Milwaukee.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Truck Studio: AWE's Truck Studio offers free drop-in arts enrichment activities with dedicated teams of teaching artists who activate parks, libraries, and other public spaces with engaging hands-on art experiences for youth and their caregivers.
- Artist-in-Residence (AIR)
- Rising Artists Council (RAC)
- Middle School Art Club
- Art Connect
- Paint it Forward (PiF)
Products and services
- Truck Studio Mobile art studio program that delivers free drop-in visual arts enrichment activities (painting, drawing, sculpture, digital art, fashion) to Milwaukee parks, libraries, and public spaces through teams of professional teaching artists. Aimed at Milwaukee youth and their caregivers.
- Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Program that unites youth with professional artists to design and create public artworks such as murals, mosaics, sculptures, and other installations to enhance neighborhood infrastructure, beautify community spaces, and respond to local issues.
- Rising Artists Council (RAC)
Companies that use Artists Working in Education
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Artists Working in Education technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Artists Working in Education partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Milwaukee County ParkscoreParks partnership to activate public spaces with art programming. AWE's Truck Studios operate in Milwaukee parks during summer and throughout the year, bringing free art activities to community members in park settings.
- Sojourner Family Peace CentercoreCommunity partnership for public art projects including mosaics. The Sojourner Family Peace Center works with AWE on community art installations that serve violence prevention and family support purposes.
- Milwaukee Public LibrarycorePartnership to provide out-of-school-time art activities at library locations. MPL and AWE collaborate to bring arts programming to youth in library settings across Milwaukee.
- Milwaukee RecreationcorePartnership with Milwaukee Recreation's Twilight Centers to offer free drop-in art activities. AWE also participates in Recreation's special events like Twilight & Treat and other community festivals.
- Washington Park Media CentersecondaryCollaboration with TankThink and MKE<->LAX for the Paint it Forward monthly artist talk and discussion series, held both in person and live-streamed at Washington Park Media Center.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Artists Working in Education competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Marwen: Chicago-based nonprofit providing free visual arts education to underserved youth. Direct peer because it matches AWE's visual arts focus, free programming model, and youth mission; also cited in AWE Executive Director Keri Schroeder's prior work history.
- Urban Gateways: Chicago nonprofit that provides arts education programming to youth in schools and community settings. Comparable to AWE in mission (arts access for underserved youth), community-led delivery, and reliance on philanthropic funding.
- Arts for Learning Indiana: Indiana-based nonprofit that places teaching artists in schools and community settings for youth arts education. Comparable in mission (professional artist delivery to underserved youth), funding model (grants and earned revenue), and program portfolio structure.
Broad incumbents
- Young Audiences: National nonprofit network that places professional artists in schools to deliver arts education programs. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating in the same arts-in-education space that AWE addresses, though it scales via affiliate chapters rather than single-city delivery.
Regional players
- First Stage: Milwaukee children's theater and arts education organization serving youth through theater classes and productions. Comparable as a Milwaukee-based youth arts nonprofit serving overlapping families and school partners.
- Milwaukee Art Museum: Major Milwaukee arts institution with youth and family education programs that overlap AWE's audience. Comparable because it operates in the same Milwaukee market and employs AWE alumni (Brett Henzig and Keri Schroeder previously worked there).
- Perpich Center for Arts Education: Minnesota statewide arts education center that supports K-12 arts learning and teaching artists. Comparable in mission (arts access for youth, professional artist development), though it operates as a state agency rather than a private nonprofit.
- Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts: Milwaukee-area performing and visual arts center offering classes and community programming. Comparable because it serves overlapping Milwaukee audiences with arts education and is cited in AWE Executive Director Keri Schroeder's prior work history.
- Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design: Milwaukee visual arts college with Pre-College and Continuing Education programs for youth and adults. Comparable because it serves the same visual arts education niche in Milwaukee and was previously led by AWE Director of Programming Brett Henzig.
Others
- Greater Milwaukee Foundation: Community foundation that funds Milwaukee nonprofits including AWE. Listed as OTHERS because it is a funder rather than a peer operator, but it is materially connected to AWE's funding base and the broader Milwaukee arts ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Artists Working in Education social profiles
Digital presenceArtists Working in Education financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Artists Working in Education leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Artists Working in Education funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Artists Working in Education M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Artists Working in Education
What does Artists Working in Education do?
Artists Working in Education delivers free, in-person visual arts enrichment programs to Milwaukee youth through mobile Truck Studio drop-in activities in parks and public spaces, Artist-in-Residence public art projects, Rising Artists Council and Middle School Art Club studio programs, Art Connect family workshops, and Paint it Forward artist talks. The organization also offers hireable creative services (Hire AWE) for corporate events, team building, and community festivals. All programs are led by professional teaching artists and emphasize process over product, targeting youth in underserved Milwaukee neighborhoods.
Is Artists Working in Education a public or private company?
Artists Working in Education is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Artists Working in Education founded?
Artists Working in Education was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Artists Working in Education based?
Artists Working in Education is headquartered in Milwaukee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Artists Working in Education make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Corporate Grants, government Funding and hire AWE Services.
Who are Artists Working in Education's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Marwen, Urban Gateways and Arts for Learning Indiana. Young Audiences is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are First Stage, Milwaukee Art Museum, Perpich Center for Arts Education, Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts and Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Greater Milwaukee Foundation is listed as an others.
Does Artists Working in Education have an API?
No public API is recorded for Artists Working in Education.
What industry is Artists Working in Education in?
Artists Working in Education's product category is Youth Arts Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAAAA, Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture), with a secondary code of BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs. Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 7900.