Brand Library

What Brand Library does

Brand Library & Art Center is a municipal public library and art gallery operated by the City of Glendale's Library, Arts & Culture Department, located at 1601 West Mountain Street in Glendale, California. The institution occupies the historic Miradero estate, built by Glendale pioneer Leslie Coombs Brand in 1904 in an Indo-Islamic style inspired by the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition; the property was donated to the city and converted to a library in 1956, with a major renovation completed on March 27, 2014. Its specialized collection holds over 110,000 items dedicated solely to visual arts and music, supported by specialized Music and Art Librarians, and the facility includes a main gallery, recital hall, and outdoor program spaces used for exhibitions, concerts, dance performances, and educational programming. All programs and services are provided free of charge to the public, with operating hours Tuesday-Thursday 11:00 AM-8:00 PM and Friday-Saturday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM.

The institution's product portfolio includes an annual national juried exhibition series (Brand 54: Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper featuring approximately 100 artworks), Music Programs (Music Animated, Music Series, Summer Music Series), Art Programs (Art Interactive, Art Talks, Make It! crafts), a Dance Series, REEL ART Film Series, Docent Tours, and ARTful Conversations workshops. Technology is non-proprietary: the library provides access to subscription databases (Freegal, Naxos, Hoopla, Oxford Music Online, Alexander Street) via Glendale library cards, and the website runs on Wix. The institution has no app, no API, and no AI/ML capabilities.

Funding comes primarily from City of Glendale municipal tax revenues through the parent Library, Arts & Culture Department, supplemented by the Brand Associates, an independent all-volunteer nonprofit that raises funds through entry fees and artwork sale commissions to support free public programming. The institution has launched the Hyper SoCal regional initiative covering over forty community arts spaces across five Southern California counties and has partnered with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the PST ART: Art & Science Collide Blended Worlds exhibition. Headcount is reported as 11-50 employees.

Name

Brand Library

Legal name

Brand Library & Art Center

Website

https://brandlibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brand Library & Art Center is a City of Glendale municipal public library and art gallery specializing in visual arts and music, offering free exhibitions, concerts, dance, film, and educational programs to the Southern California community from its historic Miradero estate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library and Art Center

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Public library services
• Visual arts gallery
• Music programming
• Community arts education
• Specialized arts collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Glendale Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: As a department of the City of Glendale, Brand Library & Art Center operates primarily through municipal government funding from tax revenues. The institution provides free services to the public.
2. Donations and Memberships: The Brand Associates, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, raises funds to support extensive free and public events at Brand Library & Art Center including gallery exhibitions, music performances, film screenings, dance performances, and activities for all ages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Brand Library & Art Center is a municipal public library and art center providing free access to over 110,000 items focused on visual arts and music, along with gallery exhibitions, music and dance performances, film screenings, and educational workshops for the community. It operates as a department of the City of Glendale, with supplemental programming supported by the Brand Associates nonprofit, serving general public audiences, artists, musicians, students, and families.

Product overview

Brand Library & Art Center operates as a unique public library system focused exclusively on visual arts and music. The institution offers a unified platform of services centered around its physical facility, combining specialized library collections (over 110,000 items of art and music materials), gallery exhibition spaces, and diverse free public programming. The core product portfolio includes Music and Art Collections with physical and digital formats, Gallery exhibitions featuring juried shows like the annual Brand Works on Paper series, and programming across multiple disciplines including Music Programs (Music Animated, Music Series, Summer Music Series), Art Programs (Art Interactive, Art Talks at Brand, Make It!), Dance Series, REEL ART Film Series, Docent Tours, and ARTful Conversations workshops. Supporting these offerings are the Brand Associates nonprofit organization and the Hyper SoCal initiative extending the institution's regional influence. The institution provides digital access through online resources including Freegal Music, Naxos Music Library, Hoopla, Oxford Music Online, and Alexander Street streaming services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Library & Art Center A unique public library focused on visual arts and music, offering over 110,000 items in its collection, specialized Music and Art Librarians, gallery exhibitions, and a wide range of free visual and performing arts programming for the general public.
• Music Collections Music materials including biographies, music scores, CDs, LPs, music DVDs, popular music, jazz, classical, operas, world music, and streaming music access for library patrons.
• Art Collections Art and design monographs, biographies, exhibition catalogs, art theory and criticism, fashion design, printmaking materials, and art DVDs for library patrons.
• Online Resources and Digital Library Digital library access including millions of ebooks, audiobooks, songs, online learning courses, specialty publications, auction records, image libraries, art and music periodicals, and streaming music and movies available with a Glendale library card.
• In The Bag Learning Kits Educational kits containing materials for learning new skills including guitar, ukulele, drawing, knitting, crochet, and hiking kits for library patrons.
• Brand 54: Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper National juried exhibition featuring 100 artworks from around the country, juried by Tracy Bartley, exploring the versatility of the paper medium. Open to visual artists nationwide.
• Music Programs Free music programming including Music Animated (family-oriented interactive performances), Music Series (chamber music concerts), and Summer Music Series (outdoor eclectic live music concerts).
• Art Programs Visual arts programming including Art Interactive (artist presentations with hands-on activities), Art Talks at Brand (artist discussions), and Make It! (hands-on crafts workshops) for the community.
• Dance Series Top dance companies from Southern California performing site-specific work in non-traditional performance spaces around Brand Library, curated by Jamie Nichols, sponsored by Brand Associates.
• REEL ART Film Series Film series presented by Brand Associates focusing on performing arts, with post-screening conversations about cultural impact.
• Docent Tours Guided tours of the historic Miradero estate and Brand Library by art historian Dr. Valerie Taylor, covering the Brand family history and renovation restoration.
• ARTful Conversations Collaborative workshops combining art history education with poetry writing, led by art historian Valerie Taylor and poet Tina Demirdjian.
• Hyper SoCal Regional initiative that brings awareness to nonprofit and municipal art venues supporting working artists in Southern California, spanning over forty community arts spaces across five Southern California counties.
• Brand Gallery Main gallery space at Brand Library featuring rotating exhibitions of visual art, including the annual Brand Works on Paper exhibition series.
• Brand Associates Support Program All-volunteer nonprofit organization that raises funds to support free public events at Brand Library, including gallery exhibitions, music performances, film screenings, dance performances, and activities for all ages.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 artworks featured in annual national juried exhibitions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Hyper SoCal Partner VenuesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Hyper SoCal initiative, originated at Brand Library & Art Center, brings awareness to nonprofit and municipal art venues supporting working artists in Southern California. Includes over 40 community arts spaces across five Southern California counties.
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) / Caltech / NASAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024JPL collaborated with Brand Library on Blended Worlds exhibition as part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide. Scientists and engineers from JPL partnered with 12 artists for art-science collaborations exploring human relationships with the environment and cosmos. JPL is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center for NASA.
• Brand AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Brand Associates is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that raises funds to support extensive free and public events at Brand Library & Art Center. They sponsor gallery exhibitions, classical and popular music performances, film screenings, dance performances, and activities for people of all ages. Entry fees and commissions from artwork sales support cultural programming.
• Glendale Arts & Culture CommissioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Glendale Arts & Culture Commission provides funding for Brand Library programs through the Urban Art Program. They support the Summer Music Series and other cultural programming with municipal arts funding.
• Glendale Library, Arts & CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization of Brand Library & Art Center. A department of the City of Glendale providing oversight, funding, and administrative support. Manages the broader library system including digital resources, interlibrary loan (Link+ network of 70 libraries), and other branch locations.
• Glendale Community Services & ParksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartners with Glendale Community Services & Parks for support of Summer Music Series and Brand Park outdoor spaces. Provides access to park grounds for outdoor concerts and events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens: Southern California cultural institution combining research library, art galleries, and public gardens with free and ticketed programming. Comparable as a library-plus-arts institution in the LA region, though larger and partially ticketed.
• The Broad: Contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles offering free general admission and rotating exhibitions. Comparable as a free-admission LA art venue, though focused exclusively on contemporary art rather than library services.
• Los Angeles Public Library: Large municipal public library system serving greater Los Angeles with extensive collections, exhibitions, and free cultural programming. Comparable as a free public library with cultural offerings, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic scope than Brand.

Direct peers

• Fowler Museum at UCLA: UCLA museum offering free admission, rotating exhibitions, and public programs with a cross-cultural arts focus. Comparable as a free-admission regional museum emphasizing exhibitions and community programming.
• Santa Monica Public Library: Southern California municipal public library offering cultural programming, exhibitions, and community events. Comparable as a free municipal library with arts and cultural services for a California community.
• Pasadena Public Library: Public municipal library in the greater LA region offering cultural programming, exhibitions, and community events. Closely comparable to Brand Library as a free, municipally operated public library providing arts and cultural services to its local community.
• Autry Museum of the American West: Los Angeles history museum with exhibitions, education programs, and community events. Comparable as a regional cultural institution offering exhibitions and free public programming supported by a mix of municipal-style partnerships and donor funding.
• Skirball Cultural Center: LA-area cultural center offering free and ticketed arts programming, exhibitions, and community events in a purpose-built facility. Comparable as a regional cultural center hosting rotating exhibitions and educational programming for diverse community audiences.
• Armory Center for the Arts: Pasadena-based community arts center presenting contemporary art exhibitions and free/low-cost education programs. Comparable as a Southern California nonprofit arts organization emphasizing community engagement and artist support.
• Japanese American National Museum: Los Angeles cultural institution operating exhibition galleries, public programs, and community events with free and ticketed components. Comparable as a regional community-focused museum emphasizing exhibitions and public programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/brandlibrary
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRgbjcUeahL2NbWHeh-cnTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/brandlibrary
• Instagraminstagram.com/brandlibrary

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 Brand Library