What Saratoga Aarts does

Saratoga Arts is a nonprofit community arts center headquartered at 320 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, New York, in the former Saratoga Springs Public Library building. Founded in 1986 as the Saratoga County Arts Council, the organization operates a single integrated facility that houses a 100+ seat black box theater (Dee Sarno Theater), gallery and exhibition spaces, arts education classrooms, a professional printmaking studio equipped with Takach etching presses, and rehearsal and music studios. Its program portfolio spans approximately 10 annual gallery exhibitions, tiered arts education classes for children and adults, community printmaking open-studio access, the Saratoga Film Forum weekly screenings, Art in the Park outdoor fair, and Art in Public Places — a members-only program distributing artwork across seven regional partner venues. The organization serves the 11-county Capital Region of New York and regrants funds to artists and nonprofits in Saratoga, Fulton, and Montgomery counties.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure combining five streams: annual membership subscriptions at six tiers ranging from $35 (Student/Senior/Military) to $500 (Champion); class and workshop fees typically priced between $75 and $285 per session; a 40% commission on artwork sold through gallery exhibitions; individual and corporate donations including a new Foundation Experience Honorary Committee tiered from $250 to $5,000; and grant funding primarily from the New York State Council on the Arts. Membership and class registration are processed through the Wild Apricot platform. The GTM motion is community-led, relying on the physical facility, a website, email newsletter, public events, and partnerships with regional organizations to drive awareness and participation.

The core staff consists of four people — Executive Director Amy Bloom, Assistant Director Theresa Dickenson, Grants and Community Outreach Coordinator Spencer Sherry, and Exhibitions and Marketing Coordinator Ally DeRusso — supported by a Board of Directors with 12+ members. Saratoga Arts is governed independently with no parent company, operates without venture or institutional investment, and pursues a 2026-2029 Strategic Plan centered on awareness, program strength, and financial stability.

Name

Saratoga Aarts

Legal name

Saratoga Arts

Website

https://saratoga-arts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Saratoga Arts is a nonprofit community arts center in Saratoga Springs, NY operating gallery exhibitions, arts education classes, a printmaking studio, and a black box theater from a single Broadway facility, serving artists, families, and the 11-county Capital Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Center

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

Keywords

• Community arts center
• Arts education
• Gallery exhibitions
• Printmaking studio
• Nonprofit arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Saratoga Springs

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. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions at multiple tiers providing benefits including discounts, early registration, and exhibition opportunities.
2. Educational Programming: Fees from art classes, workshops, summer programs for kids, and open studio access for adults.
3. Art Sales Commission: 40% commission on artwork sales through gallery exhibitions, including the Annual Members Exhibition and 10 x 10 Exhibition.
4. Donations and Grants: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and government funding including support from New York State Council on the Arts.
5. Event Venue Rental and Programming: Revenue from hosting events, film screenings, performances, and venue rentals in the Dee Sarno Theater.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Saratoga Arts is a nonprofit community arts center operating galleries, a 100+ seat black box theater, classrooms, and a printmaking studio in downtown Saratoga Springs. It sells tiered annual memberships, fee-based arts education classes for all ages and skill levels, exhibition opportunities for artists (including annual events like the 10x10 Exhibition), open-studio access, regrant funding for local artists and nonprofits, and event/film screening programming.

Product overview

Saratoga Arts is a community arts center offering a comprehensive portfolio of arts programming centered around its facility at 320 Broadway in Saratoga Springs. The organization operates as a single unified center with multiple interconnected services including: Membership Program providing tiered annual memberships with benefits; Arts Education Classes for adults and youth across diverse disciplines; Gallery Exhibitions presenting approximately 10 annual shows; the Printmaking Studio with professional equipment and open access; Art in Public Places program; the Saratoga Film Forum; special events including Art in the Park and 10 x 10 Exhibition; and various community arts initiatives including regrants for regional artists and nonprofits in Saratoga, Fulton, and Montgomery counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Annual membership tiers ($35 Student/Senior/Military/Teaching Artist, $50 Individual, $80 Dual/Family, $150 Family Circle, $250 Supporter, $500 Champion) providing gallery shop discounts, class discounts, exhibition opportunities, member events, and (at higher tiers) reciprocal access and guest passes.
• Arts Education Classes Fee-based creative education programs across Kids & Teens, Fiber Arts, Printmaking, Mixed Media, Drawing, Painting, 3D Arts, Photography/Digital Art, Writing, Pint 'N Print, Soap 'N Sip, Candles 'N Cocktails, and Yoga. Taught by professional teaching artists, with member/non-member pricing.
• Gallery Exhibitions Approximately 10 dynamic exhibitions annually featuring programs such as High School All Stars, the 120 Intercollegiate Regional, 10x10 Exhibition, and Annual Members Exhibition, with a 40% commission on artwork sales.
• Printmaking Studio Community studio equipped with 24"x48" Takach etching press and 20"x40" etching press; offers classes in etching, relief, screenprinting, and monotype, plus open studio access (5-hour and 10-hour bundles for members and non-members), Pint 'N Print events, and Community Print Nights using Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash Inks.
• Art in Public Places Members-only program showcasing member artists' work at seven partner venues including Saratoga Springs Public Library, Friends of Saratoga Library Cafe, Saratoga Springs Visitor's Center, Country Corner Cafe, Saratoga Springs Train Station, Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library, and Ballston Community Public Library.
• Saratoga Film Forum Weekly independent film screenings held every Thursday in the Dee Sarno Theater, featuring recent indie, foreign, and documentary films; runs for twelve weeks each season.
• Art in the Park Annual outdoor art fair at Congress Park featuring original handmade artwork across all mediums. Booth fees $75 for members / $100 for non-members; food vendor rate $50.
• 10 x 10 Exhibition Annual community exhibition inviting artists of all levels and ages to submit 10 x 10 inch artworks; non-refundable $10 registration fee per artwork; Saratoga Arts retains 40% commission on sales.
• Kids Summer Art Program Seasonal summer arts programming for children and teens with early registration access for Family Circle members.
• The Watercolor Circle Free monthly community gathering for adult artists of all levels to practice watercolor painting, share ideas, and refine skills through indoor and outdoor sessions.
• The Photography Collective Six-session collective for intermediate and above photographers to share ideas, provide constructive feedback, and work on creative assignments; mentored by Megan Mumford and Molly Cohen.
• Intermediate Pastels Class Six-session class taught by award-winning pastel artist Carolyn Justice, focusing on value, layering, blending techniques, working from still life, portraits, landscapes, and photo references. Pricing at $225 member / $270 non-member without materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports artists across 11 Capital Region counties through exhibitions, grants, and programming

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)coreOthersNYSCA provides funding support to Saratoga Arts' programs with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This is the primary government funding relationship for the organization.
• The Joinery (Saratoga Joinery)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 10 x 10 Exhibition framing classes. The Joinery teaches participants to make their own frames for artwork submissions.
• DIVE (Capital Region Music Promoter)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst collaboration between Saratoga Arts and DIVE for a music event featuring Pearl and the Oysters, combining gallery pop-up with live performance.
• LARAC's Lapham GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-way rotation partnership for the 120 Intercollegiate Regional exhibition, alternating between Saratoga Arts, LARAC, and The Arts Center of the Capital Region every three years.
• The Arts Center of the Capital RegionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-way rotation partnership for the 120 Intercollegiate Regional exhibition with Saratoga Arts and LARAC.
• Art in Public Places VenuesminorOthersPartnership with 7 venues to display member artists' work: Saratoga Springs Public Library, Friends of Saratoga Library Cafe, Saratoga Springs Visitor's Center, Country Corner Cafe, Saratoga Springs Train Station, Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library, and Ballston Community Public Library.
• Hudson Mohawk Weavers' GuildminorOthersWeaving instructor Nancy Sharples is associated with this guild, which is referenced on the weaving open studio page.
• iTheatre SaratogaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWill Severin from iTheatre serves on the board. Presents theater productions including the Dee Sarno Theater.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LARAC (Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council): LARAC is a fellow NYSCA-designated community regrant council in the Capital Region that Saratoga Arts explicitly partners with on the 120 Intercollegiate Regional rotation. Operates a comparable Lapham Gallery, exhibitions, regrants, and arts education programming, making it the most direct regional peer.
• The Arts Center of the Capital Region: The Arts Center of the Capital Region is the third partner in the three-way rotation for the 120 Intercollegiate Regional exhibition alongside Saratoga Arts and LARAC. Offers directly overlapping visual-arts programming, gallery exhibitions, and arts education in the same Capital Region geography.
• CREATE Council on the Arts: CREATE is a New York State community regrant council that explicitly appears in the Saratoga Arts staff's exhibition resume (Ally DeRusso). Operates the same state-funded community regrant model plus exhibition programming, making it a functional and operational peer for Saratoga Arts' regrant and gallery activities.

Broad incumbents

• Torpedo Factory Art Center: Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA is one of the most established U.S. community arts centers operating studio-art programming, galleries, and education in a single converted facility - the same multi-program model Saratoga Arts executes inside 320 Broadway but at much greater scale.
• Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts: Arrowmont operates community arts/craft education, workshops, and exhibitions across multiple disciplines very similar to Saratoga Arts' fine arts class catalog (fiber, printmaking, photography, painting). While focused on intensive workshops in Gatlinburg, TN, the operating model and educational mission closely mirror Saratoga Arts' printmaking and fiber arts programs.

Regional players

• Hyde Collection: The Hyde Collection is a Capital Region art museum in Glens Falls serving overlapping Saratoga-Adirondack audiences. While more collection-focused, it competes for the same exhibition-going audience, donor dollars, and educational partnerships within the 11-county footprint.
• Opalka Gallery: Opalka Gallery at The Sage Colleges is referenced as a prior exhibition venue for Saratoga Arts' Marketing Coordinator, and it operates a contemporary art gallery in the Capital Region with similar curatorial and educational programming to the Saratoga Arts Main/Atrium Galleries.
• Collar Works: Collar Works is a Capital Region contemporary art space also referenced in DeRusso's exhibition history. Functions as a peer gallery/artist-run venue in the same regional market where Saratoga Arts recruits emerging artists and competes for curatorial attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saratogaarts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Saratoga Aarts