the art experience, inc.

Name

the art experience, inc.

Legal name

The Art Experience

Website

https://theartexperience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Art Experience, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit arts organization in Pontiac, Michigan, delivering community art programs, open studio sessions, and registered art therapy services for individuals with special needs, caregivers, youth, and the general community of southeastern Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

Keywords

• Community art programs
• Art therapy services
• Open studio sessions
• Arts education
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Pontiac

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: Individual donations through online giving platform (Network for Good). Tax-deductible contributions as a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Options include sponsoring an artist, sponsoring programs, annual fund contributions, and planned giving.
2. Program Fees: Revenue from summer camp registration, private event bookings (art parties, birthday parties, scout badges, team building), and therapeutic program sessions. Private events require 50% non-refundable deposit.
3. Corporate Partner Programs: Kroger Community Rewards allows donors to link their Kroger card, with a portion of purchases donated. RoundUp App enables donors to round up transactions to support the organization year-round.
4. Grant Funding: Institutional funding from Michigan Arts and Culture Council, National Endowment for the Arts, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds at Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Art Experience is a 501c3 nonprofit arts organization that delivers community-based arts programming, open studio sessions, art therapy services, summer camps, and private events. Programs are facilitated by registered Art Therapists and staff artists, serving individuals with disabilities, caregivers, children, and the broader Pontiac, Michigan community.

Product overview

The Art Experience is a 501c3 non-profit arts organization offering a portfolio of community art programs and services. The core offerings include Open Studio sessions, Create: Connection art therapy programs, Art Therapy services, Summer Camp, and Private Events. Specialized programs include the Artist in Residence program for emerging artists with special needs, the Kennedy Center School partnership providing movement and art therapy in Pontiac School District, and the Create: Connection for Caregivers pilot program. The organization operates as a community studio model where all programs are facilitated by art therapists and staff artists, serving diverse populations including individuals with disabilities, caregivers, and the general community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Studio
• Art Therapy
• Summer Camp
• Private Events
• Artist in Residence
• Create: Connection for Caregivers

Quantifiable outcome

• 12-week art therapy program for caregivers reduces stress and improves emotional well-being as supported by CDC research on caregiver health

Named customers2 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pontiac Arts CrawlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership where The Art Experience participates in monthly Friday events during April and May. Each week features a new art project as part of the broader Pontiac Arts Crawl initiative.
• Michigan Association of Art TherapistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association partnered with The Art Experience for community response art therapy sessions following the Oxford High School tragedy in 2021.
• Stars of HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit providing painted stars used in community healing art sessions in Oxford following the 2021 tragedy.
• Kroger Community RewardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate giving program allowing Kroger customers to link their rewards card, with a portion of purchases donated to The Art Experience.
• RoundUp AppminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMobile giving platform enabling users to round up transactions and donate the difference to The Art Experience year-round.
• Pontiac School District - Kennedy Center SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing educational partnership providing eight weekly classes of movement and art therapy to Kennedy Center School students in the Pontiac School District.
• Evergreen's Coffee and Bakeshop (Oxford)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business venue partner hosting monthly community art therapy response sessions following the Oxford High School tragedy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Art Therapy Studio (Cleveland): Cleveland-based nonprofit providing art therapy services and exhibitions led by credentialed art therapists, with mission overlap to The Art Experience's Create: Connection and Art Therapy programs. Direct peer in clinical art-therapy delivery for community and caregiver populations.
• Pewabic Pottery: Historic Detroit-based nonprofit ceramic studio offering community classes, artist residencies, and special-needs programming. Comparable as a Southeast Michigan nonprofit arts studio with community studio hours, classes, and inclusive programming — explicitly serving the same regional arts community as The Art Experience.
• Arts League of Michigan: Detroit-based community arts nonprofit providing exhibits, classes, and outreach programs for Southeast Michigan residents. Closely mirrors The Art Experience's nonprofit community-arts-studio model, including inclusive programming, exhibitions, and partnerships with schools.
• Creative Growth Art Center: Oakland, California-based 501c3 art center serving adult artists with disabilities through studio programming, exhibitions, and artist representation. Most directly comparable to The Art Experience's Artist in Residence program and its broader mission of pairing disability populations with professional artist mentors in a community studio.
• Arts & Scraps (Detroit): Detroit-based nonprofit repurposing creative materials into hands-on art programming for youth and community members. Comparable community-arts nonprofit mission in the same Southeast Michigan region, focused on inclusive creative engagement rather than credentialed therapy services.

Others

• Michigan Association of Art Therapists: State-level professional association for registered art therapists, including credentialing, advocacy, and continuing education. Adjacent to The Art Experience because it provides the professional ecosystem and referral pipeline (e.g., 2021 trauma-response collaboration) for its credentialed therapy staff, without operating a competing studio.
• National Art Education Association (NAEA): National professional association for visual arts educators, offering training, advocacy, and curriculum resources. Adjacent and ecosystem-enabling rather than competitive — informs the field in which TAE's school-district art therapy programs operate.

Broad incumbents

• Detroit Institute of Arts: Major regional art museum providing exhibitions, educational programming, and community outreach across Southeast Michigan. Overlaps with The Art Experience on community arts programming and education, but at a much larger institutional scale and with a museum (vs. community studio) operating model.
• VSA / John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Arts & Disability Programs): National network under the Kennedy Center that promotes art creation and access for people with disabilities. Comparable to The Art Experience's inclusive arts programming and ADA-aligned mission, but operates as a large federally connected network rather than a single community-based studio.

Regional players

• Ann Arbor Art Center: Southeast Michigan nonprofit art center offering exhibitions, classes, and community programs in nearby Ann Arbor. Comparable business model and community-studio orientation, but operates in a different (wealthier) submarket than Pontiac and does not directly compete.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theartexperience.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/theartexp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theartexperienceinc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 the art experience, inc.