Shemer Art Center And Museum Association, Inc.

What Shemer Art Center And Museum Association, Inc. does

Shemer Art Center And Museum Association, Inc. (SACAMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization operating the Shemer Art Center, a historic community arts facility in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood at the base of Camelback Mountain. The center is housed in a 1920s Santa Fe mission-style building — one of the first homes built in Arcadia (1919) — purchased and donated to the City of Phoenix by Martha Shemer in July 1984. SACAMA took over day-to-day operations from the City of Phoenix in 2010; the City retains ownership of the property and grounds, which Phoenix Parks & Recreation maintains. The organization delivers year-round visual arts programming through professional teaching artists, covering drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, fused glass, mixed media, photography, and jewelry-making, alongside rotating exhibitions of Arizona artists, the 41-year-running New Horizons High School Art Exhibition, signature festivals (Shemer Arizona Arts Festival, Art in the Garden with Sparkling Tea, Furry Friends Fine Arts Festival), and the Shemer Honors gala. Free general admission is offered with a suggested donation of $7 per person or $10 per couple.

The center's revenue mechanics are diversified across small-ticket streams: individual class and workshop fees (specific pricing not publicly disclosed), venue rentals of the historic property for private and corporate events, a boutique gift shop and outdoor sculpture garden selling one-of-a-kind works by Arizona artists, individual and corporate memberships, event sponsorships, charitable donations, and grants from the City of Phoenix Arts & Culture department and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. The go-to-market motion is community-led: word-of-mouth, social media (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram), earned media coverage (USA Today, Phoenix Home and Garden, The Culture Trip, local TV news), email/newsletter outreach, and recurring signature events drive awareness and fundraising. Distribution is exclusively physical/domestic — there is no e-commerce platform and no remote service delivery; customers attend on-site or register through the website. SACAMA is actively running a Shemer Expansion & Legacy Campaign with Phoenix Mayor Gallego's endorsement to expand the center's physical and programmatic footprint. The organization has no proprietary technology platform and no AI/ML capabilities; its sole technology-adjacent initiative is the 2016 TechKids 3D printing workshop conducted in partnership with Arizona State University, STAX3D Printing, and Phoenix Rotary 100 for Title 1 students in the Scottsdale Unified School District.

Name

Shemer Art Center And Museum Association, Inc.

Legal name

Shemer Art Center And Museum Association, Inc.

Website

https://shemerartcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SACAMA operates the Shemer Art Center, a 501(c)(3) community arts facility in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood offering year-round visual arts classes, exhibitions, and signature festivals for youth, adults, and high school students across the Phoenix metro.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Education and Cultural Center

NAICS

Museums (71211), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Art Dealers (459920)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Arts & Design Camps (Visual Arts, Crafts, Design Thinking) (EDAMALAH), Arts & Culture Appreciation (Art History, Film Appreciation, Music Appreciation) (EDAAAGAO), Personal Enrichment & Creative Arts Programs (EDAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Community arts education
• Art classes and workshops
• Museum and exhibitions
• Arts festival programming
• Summer art camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

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, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Art Classes and Workshops: Year-round instructional programming for youth and adults taught by professional teaching artists, covering drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, fused glass, mixed media, photography, and jewelry-making.
2. Venue Rentals: The facility is rented out as an unusual and creative meeting place for private events, corporate functions, and community gatherings.
3. Gift Shop and Sculpture Garden Sales: A boutique gift shop and outdoor sculpture garden feature one-of-a-kind works by Arizona artists, available for viewing and purchase, generating commission or sales revenue.
4. Memberships, Sponsorships, and Donations: Individual and corporate memberships, event sponsorships, and charitable donations support the center financially, supplemented by grants from the City of Phoenix and Arizona Commission on the Arts.
5. Annual Fundraising Events: Signature events including the Shemer Arizona Arts Festival, Art in the Garden with Sparkling Tea, Furry Friends Fine Arts Festival, and the Shemer Honors gala serve as both community engagement and fundraising vehicles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Shemer Art Center is a nonprofit community arts center and museum that delivers year-round visual arts education (youth and adult classes, workshops, summer camps) covering drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, fused glass, mixed media, photography, and jewelry-making. It complements instruction with rotating exhibitions of Arizona artists, an annual New Horizons High School Art Exhibition with scholarships, signature festivals (Shemer Arizona Arts Festival, Art in the Garden, Furry Friends Fine Arts Festival, Shemer Honors gala), venue rentals, and a boutique gift shop and outdoor sculpture garden selling one-of-a-kind works.

Product overview

Shemer Art Center is a cultural center and museum that serves as a home for the arts in Phoenix, Arizona. The organization operates from a historic 1920s Santa Fe mission-style building and offers a portfolio of interconnected programs including year-round art instruction (youth and adult classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, fused glass, mixed media, photography, and jewelry-making), rotating art exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and seasonal festivals (Shemer Arizona Arts Festival, Furry Friends Fine Arts Festival, Art in the Garden Festival). Additional offerings include the annual New Horizons High School Art Exhibition with scholarships, the Shemer Honors Gala celebrating distinguished Arizona artists, Summer Art Camps for youth, venue rentals, and a museum gift shop with an adjacent outdoor sculpture garden. The center functions as a City of Phoenix Point of Pride and is supported by the City of Phoenix Arts & Culture and Arizona Commission on the Arts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Art Classes

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,000 visitors attended MicroDwell 2014, making it one of the Shemer Art Center's biggest fundraisers to date.
• +2 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

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, notable and core.

• Arcadia FarmsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Arcadia Farms catered the Sparkling Tea event at the 2026 Art in the Garden Festival, providing light meals for guests under the outdoor canopy.
• Medicine Man GalleryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Honorary chairs Kathleen and Mark Sublette from Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson co-hosted the 2025 Shemer Honors gala honoring the Patania Family, serving as ambassadors for the event within the Tucson arts community.
• Arizona State University (ASU)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016ASU partnered with the Shemer Art Center for the TechKids Workshop, in which ASU graduate students led 3D printing instruction for Title 1 students ages 9–13 in the Scottsdale Unified School District, integrating STEAM-based education with arts programming.
• STAX3D PrintingnotableTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016STAX3D Printing collaborated with the Shemer Art Center and ASU on the TechKids Workshop, providing 3D printing technology and expertise to teach additive manufacturing skills to young students.
• City of Phoenix Arts & CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Phoenix Arts & Culture department is a key institutional supporter of the Shemer Art Center, providing ongoing financial and operational support as part of the city's arts and cultural ecosystem. The center was donated to and is maintained by the City of Phoenix.
• Phoenix Parks & Recreation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department helps maintain the buildings and grounds of the Shemer Art Center as part of its parks and cultural facilities portfolio.
• Arizona Commission on the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arizona Commission on the Arts, a state agency, provides grant support and recognition that helps fund the Shemer Art Center's programming and operations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Torpedo Factory Art Center: A community art center in Alexandria, VA housing artist studios, galleries, and art classes in a historic building. Directly comparable to Shemer as a historic-property-based community arts center with artist studios, exhibitions, and educational programming.
• Fleisher Art Memorial: A community art school in Philadelphia offering classes, exhibitions, and youth programs in a historic facility. Closely comparable to Shemer as a nonprofit community arts organization combining art instruction, exhibitions, and youth programs in a longstanding historic property.
• Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA): A contemporary art museum in nearby Scottsdale featuring rotating exhibitions and educational programming. Comparable to Shemer as a Phoenix-metro visual-arts institution offering exhibitions, classes, and community events, though SMoCA focuses specifically on contemporary work.

Broad incumbents

• Mesa Arts Center: One of the largest comprehensive arts campuses in Arizona, offering visual arts classes, exhibitions, festivals, and venue rentals. Highly comparable to Shemer across its multi-disciplinary programming mix (classes, exhibitions, events, camps).
• Heard Museum: A Phoenix museum focused on Native American art and culture, with exhibitions, educational programs, and a gift shop. Comparable to Shemer as a cultural institution in the same metro combining exhibitions, education, and a retail storefront, though with a different thematic focus.
• Phoenix Art Museum: The largest art museum in the Phoenix metropolitan area, offering exhibitions, classes, and community programs. Directly comparable in mission (supporting Arizona artists and providing arts education) and overlapping visitor demographics with Shemer, though operating at a much larger scale and budget.
• Tempe Center for the Arts: A municipal arts venue in metro Phoenix offering gallery exhibitions, classes, and community events. Comparable to Shemer as a publicly-supported local arts center combining exhibitions, education, and event programming.

Regional players

• Tucson Museum of Art: An Arizona-based regional art museum offering exhibitions, art education, and community programs. Comparable to Shemer in scope (exhibitions plus classes and gift shop) but serving the Tucson market rather than Phoenix directly.

Others

• Musical Instrument Museum (MIM): A Phoenix-based themed museum offering exhibitions, performances, and educational programs. Comparable to Shemer as a Phoenix-metro museum competing for tourist, school, and donor attention in the same local market.
• Children's Museum of Phoenix: A Phoenix museum focused on interactive learning experiences for children and families. Comparable to Shemer in family/child programming focus and overlapping donor and visitor base in the Phoenix metro.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ArtShemer
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@shemerartcenter935/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShemerArt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shemer-art-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/shemerartcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Shemer Art Center And Museum Association, Inc.