Textile Arts Center

What Textile Arts Center does

Textile Arts Center (TAC) is a Brooklyn-based, mission-driven textile arts education and community organization founded in 2009. It operates a single physical studio at 505 Carroll St. equipped with specialized textile infrastructure (dye labs, screen printing facilities, sewing machines, looms, machine knitting equipment) and serves four primary customer segments: youth and families (after-school, mini camps, summer camp, birthday parties), adult hobbyists and learners (4–5 week classes, intensives, after workshops), professional artists and designers (the 9-month TAC AIR residency, TAC WIP, studio/gallery rentals), and organizations seeking custom group classes.

TAC generates revenue through unit-priced class fees ($90–$535), studio and gallery space rentals (hourly/daily/weekly/monthly), AIR program tuition ($11,000 per 9-month cycle), and donations/crowdfunding (via FracturedAtlas) that fund a scholarship program ($300,000+ provided since 2016). The technology layer is entirely composed of third-party SaaS — Active.com for registration, Square Online for gift certificates/merchandise, Eventbrite for events, Mailchimp for email, and FracturedAtlas for fundraising — with no proprietary software platform. Distribution is direct-to-consumer in-person at the Brooklyn studio; marketing runs through the website, Instagram (@textileartscenter), email newsletter, press features, and community events such as the World's Biggest Mendathon on a Boat.

Since founding, TAC has cumulatively taught over 20,000 adult students, introduced 30,000 NYC youth to historic and contemporary textiles, and graduated 100+ AIR alumni. The organization is privately held, employs 1–10 staff, and is led by Executive Director Kelly Valletta. No external venture capital or institutional investment is referenced; funding is generated through operations, tuition, and donations.

Name

Textile Arts Center

Legal name

Textile Arts Center

Website

https://textileartscenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Textile Arts Center is a Brooklyn-based, mission-driven nonprofit-style organization founded in 2009 that provides textile arts education through youth programs, adult classes, a 9-month artist residency, studio rentals, and gallery exhibitions, serving hobbyists, families, and professional textile artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

akta.pro primary industry

Textile & Fiber Arts Classes (Weaving, Knitting, Embroidery, Dyeing) (THAJAKAB)

Keywords

• Textile arts education
• Youth art programs
• Artist residency programs
• Adult craft classes
• Studio space rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Class Fees: TAC generates revenue primarily through registration fees for adult classes (4-5 week classes, full-day intensives, after workshops, weekend intensives), youth programs (after school, mini camps, summer camp), and birthday parties. Fees range from $90 (after workshops) to $470-$535 (4-5 week classes).
2. Studio Space Rental: TAC rents studio space to textile artists and designers through Studio Membership and Project Space Gallery (500 sq foot space available for hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly rental).
3. Scholarships and Donations: TAC raises funds through community crowdfunding (FracturedAtlas platform) and direct donations to support youth scholarships, adult class scholarships, and resident artist scholarships. Since 2016, over $300K has been provided in scholarships. Donations are a significant revenue stream for this mission-driven nonprofit.
4. Artist in Residence Tuition: The TAC AIR program charges tuition of $11,000 per cycle, with a $25 application fee (early) or $35 (standard). TAC AIR is a 9-month residency program providing studio access, technical workshops, lectures, critiques, and a culminating group exhibition.
5. Gift Certificates: Gift certificates are sold via the TAC Shop (textile-arts-center.square.site) and are valid for one year from purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Textile Arts Center (TAC) is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit arts education organization that delivers hands-on textile arts instruction across youth programs, adult classes, and a nine-month artist residency, supported by studio rentals and gallery exhibitions at its 505 Carroll St. facility. Its offerings span after-school classes, summer and mini camps, multi-week adult workshops (weaving, dyeing, sewing, screen printing, quilting, embroidery, machine knitting, leather working), the TAC AIR residency with tuition, group classes for organizations, and Open Studio access for enrolled students.

Product overview

Textile Arts Center (TAC) is a Brooklyn-based textile arts education and community organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offerings include Youth Programs (After School, Textiles for Tweens, Mini Camps, Summer Camp, Birthday Parties) and Adult Classes (4-5 week courses, Full Day Intensives, After Workshops, Weekend Intensives, One Day Intensives) covering Needle Arts, Dyeing, Weaving, Quilting, Sewing, Screen Printing, and more. TAC also provides professional artist development through its Artist in Residence (TAC AIR) nine-month residency and Work in Progress (TAC WIP) programs. Physical infrastructure includes Studio Space Rental, Project Space Gallery, and TAC Gallery for exhibitions. Additional offerings include Open Studio access, Group Classes for organizations, Field Trips, and need-based Scholarship Programs. Since 2009, TAC has taught over 20,000 adult students, introduced 30,000 NYC youth to textiles, and graduated over 100 TAC AIR Alumni.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TAC AIR: Artist in Residence program that equips artists and designers with resources and skills to develop their artistic practices.
• TAC WIP

Products and services

• Youth Programs
• Adult Classes
• Artist in Residence (TAC AIR)
• Work in Progress (TAC WIP)
• Studio Space Rental
• Project Space Gallery Rental
• TAC Gallery
• Group Classes
• Field Trips & Studio Tours Educational visits and guided studio tours at TAC Brooklyn for youth and adult groups to explore textile arts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 adult students taught since 2009
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FracturedAtlascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTAC uses FracturedAtlas's fundraising platform (fundraising.fracturedatlas.org) to host its community crowdfunding campaign for scholarships and public programming support. FracturedAtlas is a nonprofit infrastructure organization serving artists and arts organizations, providing fiscal sponsorship and fundraising tools. This is a core operational partnership enabling TAC's scholarship fundraising.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• 92nd Street Y (92Y): Large NYC cultural and community institution offering a broad portfolio of arts, craft, and textile classes for youth and adults. Comparable to TAC as a community-based arts education provider in NYC, but operating at a much larger scale and across many disciplines.

Emerging players

• Bluprint (formerly Craftsy): Online craft education platform offering video classes in sewing, quilting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, and dyeing. Comparable to TAC in curriculum coverage of textile arts disciplines, but competes via on-demand digital delivery rather than in-person studio instruction.

Regional players

• Purl Soho: NYC-based yarn and fabric retailer that also hosts in-store classes and workshops in knitting, crochet, weaving, and sewing. Comparable to TAC as a same-city textile arts class provider, though its primary identity is retail rather than education.

Direct peers

• Haystack Mountain School of Crafts: Maine-based craft school offering intensive studio workshops and residency programs in fiber, ceramics, metals, and more. Closely comparable to TAC's blended model of multi-format classes, residency, and community programming in the textile and craft education space.
• Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts: Tennessee-based arts and crafts education school offering workshops, residencies, and community programs across fiber, clay, metal, wood, and book arts. Directly comparable to TAC as a craft-education institution combining youth, adult, and artist-in-residence programming under one roof.
• Brooklyn Craft Company: Brooklyn-based craft education studio offering in-person workshops in sewing, embroidery, knitting, dyeing, weaving, and other textile arts. Directly comparable to TAC as a same-geography competitor in the NYC textile-arts class market.
• The Fashion Class: NYC-based studio offering sewing, fashion design, and textile classes for kids, teens, and adults. Directly comparable to TAC's youth and adult class programming in the same NYC market with overlapping disciplines (sewing, machine knitting, screen printing).
• Penland School of Craft: Resident-centered craft education school in North Carolina offering multi-week workshops and residencies across book arts, clay, fiber, glass, iron, metal, photography, and wood. Directly comparable to TAC as a craft-focused education and residency institution with a similar community-building and scholarship-supported model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/textileartscenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/textile-arts-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Textile Arts Center