Summit Artspace
Summit Artspace is a non-profit community arts center in Akron, Ohio, operating five galleries, artist studios, and a creative business incubator, serving local artists and the Northeast Ohio public through exhibitions, professional development programs, fiscal sponsorship, and the annual Arts Alive Awards.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAkron, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Summit Artspace does
Summit Artspace is a non-profit community arts center headquartered at 140 E Market Street in Akron, Ohio, with a secondary location in Barberton. Founded in 2015, the organization operates five galleries (Betty and Howard Taylor Main Gallery, Forum Gallery, Horizon Gallery, Welcome Gallery, Intersections Gallery, and BOX Gallery), artist studios, a creative business incubator, and event/workshop spaces serving Summit County and Northeast Ohio. Its core programs include rotating exhibitions (four major cycles annually), the FRESH and Kaleidoscope juried exhibitions, fiscal sponsorship for individual artists, the Artist Launchpad cohort program, Artist Open House meet-ups, and the annual Arts Alive Awards gala recognizing 14+ categories of artistic achievement. The organization also runs educational outreach such as the In-Studio School Field Experience and participates in community events like Akron ArtWalk and Artists Sunday.
The organization is funded through a diversified non-profit revenue model combining donations, recurring memberships, corporate and foundation sponsorships (County of Summit, FirstEnergy, Knight Foundation, GAR Foundation, Akron Community Foundation, PEGs Foundation, Ohio Arts Council), event ticket sales (Arts Alive gala at $65/person, after-party at $20/person, sponsorship tiers from $500 to $7,500), and commissions on gallery artwork sales ranging from $75 to $10,000. Its go-to-market motion is community-driven: physical gallery walk-ins, in-person events (Art After Hours, exhibition openings, ArtWalk), email newsletters, and organic social media across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. The underlying technology stack is minimal, centered on NeonCRM for the online gift shop and donor management.
Summit Artspace serves two primary constituencies: local artists and arts organizations seeking studio space, exhibition opportunities, professional development, and fiscal sponsorship, and the broader Northeast Ohio public engaging with the arts through exhibitions, education programs, and community events. The organization is led by Executive Director Natalie Grieshammer Patrick (with Heather Meeker also referenced as Executive Director in 2024 awards material, suggesting a recent leadership transition), supported by a small team of 1-10 employees and a Community Engagement Coordinator. Strategic positioning emphasizes being a convening hub for the regional arts ecosystem rather than a single-vertical service provider.
Summit Artspace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Summit Artspace
- Legal name
- Summit Artspace
- Website
- https://summitartspace.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Summit Artspace is a non-profit community arts center in Akron, Ohio, operating five galleries, artist studios, and a creative business incubator, serving local artists and the Northeast Ohio public through exhibitions, professional development programs, fiscal sponsorship, and the annual Arts Alive Awards.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Summit Artspace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Arts Center
- NAICS
- Museums (712110), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)
Keywords
Where Summit Artspace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Akron
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Summit Artspace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Artwork Sales: Summit Artspace facilitates sales of artwork displayed in galleries, with a portion of proceeds supporting the organization. Most artwork on display is available for purchase, with prices ranging from $75 to $10,000.
- Event Tickets and Reservations: The Arts Alive Awards gala and fundraiser generates revenue through ticket sales at $65 per person, with additional sponsorship opportunities ranging from $500 to $7,500.
- Donations and Memberships: The organization relies on community support through donations, memberships, and volunteer participation to fund operations and programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Arts Alive Awards & Fundraiser general admission |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Arts Alive After Party only |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Presenting Sponsor |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | $5,000 Sponsorship tiers |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Behind the Scenes Sponsor |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | $1,000 Sponsorship levels |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | $500 Sponsorship levels |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Summit Artspace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Summit Artspace is a non-profit community art center that provides five galleries with rotating exhibitions, affordable artist studios, a creative business incubator, and public programming including workshops, school field experiences, and the annual Arts Alive Awards gala. The organization supports local artists and artist-serving organizations through fiscal sponsorship, juried exhibitions, and professional development programs such as the Artist Launchpad.
Product overview
Summit Artspace is a community arts center providing a unified offering of gallery exhibitions, artist studios, and creative business incubator services. The organization operates five galleries with rotating exhibitions featuring local and regional artists, provides affordable studio space for resident artists, and hosts various public programs including the annual Arts Alive Awards. Core programs include artist care initiatives, calls for artists, fiscal sponsorship, and exhibitions such as the juried FRESH and Kaleidoscope shows.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Galleries and Exhibitions Summit Artspace operates five galleries with rotating exhibitions four times per year, showcasing local and regional artists through juried and solo exhibitions. Art on display is available for purchase at prices ranging from $75 to $10,000.
- Artist Studios Provides affordable studio space for resident artists to create and develop their work at the Akron main location and Barberton satellite location.
- Creative Business Incubator Supports growing arts startups and creative businesses with affordable workspace and resources to help creative enterprises scale.
- Arts Alive Awards Annual awards ceremony recognizing outstanding local artists, arts educators, and community advocates across 14+ categories including Lifetime Achievement, Arts Educator, Emerging Artist, Outstanding Artist (Dance, Theatre, Music, Visual, Literary), IDEA Leader, Rising Arts Leader, Champion, and Collaborative Project awards. Tickets at $65 per person; after-party at $20.
- FRESH Juried Exhibition Annual juried exhibition exploring contemporary themes. The 2025 edition titled 'Soft Offerings' was curated by Abby Cipar and Julie Polsinelli and focused on radical softness as resistance.
- Kaleidoscope Juried Exhibition Annual holiday show presented by the Alliance for the Visual Arts (AVA), open to members of AVA organizations across the region.
- Artist Launchpad Cohort-based professional development program supporting emerging artists as part of Summit Artspace's Artist Care Programs.
- Fiscal Sponsorship for Artists Financial sponsorship services enabling artists to access grants and funding opportunities through the organization's non-profit status.
- Akron ArtWalk Quarterly celebration of arts featuring artist vendors, creative activities, music, and food throughout the Historic Arts District in Akron.
- Art After Hours Curated evening events featuring resident artists and current exhibitions, free and open to the public, designed to deepen engagement in the arts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Four major exhibition cycles annually with new exhibitions in five galleries
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Summit Artspace
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Summit Artspace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Summit Artspace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and major.
- 91.3 The SummitminorMedia sponsor providing coverage for Arts Alive Awards
- University of AkronmajorLong-term institutional partner supporting arts programming and community engagement
- Gum Dip TheatreminorPartner in Little Amal Collaborative Project award recipient
- Akron-Summit County Public LibraryminorPartner in Little Amal Collaborative Project; celebrating 150th anniversary with ArtWalk 2024
- North Hill Community Development CorporationminorPartner in Little Amal Collaborative Project
- Akron Art MuseummajorPartner institution collaborating on exhibitions and programming including Keith Haring exhibition
- Summit Metro ParksminorLocal partner for mural projects and community engagement
- Great Streets AkronminorPartner for public art and mural initiatives
- Bounce Innovation HubminorAkron innovation center partner for creative business development
- Art Bomb BrigademinorLocal arts organization for mural and community art projects
- Let's Grow AkronminorLocal organization receiving portion of artwork sales from FRESH 2025 exhibition to support food access and emerging artist work
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Summit Artspace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Zygote Press: Cleveland-based nonprofit printmaking and fine art studio with exhibition programming. Regional peer to Summit Artspace within Northeast Ohio, sharing artist-development and exhibition missions but specializing in printmaking rather than visual arts broadly.
- Wexner Center for the Arts: Columbus, OH contemporary arts center affiliated with Ohio State University. Regional peer in Ohio operating galleries, exhibitions, and artist programming, though at substantially larger scale and with university endowment support.
Direct peers
- Akron Art Museum: Larger Akron-based art museum operating galleries, exhibitions, and education programs in the same geographic market. Summit Artspace is documented as a partner with the Akron Art Museum (e.g., Keith Haring exhibition), making them the closest direct peer competing for overlapping audiences, artists, and corporate sponsorships.
- Creative Alliance: Baltimore-based nonprofit community arts organization operating galleries, artist studios, and community programs. Comparable model to Summit Artspace combining affordable studio space, exhibitions, and public programming under one nonprofit.
- Torpedo Factory Art Center: Historic Alexandria, VA building converted into artist studios, galleries, and workshops. Operates with a very similar model to Summit Artspace — resident artists, rotating exhibitions, and public programming in a multi-tenant arts facility — and faces analogous challenges around nonprofit sustainability and facility operations.
- Silvermine Arts Center: Connecticut-based nonprofit arts center combining galleries, artist studios, and an art school. Comparable to Summit Artspace's multi-program community arts center model including exhibitions, studio rentals, and educational programming under a single nonprofit.
- Bakehouse Art Complex: Miami-based nonprofit artist studio complex with gallery exhibitions and affordable workspace for working artists. Closely mirrors Summit Artspace's artist studio + gallery + community programming combination under a nonprofit structure.
Broad incumbents
- Artspace (national): National nonprofit that supports affordable artist studio space and arts-driven community development. Comparable to Summit Artspace's combination of galleries, artist studios, and creative business incubator under a nonprofit model, though operating at much greater national scale.
Others
- Akron Society of Artists: Akron-area artist membership organization explicitly referenced as a long-time Summit Artspace partner. Directly comparable through shared artist membership and exhibition programming in the same Akron market, though it does not operate physical studios or galleries.
- Women's Art League of Akron: Akron-based historic arts organization (90+ year partnership with Summit Artspace) that supports local women artists. Directly comparable through overlapping membership and shared exhibition programming, but operates as a membership group rather than a multi-program community arts center.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Summit Artspace social profiles
Digital presenceSummit Artspace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Summit Artspace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Summit Artspace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Summit Artspace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Summit Artspace
What does Summit Artspace do?
Summit Artspace is a non-profit community art center that provides five galleries with rotating exhibitions, affordable artist studios, a creative business incubator, and public programming including workshops, school field experiences, and the annual Arts Alive Awards gala. The organization supports local artists and artist-serving organizations through fiscal sponsorship, juried exhibitions, and professional development programs such as the Artist Launchpad.
Is Summit Artspace a public or private company?
Summit Artspace is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Summit Artspace founded?
Summit Artspace was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Summit Artspace based?
Summit Artspace is headquartered in Akron, United States, in the North America region.
How does Summit Artspace make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Artwork Sales are the primary driver. The others are event Tickets and Reservations and donations and Memberships.
Who are Summit Artspace's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Zygote Press and Wexner Center for the Arts. Direct peers are Akron Art Museum, Creative Alliance, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Silvermine Arts Center and Bakehouse Art Complex. Artspace (national) is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are Akron Society of Artists and Women's Art League of Akron.
Does Summit Artspace have an API?
No public API is recorded for Summit Artspace.
What industry is Summit Artspace in?
Summit Artspace's product category is Community Arts Center. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAD, Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations, with a secondary code of THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit). Its NAICS code is 712110 and its SIC code is 7900.