What CUE Art Foundation does

CUE Art Foundation is a New York City-based nonprofit arts organization founded in 2003 that supports emerging and underrecognized contemporary artists through a portfolio of gallery exhibitions, mentorship programs, educational initiatives, and publications. The organization operates a physical gallery at 137 W. 25th Street in Manhattan's Chelsea district, open Wednesday through Saturday, hosting rotating solo and group exhibitions selected through an annual Open Call. Beyond exhibitions, CUE runs the Art Critic Mentorship Program (ACMP) in partnership with AICA-USA, which pairs emerging writers with established art critic mentors to produce catalogue essays, and the CUE Teen Collective, an arts education program launched around 2017-2018 for NYC high school students that culminates in annual exhibitions. The organization also produces digital and print exhibition catalogues via the Issuu platform, hosts opening receptions, performative dinners, and public programs, and participates in external art fairs including NADA New York.

CUE generates revenue through a diversified nonprofit funding model comprising individual donations, a membership program with recurring benefits, sales of limited edition merchandise and artwork editions (including tote bags at $40 and ceramics like Jairo Sosa's Flashback), space rental of its gallery facility, and public and private grants. Major programmatic funders include the Arison Arts Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation, Evercore, Inc., and the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, while public funding flows from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The organization's GTM motion is community-led and event-driven, leveraging deep alumni networks, artist mentorship, and participatory programming rather than traditional commercial sales channels. CUE is governed by a board of directors (currently presided over by Ted S. Berger) and is led by Executive Director Jinny Khanduja, who was appointed in April 2022 from Storefront for Art and Architecture. The organization operates with 1-10 employees and a single Manhattan location, with limited geographic expansion beyond NYC.

Name

CUE Art Foundation

Legal name

CUE Art Foundation

Website

https://cueartfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CUE Art Foundation is a NYC-based nonprofit founded in 2003 that supports emerging and underrecognized contemporary artists through gallery exhibitions, the Art Critic Mentorship Program, CUE Teen Collective, and publications. It serves artists, art critics, and NYC high school students via its Chelsea gallery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Arts & Culture

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Artist mentorship programs
• Arts education
• Nonprofit art foundation
• Exhibition catalogues

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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. Membership Program: CUE operates a membership program offering exclusive benefits, professional development opportunities, and special events. Members receive access to events and support the organization's mission of championing artist-centered programs.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations and supporter contributions. The organization maintains a donors page and encourages direct financial support.
3. Shop Sales: Sales of limited edition merchandise including exhibition catalogues (free print, digital available), tote bags ($40), artwork editions, and benefit auction items. Proceeds support CUE's programs and artists.
4. Space Rental: CUE offers space rental options for their gallery location at 137 W. 25th Street.
5. Public and Private Grants: Programmatic support from foundations including Arison Arts Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation, Evercore, Inc., Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, and public funds from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts, and National Endowment for the Arts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CUE Art Foundation is a nonprofit arts organization that presents contemporary art exhibitions, mentorship programs, and educational initiatives supporting emerging and underrecognized artists. Its core offerings include solo and group exhibitions at its Manhattan gallery, the Art Critic Mentorship Program (ACMP) with AICA-USA, the CUE Teen Collective for NYC high school students, an annual Open Call for exhibitions, and free digital and print exhibition catalogues. The organization also operates a retail shop for limited edition artworks and a membership program for supporters.

Product overview

CUE Art Foundation is a nonprofit arts organization offering a platform for emerging and underrecognized artists through gallery exhibitions, mentorship programs, and educational initiatives. The organization operates as a unified program portfolio centered on its gallery space at 137 W. 25th Street in Manhattan. Core offerings include rotating solo and group exhibitions selected through an annual Open Call, the Art Critic Mentorship Program (ACMP) that produces exhibition catalogues and essays, and the CUE Teen Collective arts education program for NYC high school students. Revenue-generating products include the CUE Shop and mādar Shop retail operations selling limited edition artworks and merchandise, a Membership Program, and Space Rental services. All programmes are supported by public and private funding including the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYS Council on the Arts, and foundation support from organizations including the Arison Arts Foundation and The Andy Warhol Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gallery Exhibitions
• Art Critic Mentorship Program (ACMP)
• CUE Teen Collective
• Open Call for Exhibitions
• Membership Program
• Space Rental
• CUE Shop
• mādar Shop
• Digital Catalogues
• Catalogue Essay Archive
• Evercore Artist Award
• Office Hours

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AICA-USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between CUE and the US section of International Association of Art Critics for the Art Critic Mentorship Program, pairing emerging writers with established art critic mentors.
• ArtNoirminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative partnership for programming, including joint events such as the closing program for Cornelius Tulloch's Vendah exhibition.
• Forest For TreesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPittsburgh-based artist-run teahouse collaborated on the Saplings group exhibition showcasing NYC youth artists including CUE Teen Collective alumni.
• NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUE participates in NADA New York art fair annually and presents satellite programming at NADA House on Governors Island.
• PeelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPittsburgh-based artist-run teahouse partnered with CUE Art on the '—dirt— *earth*' one-night program by Tsohil Bhatia.
• Montez Press RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcast partnership featuring artist interviews and discussions about exhibitions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Drawing Center: SoHo-based nonprofit art museum dedicated to drawing and contemporary artistic practice, presenting exhibitions and educational programs — comparable as a NYC nonprofit visual-arts exhibition and education organization.
• Artists Space: NYC nonprofit organization founded to support emerging artists through exhibitions, publications, and public programs — closely aligned with CUE's emerging-artist exhibition, publication (catalogues), and mentorship model.
• White Columns: New York City nonprofit alternative art space dedicated to exhibiting and supporting emerging and underrecognized artists through an artist-first curatorial model — directly comparable to CUE's open-call solo exhibition mission.
• SculptureCenter: Long-running NYC nonprofit art institution presenting exhibitions of contemporary sculpture and supporting emerging and mid-career artists — operates in a similar nonprofit-gallery model with comparable funding mix and artist-support programs.
• The Kitchen: NYC nonprofit arts institution presenting experimental contemporary art across visual, performing, and media arts — comparable as a small-staff, mission-driven nonprofit gallery/programming organization supporting emerging artists.
• Printed Matter, Inc. NYC nonprofit organization dedicated to artists' books and publications, operating a bookstore and exhibition space — analogous nonprofit cultural-publishing and retail model to CUE's catalogue-essay publication and shop.
• Storefront for Art and Architecture: NYC nonprofit gallery exploring art, architecture, and urbanism through exhibitions and public programs — CUE's current Executive Director Jinny Khanduja came directly from Storefront, signaling institutional and operational overlap.

Broad incumbents

• New Museum: NYC museum dedicated to contemporary and emerging art with exhibition, education, and artist-residency programs — comparable mission and audience, but operates at significantly larger scale and scope than CUE.
• MoMA PS1: Affiliated with MoMA and focused on contemporary art, MoMA PS1 presents exhibitions and programs supporting experimental and emerging practice — operates the same NYC contemporary-art exhibition/education niche as CUE but at much greater scale.

Regional players

• Independent Curators International (ICI): NYC-based nonprofit that produces traveling exhibitions and curatorial programs supporting contemporary art practice — comparable in nonprofit mission supporting artist/curator development, but with a curatorial-development rather than gallery-exhibition orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cueartfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cue-art-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 CUE Art Foundation