Conseil d'Affaires des Femmes Afrique-Canada

What Conseil d'Affaires des Femmes Afrique-Canada does

Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC) is a Minneapolis-based non-profit arts organization founded in 2007 by six neighbors to preserve and teach traditional fire arts crafts. Operating from the historic 1915 Nokomis Theater building at 3749 Chicago Avenue in the George Floyd Square corridor of South Minneapolis, the center offers instruction and shop access across blacksmithing, enameling, glass work, jewelry making, metal casting, neon bending, and sculptural welding. Its programming is structured around paid classes, the SPARC shop-access membership model, a gallery consignment program, an artist residency track, and youth-focused offerings via the Spark Project.

The organization's revenue model blends earned income with philanthropic support. Earned streams include per-student class fees, recurring SPARC memberships, gallery consignment splits, and fees from public art commissions such as the John Biggers Seed Project (300+ enameled panels). Grant and donation revenue is sourced from institutional funders including Hennepin County, the Minnesota State Arts Board, Trellis MN, and partners such as Metro Blooms, Juxtaposition Arts, Greenway Solar, the Office of Cultural Work, CANDO, the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths, FOCI, and 612 Mash. Customer segments span individual hobbyists, emerging and established artists, youth, and institutional commissioners including municipalities and developers.

In 2021 CAFAC installed a 66-panel solar array in partnership with Greenway Solar, reducing facility energy costs. In 2023 it completed a Foundry Shed expansion and Parking Yard redesign, and in 2025 it launched a capital campaign to purchase its long-time home building. Leadership comprises Executive Director Victoria Lauing, Artistic Director Heather Sona Lasair, and a board led by Chair Missy Staudinger, Treasurer Ryan Sweeney, and Secretary Amanda Kaler.

Name

Conseil d'Affaires des Femmes Afrique-Canada

Legal name

Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center

Website

https://cafac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center is a Minneapolis non-profit founded in 2007 that teaches blacksmithing, enameling, glass, jewelry, metal casting, neon, and sculptural welding from a historic building, serving hobbyists, artists, youth, and institutional commissioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education and Nonprofit Community Arts

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMADAC

Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Robotics, Engineering & Makerspaces

SECONDARYEDAAAGAH

Beverage & Mixology (Coffee, Tea, Wine, Cocktails)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Personal Enrichment & Hobby Learning (Arts, Crafts, Music, Cooking)

SECONDARYEDAOADAH

CNC Plasma/Laser Cutting & Automated Fabrication Training

Education/Vocational, Technical & Trade Education/Welding, Metalwork & Fabrication

Keywords

• Fire arts education
• Metalworking classes
• Public art commissions
• Artist studio access
• Arts scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Class fees and tuition: Classes are offered quarterly with registration fees. Youth camps offered during summer and school breaks. Members of Fuelership supporters program get early registration benefits.
2. Shop access programs: SPARC (Studio Pass at Reduced Cost) pass for weekly shop hours, and private studios with full-time shop access for skilled users.
3. Gallery sales (consignment): Gallery features work on consignment year-round with proceeds split between gallery artists and scholarship fund. Operates on a regenerative model.
4. Public art commissions and fabrication: CAFAC collaborates on public art projects, providing design, fabrication, installation, and project management services for clients including government agencies, developers, and organizations.
5. Donations and grants: CAFAC receives individual contributions and grants to support scholarships and operations. They accept donations through PayPal and GiveMN platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Conseil d'Affaires des Femmes Afrique-Canada (operating as the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, CAFAC) is a nonprofit arts organization that delivers hands-on fire arts education, shared studio access, and public art fabrication services. It offers classes in blacksmithing, bronze casting, jewelry, enameling, glass, neon, and welding, and supports artists through residencies, gallery representation, and well-equipped studio rentals.

Product overview

Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC) is a non-profit arts organization offering a comprehensive suite of fire arts programs. The core offerings include quarterly classes in blacksmithing, enameling, glass, jewelry making, metal casting, neon, and sculptural welding; shop access programs with equipment rental; gallery exhibitions with consignment; artist residency; public art services; and scholarship programs. The organization operates as a single unified arts center with interconnected programs—classes feed into shop access and gallery opportunities, scholarships support access across all programs, and public art projects often involve community collaboration. Additional offerings include the Fuelership supporter program, commissioning services (CCC), and community events like Bowls & Spoons and the Spark youth program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fuelership: CAFAC's supporters program offering early registration benefits for classes.
• SPARC
• The Spark Project
• Nokomis Gallery
• RedHot Gift Shop
• Artist Residency Program

Products and services

• Fire Arts Classes (blacksmithing, bronze casting, enameling, glass, jewelry, metal casting, neon, welding) Multi-discipline hands-on fire arts classes in blacksmithing, bronze casting, enameling, glass slumping, jewelry, metal casting, neon bending, and welding, offered to adult learners and hobbyists at the Minneapolis facility.
• Fuelership Membership Program Recurring membership and sponsorship program providing supporters with benefits while funding CAFAC's general operations and programming.
• SPARC (Shared Studio Access for Artists) Studio access program providing working artists with shared use of CAFAC's fire arts equipment and studio space for ongoing independent practice.
• Public Art Commissions Custom fabrication of large-scale metal, glass, and neon public art installations for government, developer, and institutional clients, leveraging CAFAC's in-house fire arts facilities.
• Gallery and Consignment Sales On-site gallery that exhibits and sells artwork made by member and community artists on consignment, providing retail exposure for makers.
• Artist Residency Program Time-limited artist residency providing selected makers with studio access, equipment, and resources to develop new fire arts work.
• Scholarship Program Need- and equity-based scholarships that subsidize class tuition and studio access for women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other equity-deserving artists and students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 53% of scholarship recipients in 2025 identified as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Metro BloomscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Long-standing collaboration on community stormwater management and rain garden projects. Metro Blooms helps evaluate CAFAC's infrastructural needs for water management, and they collaborate on artistic elements for conservation practices including garden trellises and sculptural water conveyances. Also collaborated on CAFAC's own stormwater system design and Parking Yard redesign.
• Greenway SolarcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Local solar installer that installed CAFAC's 66-panel solar array covering approximately two-thirds of their roof area. The array powers tools including welders, furnaces, kilns, and the greenhouse at George Floyd Square.
• Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CAFAC fabricated designs created by JXTA apprentices for the Guthrie Theatre outdoor bench installation. JXTA apprentices previously toured CAFAC and felt CAFAC's community-oriented values align with JXTA's mission. JXTA Environmental Design Lab apprentices design public art projects with CAFAC providing fabrication support.
• CANDOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Supported the Spark Project, a weekly drop-in workshop for neighborhood youth (ages 12+) to learn welding, casting, and blacksmithing skills. The program was aimed at Black and Brown young people living near 38th & Chicago.
• Society of Inclusive BlacksmithscoreOthersProvides scholarship funding for blacksmithing classes to increase diversity in the craft and support historically marginalized groups including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, female, and disabled individuals. Funds 100% tuition coverage for qualifying students.
• Trellis MNmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal estate developer with equity focus collaborated with CAFAC on Calvary Lutheran Church conversion project. Trellis engaged CAFAC to coordinate and fabricate 'Eternal Flame' public art sculpture honoring the building's 100-year community legacy.
• Office of Cultural WorkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLed multiple public art projects where CAFAC provided fabrication services. Projects include Ernestine Apartments (Seitu Jones), Rivkin Tree Grates (Sayge Carroll), and Philando Castile Memorial Peace Garden. CAFAC serves as fabrication partner for their public art initiatives.
• FOCI, Minnesota Center for Glass ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmma Wood did work exchange with FOCI to learn glass techniques. CAFAC recommends students also take neon classes at FOCI, indicating collaborative relationship in Twin Cities glass arts community.
• 612 MashminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on creation of 'Giving Tree' sculpture to place in George Floyd Square as part of Spark Project youth programming continuation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Penland School of Craft: North Carolina-based non-profit craft school offering workshops and residencies in metal, glass, and other media. Comparable as a craft education institution, though it operates as a residential school rather than a neighborhood arts center.
• Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts: Tennessee-based non-profit craft education center with workshops, residencies, and gallery in metals, glass, wood, and fiber. Comparable in arts-education + residency model, though broader craft scope and residential rather than community-based.
• Houston Center for Contemporary Craft: Non-profit craft education center with classes, residencies, gallery, and metalsmithing programs. Comparable in mission to educate around craft and support emerging artists, with similar emphasis on metals and metalwork.

Direct peers

• The Crucible: Oakland-based non-profit industrial arts education center offering classes and studio access in blacksmithing, welding, glass, ceramics, and other fire/metal arts. Most directly comparable to CAFAC in mission, programming mix, and community-maker model.
• Pratt Fine Arts Center: Seattle-based non-profit that provides studio access, classes, and exhibition in jewelry, metalsmithing, and several fire arts. Directly comparable in educational-plus-studio-access model targeting community and emerging artists.
• The Steel Yard: Providence, RI non-profit industrial arts center focused on metalsmithing, blacksmithing, and fabrication with public art commissions. Closely aligned with CAFAC's fire arts + public art + community workforce model.

Regional players

• Franconia Sculpture Park: Minnesota-based outdoor sculpture park with artist residencies and community programs. Comparable in artist-development and public art dimension of CAFAC's mission, though it focuses on large-scale sculpture rather than fire arts instruction.
• Northern Clay Center: Minneapolis-based non-profit ceramics-focused arts center with classes, studio access, and gallery. Highly comparable in community-focused studio/gallery/education format and Twin Cities footprint, but specializes in clay rather than fire/metal arts.

Emerging players

• FOCI, Minnesota Center for Glass Arts: Minneapolis-area hot glass studio and education center. Already a partner of CAFAC (work exchanges and referrals), and overlaps in fire arts education and glass instruction, though narrower in craft focus.
• Artisan's Asylum: Large Somerville, MA makerspace offering classes, studio access, and fabrication across many disciplines including metalwork. Comparable in maker-studio-access model but broader and less fire-arts focused than CAFAC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-avenue-fire-arts-center

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 Conseil d'Affaires des Femmes Afrique-Canada