Xavier Cortada Studio

What Xavier Cortada Studio does

Xavier Cortada Studio, operating as Xavier Cortada, Inc., is a privately held Miami-based eco-artist practice owned and operated by founder Xavier Cortada. The studio produces site-specific public artworks, installations, collaborative murals, and participatory eco-art projects addressing climate change, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss, having delivered more than 150 works across six continents over three decades. Cortada is documented as the only artist to have created work at both the Earth's poles, and the practice maintains ongoing collaborations with CERN, the National Science Foundation, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, the National Academy of Sciences, and a range of museums, universities, and municipal clients.

Revenue is generated through a diversified set of streams: limited-edition signed pigment prints ($250-$1,000) sold via an e-commerce storefront on cortada.com, custom public art commissions for institutions such as the White House, World Bank, CERN, Frost Art Museum, and Miami City Hall, speaking engagements at venues including TED, CERN, Harvard, and the White House, art licensing through Bridgeman Images, and tax-deductible donations plus Academy tuition through the affiliated Xavier Cortada Foundation. The Foundation operates the Cortada Science Art Academy, an after-school science-art program at Pinecrest Gardens offering one to three modules at $500-$1,350 per child, supplemented by a $495 scholarship fund. The studio reports 1-10 employees, has no disclosed external funding, and remains entirely under founder control with affiliated sub-brands including the Foundation, Cortada Academy, and Hibiscus Gallery.

Name

Xavier Cortada Studio

Legal name

Xavier Cortada, Inc.

Website

https://cortada.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Xavier Cortada Studio is a privately held Miami-based eco-artist practice that creates site-specific public artworks, installations, and participatory environmental projects for museums, governments, and scientific institutions, monetized via commissions, prints, speaking, licensing, and the affiliated Foundation's Academy tuition and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Art Services

NAICS

Photography Studios, Portrait (541921)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD), Digital Arts & Design (Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation) (EDAMAAAB), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Eco-art installations
• Public art commissions
• Climate art practice
• Science-art education
• Participatory art campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Pinecrest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Art Print Sales: Sale of limited-edition signed and numbered pigment prints on archival paper. Products available through e-commerce checkout with shipping. Includes prints like 'Music' ($1,000), 'Mangroves (on Blue)' ($750), and 'Vincennes' ($250 for scholarship donors).
2. Academy Tuition: After-school science-art education program at Pinecrest Gardens. Revenue from module-based enrollment: one module $500, two modules $950, three modules $1,350 per child. Includes materials, art supplies, and program t-shirts.
3. Public Art Commissions: Commissioned public artworks for museums, city halls, universities, government buildings, and corporate clients. Notable commissions include White House, World Bank, CERN, Frost Art Museum, and Miami City Hall.
4. Speaking Engagements: Revenue from keynote speeches, academic lectures, and artist talks at venues including TED, CERN, Harvard, and White House.
5. Foundation Donations: Tax-deductible donations to the Xavier Cortada Foundation supporting scholarship funds and community eco-art projects. Scholarship fund covers $495 per child for Academy attendance.
6. Art Licensing: Licensing of artwork through Bridgeman Images for commercial reproduction and use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Xavier Cortada Studio is an eco-artist practice that creates public art installations, commissioned murals, and participatory environmental campaigns addressing climate change, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss. The studio also runs the Cortada Science Art Academy, an after-school science-art education program at Pinecrest Gardens, and sells limited-edition signed archival prints and merchandise through its e-commerce storefront.

Product overview

Xavier Cortada Studio is a Miami-based eco-artist practice offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services: the core artist practice creates public art commissions, exhibitions, and speaking engagements; the Cortada Science Art Academy provides educational programming for students; limited edition prints are sold as products; and the Xavier Cortada Foundation advances community-driven environmental art projects. Key projects include the Longitudinal Installation (performed at both poles), Antarctic art projects created during NSF fellowships, and The Underwater climate action campaign.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cortada Academy: Science art education program teaching students environmental conservation through art and science at Pinecrest Gardens.
• Hibiscus Gallery

Products and services

• Public Art Commissions Custom site-specific public artworks and installations commissioned by institutional clients (museums, governments, universities, corporations) addressing environmental concerns such as climate change, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss. Venues include White House, World Bank, CERN, Frost Art Museum, and Miami City Hall.
• Limited Edition Prints Signed and numbered limited-edition pigment prints on archival Somerset velvet paper, including 'Music' ($1,000, edition of 100), 'Mangroves (on Blue)' ($750), and 'Vincennes' ($250 for scholarship donors). Sold directly to individual collectors with flat-rate shipping and Florida sales tax applied.
• Speaking Engagements Keynote speeches, academic lectures, and artist talks that combine artistic creativity with scientific knowledge to address environmental and social concerns. Booked by universities, conferences, cultural institutions, and corporate events.
• Exhibitions Solo and group exhibitions featuring site-specific installations at museums, science centers, and cultural venues globally, including the National Academy of Sciences, Nobel Peace Center, BOZAR Brussels, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, and Miami institutions.
• Cortada Science Art Academy After-school program at Pinecrest Gardens teaching K-12 students to use art and science to address environmental concerns, with curriculum modules on biodiversity, Florida ecosystems, and polar science. Modular pricing: one module $500, two modules $950, three modules $1,350 per child, including materials, art supplies, and program t-shirts.

Quantifiable outcome

• TED Talk on climate action through art (2022 TED Countdown)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Science Foundation (NSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF Antarctic Artists and Writers Program Fellowship enabling Cortada's artistic work in Antarctica. Cortada worked with scientists using ice sheets, glacier samples, and sediment from Antarctic Dry Valleys for art installations. Partnership established his credentials as a science-art practitioner.
• CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with physicists at world's largest particle physics laboratory. Created site-specific installation capturing five search strategies for Higgs particle discovery. Five giant banners hang at CMS experiment location where particle was discovered. Also collaborated on ancestral DNA exploration project with population geneticist.
• Pinecrest Gardens / Village of PinecrestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Cortada Science Art Academy after-school program. Partnership delivers science-art education to K-12 students as part of Village of Pinecrest's educational programming. Pinecrest Gardens serves as South Florida's Cultural Arts Park.
• New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYFA-sponsored artist project '90N' for North Pole Longitudinal Installation (2008). Partnership built on 2007 South Pole work supported by NSF fellowship.
• Hubbard Brook Experimental ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term Artist-in-Residence since 2012. Collaboration with scientists on water cycle visualization project driven by real-time data from New Hampshire's White Mountains watershed.
• National Academy of SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner"Xavier Cortada: Climate Science Art" exhibition opened at National Academy of Sciences headquarters in Washington, D.C. in July 2024. Partnership positions climate art within premier scientific institution.
• Miami-Dade CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServed as Miami-Dade County's inaugural Artist-in-Residence. Ongoing partnership for public art installations and community engagement projects across the county.
• Nobel Peace Center (Oslo, Norway)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner"Envisioning Change" international group exhibition (June-August 2007) featuring Longitudinal Installation. Partnership with BOZAR Center for Fine Arts in Brussels for traveling exhibition.
• Boulder Museum of Contemporary ArtminorStrategic or Co-development Partner"Weather Report: Art & Climate Change" exhibition (September-December 2007) curated by Lucy Lippard featuring Cortada's Antarctic work.
• Xavier Cortada FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Xavier Cortada to grow and advance socially engaged art projects. Runs community eco-art initiatives and Cortada Science Art Academy scholarship fund. Tax-deductible donations support community programs.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned artwork for World Bank, establishing presence in international development and climate finance sectors.
• University of MiamicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlma mater providing ongoing partnership. Frost Art Museum commissioned work for Festival Miami. Artist holds bachelor's, master's, and law degrees from institution.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Meow Wolf: Meow Wolf operates immersive, large-scale art experiences with permanent exhibitions and ticketed entry, blending participatory installation art with environmental and narrative themes. It is comparable to Xavier Cortada Studio because both monetize site-specific, immersive art for general audiences, combine creation with educational programming, and rely on community-engaged storytelling rather than traditional gallery sales.
• Public Art Fund: Public Art Fund is a New York-based nonprofit that commissions and presents site-specific public artworks in collaboration with artists and city agencies. It is comparable to Cortada's practice because both rely on commissioned public art for civic and cultural institutions, depend on partnerships with museums and government, and pursue community-engaged environmental and social themes.
• Creative Time: Creative Time is a New York nonprofit that produces public art projects with social and environmental focus, working with artists on temporary and permanent installations. It is comparable to Xavier Cortada Studio because both operate nonprofit-supported public art practices that pair artists with civic and cultural institutions around climate, equity, and community themes.

Broad incumbents

• Storm King Art Center: Storm King is a 500-acre outdoor sculpture park in New York's Hudson Valley presenting large-scale site-specific and environmental art. It is comparable to Cortada because both present site-specific environmental art for public audiences and use landscape-scale installations to engage visitors in ecological themes.
• Dia Art Foundation: Dia Art Foundation commissions, presents, and maintains large-scale, site-specific artworks and installations at its own venues and partner sites. It is comparable to Cortada's studio because both steward long-term artist-driven installations with environmental and conceptual themes and operate site networks rather than traditional retail galleries.
• Burning Man Project: Burning Man Project is a nonprofit that produces participatory art events and supports large-scale community-led installations globally. It is comparable to Cortada's community-engaged eco-art projects and Foundation model in that both use art to mobilize participants around social and environmental missions and rely on donations plus event-based engagement.
• Fondation Carmignac: Fondation Carmignac is a private art foundation that commissions site-specific installations on environmental and scientific themes and operates a public sculpture park on a Mediterranean island. It is comparable to Cortada's practice because both fund eco-focused commissioned art, host public exhibitions of site-specific environmental work, and combine artistic output with science communications.

Regional players

• Socrates Sculpture Park: Socrates Sculpture Park is a New York City outdoor sculpture park and public art park that commissions site-specific installations and runs community art programs. It is comparable to Cortada's Foundation and Academy in combining a public park venue with commissioned environmental art and free educational programming for local communities.

Emerging players

• teamLab: teamLab is a multidisciplinary art collective creating large-scale digital and immersive installations with science and nature themes. It is comparable to Cortada because both blend scientific collaboration with public-facing art, deliver site-specific installations at museums and science institutions globally, and monetize through exhibitions, licensing, and ticketed immersive experiences.
• Color Factory: Color Factory operates ticketed immersive, interactive art experiences in multiple U.S. cities with limited-edition print and merchandise sales. It is comparable to Cortada in combining experiential art installation with direct-to-consumer limited-edition print sales and a multi-venue distribution model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/xcortada
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLADCbAFyeR_3yreJhzW9lw
• Facebookfacebook.com/xcortada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xavier-cortada-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/xcortada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Xavier Cortada Studio