National Watercolor Society

What National Watercolor Society does

The National Watercolor Society (NWS), founded in 1920 as the California Water Color Society and renamed in 1975, is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit artist society operating as an all-volunteer organization from its owned headquarters and gallery at 915 South Pacific Avenue, San Pedro, California. Its mission is to encourage innovation in watermedia through education, outreach, and exhibitions. Core products are the annual International Open Exhibition (the flagship juried show, in its 106th edition in 2026, distributing over $40,000 in cash and merchandise awards) and the annual online Member Exhibition (distributing $10,000 in awards), supplemented by Permanent Collection acquisitions, special exhibitions, and curated museum and international exchange shows.

Member services are delivered through workshops (multi-day in-person master artist sessions priced at $500 for members / $550 for non-members), the Watercolor Watercooler monthly virtual Zoom series featuring brand demonstrations, the One-on-One Critique Program priced at $75 per 30-minute Zoom session with Master-level mentors, and the ScholARTship Award mentorship program established in 2020. The membership model is hybrid: an Associate tier at $60/year provides access to benefits and a pathway to Signature membership (via juried exhibition acceptance), Master Signature status at 6 acceptances, and Gold Master Signature at 12 acceptances, with increasingly prestigious credentialing.

Revenue is derived from membership dues, exhibition entry fees, workshop and critique session fees, merchandise sales through an Ecwid-powered NWS Store, a four-tier corporate sponsorship program (Bronze $250–$499 through Platinum $5,000+), and individual donations across designated funds. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight and community-operational: Wild Apricot for membership and event management, CaFE (Call for Entry) for exhibition submissions, Ecwid for e-commerce, Zoom for virtual programming, and Google/Microsoft/Apple SSO for member authentication, with social presence concentrated on Facebook, Instagram, and the NWSStream YouTube channel.

Name

National Watercolor Society

Legal name

National Watercolor Society

Website

https://nationalwatercolorsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Watercolor Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit artist society (est. 1920) that serves nearly 2,000 international watermedia artists through juried exhibitions, workshops, critique programs, and a tiered membership credentialing structure, funded by dues, fees, sponsorships, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Pedro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues provide recurring revenue. Associate membership is $60/year. The membership year runs from January 1 through December 31. Dues are tax-deductible as the organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
2. Exhibition Entry Fees: Artists pay entry fees to submit work to the International Open Exhibition and Member Exhibition. NWS members receive discounted entry fees compared to non-members.
3. Workshop Fees: The society conducts workshops featuring Master artists. Fees are $500 for NWS members and $550 for non-members for multi-day workshops. Individual critique sessions are $75 per 30-minute session.
4. Sponsorships and Donations: Corporate sponsors at Platinum ($5000+), Gold ($2000-$4999), Silver ($500-$1999), and Bronze ($250-$499) levels. Individual donors support various funds including the International Open Exhibition Awards Fund, Building Fund, General Fund, and Grapevine Education Fund.
5. Merchandise Sales: NWS Store powered by Ecwid sells merchandise to members and the public.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Watercolor Society is a membership-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes watermedia through annual juried exhibitions (International Open Exhibition and Member Exhibition), educational programs (workshops, One-on-One Critique sessions, Watercolor Watercooler virtual events), and community programming for approximately 2,000 international watermedia artists. The Society operates a tiered membership structure (Associate, Signature, Master, Gold Master), offers mentorship awards (ScholARTship), awards more than $40,000 annually in exhibition prizes, and maintains a permanent collection housed at its San Pedro, California gallery.

Product overview

The National Watercolor Society operates as an artist membership organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings center on watermedia exhibitions and educational programs: the NWS International Open Exhibition (flagship annual event), the NWS Member Exhibition (online annual showcase), and Special Exhibitions at the gallery. Educational offerings include workshops, the One-on-One Critique Program for personalized mentorship, and Watercolor Watercooler monthly Zoom sessions. The Society also provides membership tiers (Associate, Signature, Master, Gold Master), a video/livestream content library on YouTube, an e-commerce store, and maintains its physical gallery in San Pedro, CA. The organization uses Wild Apricot for membership management, Ecwid for the store, CaFE for exhibition entries, and offers Google/Microsoft/Apple login for member authentication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dixon TiconderogacoreTechnology or IntegrationArt supply brand providing product demonstrations during NWS Watercolor Watercooler virtual events, engaging members with new techniques and products.
• Michael HardingcoreTechnology or IntegrationArtist brand providing product demonstrations during NWS Watercolor Watercooler virtual events, showcasing products to the NWS member community.
• Daniel SmithcoreTechnology or IntegrationArt supply brand providing product demonstrations during NWS Watercolor Watercooler virtual events and offering member discounts.
• CarEasy.orgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVehicle donation program partner allowing donors to support NWS by contributing vehicles, with the organization receiving proceeds from the donation program.
• Wild ApricotcoreTechnology or IntegrationMembership software platform powering the NWS website, member management, event registration, and online membership functionality.
• CaFE (Call for Entries)coreTechnology or IntegrationOnline exhibition entry platform used by NWS for accepting and managing artwork submissions for the International Open Exhibition and Member Exhibition.
• ZoomcoreTechnology or IntegrationVideo conferencing platform used for Watercolor Watercooler virtual events, one-on-one critique sessions, and member exhibitions virtual receptions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ohio Watercolor Society: Ohio Watercolor Society is a regional nonprofit society hosting annual juried watercolor exhibitions and Signature membership recognition. Directly comparable to NWS in structure, with a Midwest geographic focus.
• Transparent Watercolor Society of America: Transparent Watercolor Society of America is a national nonprofit dedicated exclusively to transparent watercolor, mirroring NWS's juried-exhibition and Signature-member model. The two societies compete for the same artist pool and exhibition prestige.
• American Watercolor Society: The American Watercolor Society (AWS), founded in 1866, is the oldest and most direct peer to NWS. Both are nonprofit watercolor membership societies running annual juried international exhibitions, signature-tier credentials, and educational programming for watermedia artists.
• Texas Watercolor Society: Texas Watercolor Society is a regional nonprofit watercolor society running annual juried exhibitions and Signature membership tiers. Comparable to NWS in operating model and target artist base, but with a Texas-centric geographic focus.
• Philadelphia Water Color Club: The Philadelphia Water Color Club is one of the oldest watercolor societies in the US, founded in 1898, and operates on a similar membership-and-juried-exhibition model as NWS. It directly competes for exhibiting watercolor artists in the Mid-Atlantic.

Broad incumbents

• Salmagundi Club: Salmagundi Club is a historic New York-based arts organization founded in 1871, offering membership, exhibitions, and workshops across multiple visual art disciplines. Broader than NWS in scope (not watercolor-specific) but structurally similar as a membership-driven artist society.
• Society of Illustrators: The Society of Illustrators is a nonprofit membership organization for illustrators, running juried exhibitions, educational programming, and Signature-style recognition. Comparable in operating model to NWS but focused on illustration rather than watermedia specifically.
• National Arts Club: The National Arts Club is a nonprofit members' institution in New York that hosts exhibitions, lectures, and arts programming. Comparable to NWS as a membership-based arts society, though broader in artistic disciplines and much older in some respects.
• Art Students League of New York: The Art Students League of New York is a historic nonprofit arts education institution offering workshops, classes, and exhibitions on a membership model. While broader in artistic scope than NWS, it shares the nonprofit-membership-with-artist-programming structure and similarly long institutional history.

Regional players

• Watercolor West: Watercolor West is a Southern California-based watercolor society operating juried exhibitions and Signature membership, serving a regional subset of NWS's geographic footprint. Comparable in mission and programming, though primarily West Coast in reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/nwsstream
• Facebookfacebook.com/NWSGallery
• Instagraminstagram.com/nwsgallery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-watercolor-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 National Watercolor Society