What Heaven Gallery Inc does

Heaven Gallery Inc is a not-for-profit contemporary art gallery and cultural organization founded in 1997 by David Dobie in Wicker Park, Chicago, and currently co-owned and directed by Alma Wieser. Operating from a second-story walk-up at 1550 N Milwaukee Ave #2 (Lubinski Furniture building), the gallery presents rotating exhibitions featuring emerging visual artists — spanning painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and performance — alongside artist talks, opening receptions, and community programming such as sound bath meditations, Healing House wellness events, film screenings, and live music. Co-tenants LVL3 and Cinema Borealis share the building, and the organization is a co-organizer of the Community Arts Wicker Park initiative, a community land trust effort launched by Wieser in 2019 to preserve affordable artist space against gentrification pressure.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack rather than a single commercial model. Art sales are transacted chiefly through the online shop (archival prints from roughly $200 per unit, $20 flat domestic shipping), supplemented by benefit auctions whose proceeds support Equity Arts and similar community organizations. Donations are accepted via PayPal, and wellness/community events such as sound baths ($5-$15 suggested donation) and Healing House ($10 suggested donation) recover cost on a donation basis. The source notes that a retail vintage shop accounts for approximately 70% of the gallery's budget, a concentration that is itself a risk factor. Marketing is conducted through organic social (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), an email newsletter, the website, and earned media coverage in Chicago Reader, Block Club Chicago, and Chicago Tribune, with community events functioning as the primary demand-generation vehicle.

Customer segments are diffuse and persona-driven: emerging and independent Chicago artists seeking exhibition space and visibility, local art collectors buying prints and original work, wellness/mindfulness seekers attending sound baths and Healing House, and the broader Wicker Park community attending openings and cultural programming. Geographic scope is strictly domestic (Chicago, IL) with no app, no API, no proprietary technology, and no AI capabilities. The organization has no external funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed revenue figure, operating as an independent private nonprofit reliant on programmatic sales, donations, and its on-site retail vintage operation.

Name

Heaven Gallery Inc

Legal name

Heaven Gallery

Website

https://heavengallery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heaven Gallery Inc is a not-for-profit contemporary art gallery in Wicker Park, Chicago, founded in 1997 that rotates exhibitions of emerging visual artists, sells archival prints, and hosts community wellness and cultural programming for local artists, art collectors, and neighborhood audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Gallery

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Contemporary art gallery
• Visual arts exhibitions
• Community arts programming
• Art print sales
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Art Sales: The gallery sells archival prints and artwork from featured artists through their online shop. Prices range from $200 for standard archival prints. The gallery also holds benefit auctions for partner organizations.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Heaven Gallery accepts donations through PayPal and hosts fundraising events. The gallery is a nonprofit arts organization.
3. Benefit Auctions: The gallery hosts benefit auctions featuring artwork from various artists, with proceeds supporting Equity Arts and other community organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Heaven Gallery is a not-for-profit contemporary art gallery that presents rotating exhibitions of emerging and established visual artists across painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and performance art. Beyond exhibitions, the gallery operates an online shop selling archival prints by represented artists and runs multidisciplinary community programming including artist talks, sound bath meditations, the Healing House wellness event series, and benefit auctions supporting partner organizations.

Product overview

Heaven Gallery is a not-for-profit contemporary art gallery and cultural organization offering a unified portfolio of exhibitions, art sales, and community programming. The core offering consists of rotating contemporary art exhibitions featuring emerging and established artists, complemented by an online art sale featuring archival prints available for purchase. The gallery further serves its community through events and programming including artist talks, sound bath meditations, wellness events, film screenings, and live performances. The organization operates as a community space in Wicker Park, Chicago, with a mission to support artists and resist neighborhood gentrification through its operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art Exhibitions Rotating contemporary art exhibitions featuring emerging and established artists across various mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and performance art. Exhibitions are free to attend and open to the community, with opening receptions and artist talks accompanying each show.
• Archival Print Art Sales Sale of archival prints and artwork by represented artists, available for purchase through the gallery's online shop with options for local pickup in Chicago or shipping. Standard archival prints priced at $200 (e.g., Untitled by Manuela Gonzalez, 2020 - Archival Print on Velvet Fine Art Paper, 22"x17").
• Events and Cultural Programming Cultural programming including artist talks, sound bath meditations, film screenings, live music performances, yoga sessions, and community wellness events. Open to local community members and visitors.
• Sound Bath Meditation with BelleAime Wellness events led by BelleAime featuring vibrational healing sound bath experiences combined with journaling sessions. Suggested donation pricing of $5-$15 per attendee.
• Healing House Monthly Wellness Event Monthly wellness event using House music for mind, body and soul healing, creating safe space for fellowship and wellness outside of late-night drinking culture. Co-presented with Equity Arts, VLONELYANDFRIENDS, and Excursions.
• Benefit Auctions Online benefit auctions featuring artwork donations from artists to support gallery operations and community arts programming, with proceeds supporting Equity Arts and other community organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16,000+ annual visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Equity ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration partner for Healing House monthly wellness events using House music for mind, body and soul healing. Partnership creates safe space for fellowship and wellness outside late-night drinking culture.
• VLONELYANDFRIENDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of Healing House monthly wellness events alongside Equity Arts, creating collaborative community programming.
• ExcursionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of Healing House monthly wellness events, working with Heaven Gallery to reframe party culture with early evening hours focused on community wellness.
• LVL3 GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-tenant in the Lubinski Furniture building (1550 N Milwaukee Ave) and co-organizer of Community Arts Wicker Park initiative. Vincent Uribe is director of LVL3.
• Near Northwest Arts CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Community Arts Wicker Park community land trust initiative. Laura Weathered is director of Near Northwest Arts Council.
• Cinema BorealisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-tenant in the Lubinski Furniture building alongside Heaven Gallery and LVL3.
• The Silver RoomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Alternative Wicker Park Fest event and pop-up holiday shop. Eric Williams is owner of The Silver Room, which relocated from Wicker Park to Hyde Park.
• Chicago Artists CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeresa Silva from Chicago Artists Coalition moderated panel discussion on Gentrification Without Artist Displacement at Heaven Gallery.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LVL3 Gallery: A contemporary art gallery co-located with Heaven Gallery in the Lubinski Furniture building in Wicker Park, focused on emerging artists and community-oriented programming, making it the most directly comparable peer in terms of scale, mission, and audience.
• Western Exhibitions: A Chicago-based nonprofit contemporary art gallery exhibiting emerging and mid-career artists, sharing Heaven Gallery's nonprofit, emerging-artist-focused model and similar community-driven programming ethos.
• Corbett vs. Dempsey: A Chicago gallery specializing in contemporary and historical art, comparable to Heaven Gallery in scale and city context, though with a more established artist roster and West Loop location.
• Hyde Park Art Center: A Chicago-based nonprofit arts center exhibiting emerging artists and offering community programming, comparable to Heaven Gallery in nonprofit status, emerging-artist focus, and educational/community mission.
• The Silver Room: A Chicago retail and community-arts space founded in the Wicker Park neighborhood, with whom Heaven Gallery has collaborated on the Alternative Wicker Park Fest; comparable in its hybrid retail/cultural mission though currently relocated to Hyde Park.

Broad incumbents

• Kavi Gupta Gallery: An established commercial contemporary art gallery in Chicago representing mid-career and internationally recognized artists; a broader incumbent in the same Chicago contemporary art scene as Heaven Gallery.
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: Chicago's primary contemporary art museum offering exhibitions, performances, and educational programs; a broad incumbent in the same Chicago contemporary art ecosystem as Heaven Gallery, though at substantially larger scale.
• Smart Museum of Art: The University of Chicago's art museum presenting contemporary and historical exhibitions with educational programming; a broader Chicago incumbent in the same arts ecosystem, though with significantly larger institutional backing.

Others

• Chicago Artists Coalition: A nonprofit arts service organization supporting Chicago artists through exhibitions, residencies, and advocacy; comparable to Heaven Gallery in mission focus on artist development, though operating as a coalition rather than a gallery.

Regional players

• Aspect/Ratio Projects: A small Chicago contemporary art gallery presenting emerging and experimental artists, comparable to Heaven Gallery in scale and focus, though with a more design/architecture-oriented curatorial lens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/heavengallery
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeavenGallery
• Instagraminstagram.com/heavengallerychicago

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 Heaven Gallery Inc