Oakland Art Murmur
Oakland Art Murmur is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2006 that supports East Bay visual artists and galleries through monthly First Fridays art walks, bi-annual East Bay Open Studios, emerging artist programming, venue memberships, and corporate sponsorships, serving Oakland-area artists, galleries, and arts enthusiasts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Oakland Art Murmur does
Oakland Art Murmur (OAM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 in Oakland, California that serves as the connective layer of the East Bay's visual art scene. The organization supports visual artists, galleries, and arts venues through a portfolio of community programs: the flagship monthly First Friday Art Murmur walk in Oakland's Temescal and Northgate neighborhoods, the bi-annual East Bay Open Studios spanning Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the Emerging Artist Program, Oakland Style Week, the Art About Town rotating public art series, and a Venue Membership Program with Basic ($250/annual), Partner ($400/annual), and Pop-Up ($55/event) tiers. OAM operates with a two-person staff and an eight-member local board, reaching an audience of 25,000+ annual website visitors and 30,000+ newsletter and social media followers.
The organization's technical footprint is modest: a WordPress-based website with The Events Calendar plugin, email newsletter integration, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube channels, a Little Green Light CRM for donor and member management, Cloudflare front-end protection, and standard calendar export integrations (Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook). There is no proprietary software product or mobile application; OAM is fundamentally an event-production and community-coordination organization rather than a technology business.
Revenue is generated through a mixed nonprofit model: venue and corporate membership fees across four sponsorship tiers ($300 to $5,000+ annually), individual donations (including active crowdfunding campaigns such as the August 2025 $11,000 goal), and foundation grants from the William H. Donner Foundation and Alameda County Arts Commission ARTSFUND. The organization is governed independently with no parent company, venture capital, or private equity involvement, and operates exclusively within the East Bay regional market.
Oakland Art Murmur firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Oakland Art Murmur
- Legal name
- Oakland Art Murmur
- Website
- https://oaklandartmurmur.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Oakland Art Murmur is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2006 that supports East Bay visual artists and galleries through monthly First Fridays art walks, bi-annual East Bay Open Studios, emerging artist programming, venue memberships, and corporate sponsorships, serving Oakland-area artists, galleries, and arts enthusiasts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Oakland Art Murmur industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Arts Programming and Events
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)
Keywords
Where Oakland Art Murmur is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Oakland Art Murmur business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Venue membership program with Basic ($250/annual), Partner ($400/annual), and Pop-Up Event ($55/per event) tiers. Provides event listings, newsletter promotion, and venue visibility to member galleries and art spaces.
- Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsorship program with four tiers: Patron ($5,000+/year), Benefactor ($2,000+/year), Enthusiast ($1,000+/year), and Advocate ($300+/year). Includes logo placement, event tickets, and engagement opportunities with art patrons.
- Individual Donations: Crowdfunding and individual donor support to sustain operations. The organization has conducted fundraising campaigns targeting $11,000 goals for operational continuity.
- Foundation Grants: Support from foundations including William H. Donner Foundation and Alameda County Arts Commission ARTSFUND for programmatic work.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Basic Member - $250/Annual |
| Subscription | Annual | Partner Member - $400/Annual |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Pop-Up Event - $55/Per Event |
| Subscription | Annual | Patron Sponsor - $5,000+/Annual |
| Subscription | Annual | Benefactor Sponsor - $2,000+/Annual |
| Subscription | Annual | Enthusiast Sponsor - $1,000+/Annual |
| Subscription | Annual | Advocate Sponsor - $300+/Annual |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Oakland Art Murmur product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Oakland Art Murmur is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces and supports community arts programming across Oakland and the East Bay. Its core offerings are the monthly First Fridays Art Murmur walk, bi-annual East Bay Open Studios, the Emerging Artist Program, Oakland Style Week, and the Art About Town Series, supplemented by a venue membership program and an online Art Venues Directory that promotes galleries and art spaces.
Product overview
Oakland Art Murmur is a community-first nonprofit arts organization that serves as the connective layer of the East Bay visual art scene. Rather than a traditional tech product, OAM operates a suite of community programs including the First Friday Art Murmur (monthly art walk), East Bay Open Studios (bi-annual open studio event), Emerging Artist Program, Oakland Style Week, and Art About Town Series. The organization also offers venue membership services providing promotional benefits to partner galleries and art spaces, reaching over 25,000 annual website visitors and 30,000+ newsletter subscribers. The programs work together to make visual arts integral to daily life in the East Bay, connecting artists, galleries, and art enthusiasts through free and low-cost events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- First Friday Art Murmur Monthly art walk event held on the first Friday of each month from 5-9pm in Oakland's KONO district (Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street), connecting art enthusiasts with galleries, artist collectives, street artists, culinary artisans, performers, and musicians. Free to the public and designed to make visual arts accessible across the East Bay.
- East Bay Open Studios Bi-annual free, family-friendly community event that connects art collectors and arts lovers directly with artists throughout Alameda and Contra Costa County through open studio visits.
- Emerging Artist Program Professional development program supporting emerging East Bay artists through workshops, networking, and exhibition opportunities to help launch and advance their artistic careers.
- Oakland Style Week Annual arts and culture programming week showcasing Oakland's visual arts scene across multiple venues, amplifying local artists and galleries during a coordinated week of exhibitions and events.
- Art About Town Series Rotating public art display series featuring artworks in various Oakland locations throughout the year, extending OAM programming beyond the gallery walls into public spaces.
- Venue Membership Program Annual membership program with Basic ($250), Partner ($400), and Pop-Up Event ($55) tiers for galleries and art spaces, providing event promotion through OAM's website (25k+ visitors), newsletter and social media (30k+ followers), digital map listing, and inclusion in flagship programming such as First Fridays.
- Art Venues Directory Online directory and interactive map of Oakland visual art venues including galleries, artist workspaces, and retail spaces that present art, searchable by location and membership tier.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 20 years, produced and supported hundreds of free or low-cost events ensuring visual arts were accessible and essential to the East Bay community
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Oakland Art Murmur
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Oakland Art Murmur technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Oakland Art Murmur partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered advocate level and community partner.
- SLATE Artadvocate levelSLATE Art is a full-service art agency with 30+ years of combined experience from principals Shelley Barry and Danielle Fox. Mission is to create opportunities for people to live, work, and engage with art that delights and stimulates.
- Bay Area Mural Program (BAMP)community partnerNonprofit organization of artists dedicated to facilitating and creating public art. Vision is to turn bare, blighted walls into artistic gateways into the community's surrounding environment through community engagement.
- Oakland First Fridayscommunity partnerImmersive art and community experience on the first Friday of each month from 5-9pm on Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street in Oakland's KONO district. Features galleries, artist collectives, street artists, culinary artisans, performers, and musicians.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Oakland Art Murmur competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Headlands Center for the Arts: Marin County nonprofit supporting artists through residencies and public programs; comparable in nonprofit arts mission and Bay Area region, though serving a different geography.
Direct peers
- Eastside Arts Alliance: Oakland-based cultural nonprofit advancing social justice through arts programming and community engagement; directly comparable in Oakland location and nonprofit arts/community focus.
- Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts: San Francisco nonprofit presenting visual arts, performances, and community cultural programming; comparable in nonprofit structure, arts programming, and Bay Area focus.
- Root Division: San Francisco visual arts nonprofit combining artist studios, exhibitions, and education programs; directly comparable as a community-driven visual arts support organization.
- SOMArts Cultural Center: San Francisco nonprofit arts organization producing exhibitions, cultural events, and artist support programs with a similar nonprofit, community-presentation model.
- Berkeley Art Center: East Bay nonprofit presenting contemporary visual arts exhibitions and community programs; comparable in East Bay geography, nonprofit status, and visual arts presentation mission.
- Kala Art Institute: Berkeley-based nonprofit supporting visual artists through residencies, exhibitions, and public programs; comparable in East Bay location, artist development focus, and nonprofit structure.
- Southern Exposure: San Francisco alternative arts space presenting emerging artists through exhibitions and public programs with a similar nonprofit, community-engaged model.
- Pro Arts: Oakland-based nonprofit presenting visual arts exhibitions, public art projects, and community programming, directly comparable in mission and East Bay geography.
Broad incumbents
- San Francisco Arts Commission: City of San Francisco government agency that grants funding to arts organizations and produces cultural programming; comparable as a Bay Area arts funder/programmer but operates at municipal scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Oakland Art Murmur social profiles
Digital presenceOakland Art Murmur financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Oakland Art Murmur leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Oakland Art Murmur funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Oakland Art Murmur M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Oakland Art Murmur
What does Oakland Art Murmur do?
Oakland Art Murmur is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces and supports community arts programming across Oakland and the East Bay. Its core offerings are the monthly First Fridays Art Murmur walk, bi-annual East Bay Open Studios, the Emerging Artist Program, Oakland Style Week, and the Art About Town Series, supplemented by a venue membership program and an online Art Venues Directory that promotes galleries and art spaces.
Is Oakland Art Murmur a public or private company?
Oakland Art Murmur is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Oakland Art Murmur founded?
Oakland Art Murmur was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Oakland Art Murmur based?
Oakland Art Murmur is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Oakland Art Murmur make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are sponsorship Revenue, individual Donations and foundation Grants.
Who are Oakland Art Murmur's main competitors?
Headlands Center for the Arts is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Eastside Arts Alliance, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Root Division, SOMArts Cultural Center, Berkeley Art Center, Kala Art Institute, Southern Exposure and Pro Arts. San Francisco Arts Commission is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Oakland Art Murmur have an API?
No public API is recorded for Oakland Art Murmur.
What industry is Oakland Art Murmur in?
Oakland Art Murmur's product category is Community Arts Programming and Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAH, Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs. Its NAICS code is 71.