Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum

What Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum does

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art museum located at 700 N. 12th St., Wausau, Wisconsin, founded in 1973 and opened to the public in September 1976. It maintains a permanent collection of more than 14,000 works focused on nature and avian themes (paintings, drawings, sculptures, decorative arts including 125+ Victorian glass baskets and nearly 100 Royal Worcester porcelain bird figurines) and is the only American Alliance of Museums-accredited art museum in Wausau and one of nine in Wisconsin. The museum operates with always-free admission as its core access model and serves as the primary full-service art museum for a 15-county region in north central Wisconsin.

The museum's flagship offering is the annual Birds in Art exhibition, established at the institution's opening and held each fall (opening the weekend after Labor Day), which has featured more than 1,100 international artists since 1976 and is recognized globally as a standard-bearer for avian-themed contemporary art. Other core programs include the Glass Box Studio artist residency (with on-campus housing and honorarium), structured youth and family education (Art Babies through Art Kids), adult workshops, the SPARK! program for individuals with memory loss and Art Beyond Sight for visitors with vision impairment, docent-led and self-guided tours, and curated member travel opportunities. A touring exhibitions program ships 60+ Birds in Art works annually to museums across the country, and an online shop (shop.lywam.org) distributes catalogues and prints globally. The museum does not operate proprietary technology platforms or AI/ML systems.

Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit mix: multi-tiered memberships ranging from $50 (Household) to $2,500 (Benefactor) across eight tiers, unrestricted and planned-giving donations, corporate partnerships ($500 to $20,000) with logo recognition and facility-use benefits, program and workshop fees, e-commerce shop sales, and licensing fees from touring exhibitions. Public grant support flows through the Wisconsin Arts Board (funded by the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts), and the museum is a member of the 14-institution Wisconsin Art Destinations consortium. Operations are supported by a staff of 11-50 including a director, assistant director/curator, curator of exhibitions, program managers, marketing manager, multimedia specialist, business and administrative managers, and facilities staff, supplemented by an active volunteer base of docents, greeters, and SPARK! Friends.

Name

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum

Legal name

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum

Website

https://lywam.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, offering always-free admission to a 14,000-work nature-themed permanent collection, the annual Birds in Art exhibition, educational programs for all ages, and touring exhibitions serving north central Wisconsin families, schools, and art enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Art museum exhibitions
• Art education programs
• Artist residency programs
• Museum membership programs
• Traveling art exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Wausau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admissions: The museum offers always-free admission to all visitors, removing financial barriers to access art and cultural experiences.
2. Memberships: Multi-tiered membership program ranging from $50 (Household) to $2,500 (Benefactor), offering benefits including exhibition previews, newsletters, discounts on shop purchases and workshops, and recognition.
3. Donations: Unrestricted gifts directly support museum operations. Tribute funds honor or memorialize individuals. Planned giving options include bequests and artwork donations.
4. Shop Sales: Online shop (shop.lywam.org) sells postcards, notecards, posters, and illustrated catalogues from past Birds in Art exhibitions.
5. Program Fees: Some programs require participation fees ranging from $20-125, including workshops, summer art sessions, and special programs.
6. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partnerships range from $500 to $20,000 with benefits including logo recognition on website, customized facility use packages, and marketing exposure.
7. Touring Exhibitions: The museum offers traveling exhibitions (Birds in Art, Molten, An Abundance of Riches, A Crow a Day) for rent to other venues, generating revenue while extending reach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is a nonprofit art museum that presents rotating art exhibitions centered on its 14,000+ work permanent collection and the flagship annual Birds in Art juried exhibition. It delivers year-round educational programs for youth, families, teens, and adults, hosts an artist-in-residence program at the Glass Box Studio, and licenses traveling exhibitions to other cultural venues. All campus visitation is offered with always-free admission, supported by memberships, donations, corporate partnerships, grants, and program fees.

Product overview

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is a single-site art museum offering a unified portfolio of visitor experiences centered on its permanent collection and rotating exhibitions. The core offerings include the flagship annual Birds in Art exhibition, touring exhibitions for external venues, the Glass Box Studio artist residency program, and structured educational programming for youth, families, teens, and adults. Supporting services include membership, an online shop, travel opportunities, and campus amenities (Sculpture Gardens, Art Park). The museum operates as a single institution with always-free admission, relying on memberships, donations, and program fees for revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Birds in Art Exhibition Annual juried international exhibition celebrating avian art through paintings, sculptures, and graphics by contemporary artists worldwide; has showcased more than 1,100 international artists since 1976 with approximately 120 artists featured each year.
• Glass Box Studio Artist Residency Artist-in-residence program providing visiting artists with 24/7 studio access, housing accommodations, honorarium, and opportunities to engage with the community through workshops and educational programming.
• Youth and Family Programs Age-targeted art education offerings including Art Babies (0-2 years), Toddler Time (2-4 years), Creative Explorers (2-4 years), Art Buds (5-8 years), Art Kids (8-12 years), and Summer Art Sessions for multiple age ranges.
• Teen and Adult Programs Art engagement programs for older audiences including the Novel Notions book club, Drop-in Art Making, Kick Back & Create sessions, and workshops led by guest artists.
• Tours and Field Trips Self-guided visits and docent-led tours for private groups and school classes, with customizable content aligned to classroom curricula and optional hands-on art-making components.
• Touring Exhibitions Traveling art exhibitions available for rent by museums, galleries, and cultural institutions, featuring themes around nature, birds, and personal storytelling; current roster includes Birds in Art, A Crow a Day, An Abundance of Riches, and Molten: 30 Years of American Studio Glass.
• Museum Shop Online retail platform selling postcards, notecards, posters, and fully illustrated catalogues from Birds in Art exhibitions past and present.
• Membership Program Multi-tiered membership structure offering benefits including exhibition previews, newsletter access, and discounts on shop purchases and workshops, with tiers ranging from Household ($50/year) to Benefactor ($2,500/year).
• Travel Opportunities Curated art-inspired travel experiences for museum members visiting cultural destinations and institutions, with past trips to Santa Fe, Louisville, Minneapolis, and Wisconsin's Driftless Region.
• Art Park Interactive family gallery on the museum's lower level featuring hands-on activities, puzzles, books, and art supplies designed for children and families.
• Sculpture Gardens Outdoor sculpture installations including the Margaret Woodson Fisher Sculpture Garden with native flora backdrop and the Kathy Kelsey Foley Rooftop Sculpture Garden with pergola and seating, featuring works by artists such as Deborah Butterfield and Kent Ullberg.

Quantifiable outcome

• Only art museum accredited by American Alliance of Museums in Wausau and one of nine in Wisconsin
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Wisconsin Art DestinationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of a consortium of 14 art museums across Wisconsin working together to promote the state as a visual arts destination. Members range from Racine in the south to Wausau in the north, offering coordinated destination experiences and shared marketing initiatives.
• Wisconsin Arts BoardcoreOthersState arts agency providing grant funding for exhibitions and programs with funds from the State of Wisconsin and National Endowment for the Arts.
• National Endowment for the ArtscoreOthersFederal arts agency providing grant support for museum exhibitions and programs through Wisconsin Arts Board.
• SPARK! AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational alliance supporting creative engagement programs for individuals with early to mid-stage memory loss and their care partners. The Woodson's SPARK! program aligns with this network's standards and provides shared resources.
• City of WausausupportingOthersMarketing support provided through room tax funds. The museum is a key cultural asset for the Wausau community and tourism industry.
• Travel Green WisconsinminorOthersCertified Travel Green Member demonstrating the museum's commitment to sustainable tourism practices.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Joslyn Art Museum: A free-admission art museum in Omaha, Nebraska of comparable mid-size scale. Closely comparable to the Woodson in always-free admission model, classical-through-modern American and European collection focus, and active education and exhibition programming.
• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art: A themed art museum in Indianapolis focused on Western art and Native American art. Comparable to the Woodson as a specialized, mission-driven art museum that derives differentiation from a defined thematic focus rather than a broad encyclopedic collection.
• National Museum of Wildlife Art: A nonprofit museum in Jackson, Wyoming dedicated to the art of wildlife. Closely comparable to the Woodson in its thematic focus on nature- and animal-inspired art, mission-driven programming, and use of an iconic annual exhibition to anchor identity and touring opportunities.
• Racine Art Museum: A Wisconsin-based art museum in Racine with a strong craft and decorative arts focus. Direct regional peer to the Woodson within the Wisconsin Art Destinations network, offering exhibitions, educational programs, and a comparable nonprofit operating model.
• Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: A free-admission contemporary art museum in Madison, Wisconsin. Highly comparable as a Wisconsin-based, always-free art museum of similar scale offering rotating exhibitions, educational programming, and community engagement within the same state.

Broad incumbents

• Milwaukee Art Museum: Wisconsin's largest art museum, offering a broad collection, paid and free programming days, and major exhibitions. Functions as the broader incumbent in the Wisconsin art museum landscape, sharing state-level audiences, donors, and corporate partnership pools with the Woodson.
• Pérez Art Museum Miami: A modern and contemporary art museum in Miami with always-free admission and a strong educational and community programming focus. Comparable to the Woodson in barrier-free access and the integration of museum and outdoor sculpture environments.
• Smithsonian American Art Museum: A federal, free-admission American art museum in Washington, D.C. sharing the always-free model, national scope of collection, and rotating exhibition programming characteristic of the Woodson, though at substantially greater scale.
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A free-admission art museum in Kansas City, Missouri with encyclopedic collections and sculpture park. Comparable as a barrier-free art museum integrating indoor galleries and outdoor sculpture spaces similar to the Woodson's sculpture gardens.
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: A free-admission American art museum in Bentonville, Arkansas with extensive grounds and educational programming. Comparable to the Woodson in barrier-free access and mission-driven engagement, though significantly larger in scale and resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/woodsonart
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LeighYawkeyWoodsonArtMuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/LeighYawkeyWoodsonArtMuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/woodsonart
• Pinterestpinterest.com/woodsonart
• TikToktiktok.com/@woodsonart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leigh-yawkey-woodson-art-msm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum