Cafesjian Art Trust Museum

What Cafesjian Art Trust Museum does

The Cafesjian Art Trust Museum (the CAT) is a private nonprofit art museum operating under Cafesjian Art Trust Museum LLC, headquartered at 4600 Churchill St. in Shoreview, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Founded in 2022, the museum presents modern and contemporary art in a single 2,000-square-foot gallery space, hosting 2-3 exhibitions annually on a rotating basis alongside an always-on-view permanent collection that includes significant Dale Chihuly glass works and a rare Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture in the gold/ultramarine blue colorway (one of only 12 ever produced). The institution is free-admission and offers guided tours by reservation, drop-in hours, opening receptions, curator-led after-hours tours ($30/person), and a slate of educational and family programs (Baby Time, Preschool Pals, CAT Kids, Family Festival), as well as a Teen Council internship and community wellbeing programming with five named local partners supported by Art Bridges Foundation.

The business model is donation-based (with a GiveMN integration) supplemented by modest ticketed program revenue from curator-led tours and family events. The museum distributes experiences through its physical Shoreview location, a Squarespace-hosted website, an email newsletter, blog content, community partnerships, and Zoom-based virtual programming. It maintains a sister-museum relationship with the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Yerevan, Armenia. Leadership comprises a President/CEO (Kathie Cafesjian Baradaran), Executive Director and Curator (Andy Schlauch), and directors covering collections, learning/community engagement, and curatorial functions. The museum has no disclosed AI, technology platform, or app infrastructure, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Cafesjian Art Trust Museum

Legal name

Cafesjian Art Trust Museum LLC

Website

https://cafesjianarttrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cafesjian Art Trust Museum is a free-admission nonprofit art museum in Shoreview, Minnesota that presents 2-3 modern and contemporary art exhibitions annually, featuring a permanent collection of Dale Chihuly glass works and a rare Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture, alongside family, teen, and community education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAA

Art Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYBPAGAHAA

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYTHAJADAJ

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

Keywords

• Art museum operations
• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Arts education programs
• Museum collection management
• Community cultural programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Shoreview

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The museum operates as a free-admission museum funded through donations and contributions from the community. The website includes a donate button linking to GiveMN for public support.
2. Ticket Sales for Special Programs: Revenue generated from paid programs such as curator-led tours ($30 per person) and Family Festival tickets which include ice cream and event activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cafesjian Art Trust Museum operates a nonprofit art museum in Shoreview, Minnesota that exhibits, interprets, and provides public access to a permanent collection of modern and contemporary art, including sculpture and works on paper. It delivers free gallery admission alongside rotating exhibitions, curator-led and group tours, and education/community programs such as Family Programs and a Teen Council for high school students.

Product overview

The Cafesjian Art Trust Museum (the CAT) operates as a single-location art museum in Shoreview, Minnesota offering free admission. The institution's core offerings center on rotating exhibitions of modern and contemporary art in a 2000-square-foot gallery space, a permanent collection featuring works by Dale Chihuly and Robert Indiana, guided tour services, and educational family programs including Family Festival, Baby Time, and Preschool Pals. Additional programming includes a Teen Council internship, community partner events, and educator resources. The museum hosts 2-3 new exhibitions annually alongside always-on-view collection pieces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Collection Gallery Exhibitions
• Rotating Exhibitions
• Curator-led Tours
• Self-guided Group Tours
• Family Programs
• Teen Council
• Community Partner Programs

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 major, minor and core.

• Art Bridges FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt Bridges provides support for the museum's '5 Partners | 5 Reflections' virtual panel program featuring community wellbeing discussions. Also provided loans and support for the 'Abstraction & Ourselves' exhibition.
• The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & CulturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum organized the nationally touring 'Collidoscope: De la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective' exhibition in partnership with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino.
• Smithsonian National Museum of the American LatinomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized the 'Collidoscope: De la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective' nationally traveling exhibition with The Cheech Marin Center.
• Bockley GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcknowledged for support in the 'Abstraction & Ourselves' exhibition.
• Weisman Art Museum at University of MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcknowledged for support and loans in the 'Abstraction & Ourselves' exhibition.
• Community Partners (Multiple)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive community partners: Centro de Tyrone Guzman, Division of Indian Work, LEAP (Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential), Project for Pride in Living, Center for the Art of Medicine (University of Minnesota), and Northeast Youth and Family Services. These partners participated in the '5 Partners | 5 Reflections' wellbeing program.
• Cafesjian Center for the Arts (Armenia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister museum in Yerevan, Armenia. CAT Teen Council had a virtual meet-up with the Armenian Cafesjian Teen Council, an established and beloved program at the sister institution.
• White Bear Center for the ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhite Bear Center for the Arts Studio Repose interns visited the CAT for an after-hours tour.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• White Bear Center for the Arts: Community arts center serving the northeastern Twin Cities suburbs with exhibitions and classes. Comparable audience geography (suburban Twin Cities) and educational programming mission to the CAT.

Direct peers

• Museum of Russian Art: Small, single-focus art museum in Minneapolis founded around a private collection. Comparable institutional model (private nonprofit, focused programming) and Twin Cities market to the CAT.
• American Swedish Institute: Cultural heritage institution in Minneapolis combining a historic site with collections, exhibitions, and family programming. Similar nonprofit, multi-programming museum model.
• The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture: Collection-driven art museum that organized the nationally touring Collidoscope exhibition co-presented at the CAT. Comparable model of building programming around a signature private collection.
• Cafesjian Center for the Arts: Sister museum in Yerevan, Armenia sharing the Cafesjian collection origin. Most structurally comparable peer, including shared brand, teen council programming, and Cafesjian family stewardship.
• Bockley Gallery: Commercial contemporary art gallery in Minneapolis that lent support to CAT exhibitions. Comparable curatorial sensibility in modern/contemporary work and active programming partner.
• Weisman Art Museum (University of Minnesota): Free-admission university art museum in Minneapolis focused on modern and contemporary art. Directly comparable mission and audience to the CAT and an active programming/exhibition loan partner.

Broad incumbents

• Minneapolis Institute of Art: Major regional art museum in Minneapolis with free admission and broad programming. Overlaps the CAT on free-access modern/contemporary art in the Twin Cities but at much larger scale and scope.
• Walker Art Center: Larger, established modern and contemporary art museum in Minneapolis. Comparable curatorial focus and Twin Cities audience but operates at significantly greater scale with broader programming.

Emerging players

• Tweed Museum of Art (University of Minnesota Duluth): Small university-affiliated art museum in Minnesota with a modest gallery footprint and rotating exhibitions. Comparable scale and operational cadence to the CAT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cafesjian-art-trust-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Cafesjian Art Trust Museum