Exhibits USA

What Exhibits USA does

Exhibits USA is a national traveling exhibition program operated by Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit regional arts organization headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1988, Exhibits USA develops, curates, fabricates, and tours museum-quality traveling exhibitions to museums, libraries, universities, galleries, and cultural venues across the United States. The current catalog comprises 36+ exhibitions spanning photography, mixed-media, visual art, cultural history, and humanities themes, with new exhibitions added regularly (e.g., Arctic Passage in March 2025 and Long-Term Mindset in September 2024). The organization supplements its touring model with an Exhibition Proposal Program that develops independent curatorial submissions into nationally touring shows, and a Custom Projects & Consulting service offering fee-for-service curatorial consultation, exhibition design, fabrication, registrar support, and logistics coordination for institutions seeking tailored exhibition development.

The business operates on two revenue streams: exhibition rental fees charged to hosting venues, structured as discounted In-Region fees for six Mid-America states (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas) supported by partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts and state arts agencies, and Out-of-Region fees for all other U.S. venues, with pricing ranging from approximately $3,330 to $15,250 per booking depending on exhibition and venue location; and fee-for-service Custom Projects & Consulting for organizations seeking bespoke exhibition strategy and production support. Rental durations are typically 7 weeks, with 5- and 10-week options available. The core delivery model is turnkey: exhibitions arrive fully curated, crated, and ready to install, accompanied by installation instructions, shipping logistics, educational materials, programming guides, press kits, and full insurance coverage during transit and display, supported by an in-house staff including curators, registrars, preparators, and education specialists.

The go-to-market is sales-led and direct: venues browse the catalog at eusa.org, submit inquiries to [email protected], complete facility reports for approval, and sign contracts, with each host receiving an Exhibition Toolkit 4-6 months before opening. Exhibits USA also maintains a strategic partnership with NEH on the Road (established 2005) to tour Smithsonian exhibitions nationwide, and operates within M-AAA's broader funding ecosystem that includes the Hearst Foundations, William T. Kemper Foundation, McCasland Foundation, The Cross Foundation, Louis & Elizabeth Flarsheim Charitable Foundation, and Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts. The organization does not publicly disclose financial figures.

Name

Exhibits USA

Legal name

Mid-America Arts Alliance

Website

https://eusa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Exhibits USA is a nonprofit traveling exhibition program of Mid-America Arts Alliance that develops and tours 36+ museum-quality exhibitions to museums, libraries, universities, and cultural venues across the United States, serving 25-35 venues annually with turnkey installation and educational support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum Exhibition Services

NAICS

Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trade Show, Exhibit & Event Logistics Moving (HSAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Traveling exhibitions
• Museum exhibition services
• Exhibition touring programs
• Cultural institution rentals
• Exhibition curation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Rental Fees: Exhibits USA generates revenue primarily through rental fees charged to venues for hosting traveling exhibitions. Fees are structured as In-Region fees (for venues in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas) and Out-of-Region fees (for all other U.S. venues). Rental fees vary by exhibition and typically range from approximately $3,330 to $15,250 depending on the exhibition and venue location.
2. Custom Consulting and Production Services: Fee-for-service consulting and production services for organizations planning, developing, producing, and presenting exhibitions and visual arts initiatives. Services include curatorial consultation, exhibition design, fabrication, registrar and logistics support, and programming and engagement strategies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Exhibits USA develops, curates, and tours museum-quality traveling exhibitions to museums, libraries, universities, and cultural venues across the United States. Each exhibition arrives fully curated, crated, and ready to install, accompanied by installation instructions, shipping logistics, educational and programming materials, press kits, and insurance coverage during transit and display. The organization also offers fee-for-service custom consulting and production services for organizations planning their own exhibitions.

Product overview

Exhibits USA is a national traveling exhibition program that develops and tours museum-quality exhibitions to museums, libraries, universities, and cultural venues across the United States. The core offering consists of over 36 distinct traveling exhibitions spanning photography, mixed-media, cultural history, and humanities topics. Key exhibitions include Relative Moments (photography), Vital Signs: From Patient to Power (disability arts), Black Mystery Month (social justice photography), A Yellow Rose Project (women's rights), 1968: A Folsom Redemption (music history), Aliento a Tequila (cultural photography), Arctic Passage (geopolitical photography), Art of the Wish (mixed-media), Backstage Hollywood (Hollywood photography), Critical Geography (social justice), and Finding Alice (literary illustration). Supplementary services include Custom Projects & Consulting for organizations needing tailored exhibition support, Exhibition Booking Services providing turnkey logistics and installation materials, and an Exhibition Proposal Program enabling artists and curators to submit touring exhibition concepts for national distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Relative Moments A traveling photography exhibition by Deanna Dikeman featuring over 100 photographs documenting her Midwestern family across three decades, focusing on everyday rituals that bind generations together. Aimed at museums, libraries, universities, and cultural venues seeking community-engaging photography programming.
• Vital Signs: From Patient to Power

Quantifiable outcome

• Venues consistently report high satisfaction with exhibition quality, organization, and ease of installation

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mid-America Arts AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExhibits USA is a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA), a nonprofit regional arts organization dedicated to expanding access to arts and culture. M-AAA provides the organizational infrastructure, expertise, and resources that enable Exhibits USA to develop and tour high-quality traveling exhibitions nationwide.
• National Endowment for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerM-AAA works in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, which provides funding support that enables discounted In-Region rental fees for venues in the Mid-America Arts Alliance region.
• State Arts Agencies (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerM-AAA works in partnership with the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas to support arts and culture access across the heartland.
• NEH on the Road PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough NEH on the Road, Exhibits USA tours Smithsonian exhibitions to libraries and museums nationwide, expanding access to humanities programming. Partnership established in 2005.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Arts & Artists (IA&A): Nonprofit that curates and tours exhibitions nationally and internationally, providing services analogous to Exhibits USA's touring program, including artist representation and venue brokering.
• Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES): Smithsonian's traveling exhibition service that develops and tours museum-quality exhibitions to institutions nationwide. Highly comparable as both develop, curate, fabricate, and tour exhibitions under a similar nonprofit operating model.
• American Federation of Arts (AFA): Nonprofit organization that organizes and circulates traveling exhibitions to museums across the U.S. Operates a comparable exhibition-touring model with curatorial and logistics support to host venues.

Emerging players

• Art Bridges Foundation: Foundation focused on expanding access to American art through traveling exhibitions and loans to community museums. Directly comparable mission to extend high-quality art exhibitions to underserved communities.

Broad incumbents

• Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA): Parent regional arts organization of Exhibits USA and provider of broader grantmaking, programming, and touring services across the heartland. Operates the broader infrastructure that Exhibits USA sits within.
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Major American art museum that loans and tours exhibitions to other institutions. Comparable in developing and circulating exhibition content, though embedded in a broader museum operation.
• National Gallery of Art (Traveling Exhibitions): National institution that circulates exhibitions of its collection to museums across the U.S. Similar touring exhibition function but operates as part of a much larger collecting institution.
• The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Traveling Exhibitions: Major museum that circulates exhibitions internationally to peer institutions. Comparable in developing exhibition content for tour, though from a much larger collecting and curatorial base.

Others

• NEH on the Road: Program through which Exhibits USA itself tours Smithsonian humanities exhibitions; functions as both a partner and a comparable channel for circulating humanities-focused exhibitions to libraries and museums.

Regional players

• Humanities Texas: State humanities council that supports cultural programming and traveling exhibitions within Texas. Operates a regional nonprofit touring model analogous to M-AAA's six-state heartland footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mid-america-arts-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Exhibits USA