Artrain

 

Basics

Name: Artrain USA
Website: http://www.artrainusa.org
Category: Philanthropic Organization, Museum
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Phone: 800-ART-1971
Primary Contact: Not Listed
Contact eMail: info@artrainusa.org

Description 

Traveling to communities across the United States, Artrain USA is "America's Hometown Museum."  A nonprofit organization, Artrain USA delivers world class cultural exhibitions and education programs to communities and their residents while providing exceptional opportunities for learning, growth and art appreciation and encouraging the development of local cultural programs and organizations.  Artrain USA received the 2006 National Medal for Museum Service, and its most recent exhibition Native Views: Influences of Modern Culture was named an American Masterpiece by the National Endowment for the Arts that same year.  More than 3.2 million people have visited Artrain USA during 845 community visits across the nation.

Mission

To enrich lives and build communities through the arts.

Brief History

• 1971 - founded in Michigan by the Michigan Council for the Arts
• 1973 - first national tour
• 1975 - becomes an independent nonprofit arts organization
• 2006 - celebrates 35^th anniversary

Programs and Services

• Exhibitions - lending and partner institutions include the Smithsonian Institution, Detroit Institute of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cranbrook Institute of Art, Heard Museum, High Museum and NASA.
• Artists - include Catlett, Bearden, Chihuly, Matisse, Namingha, Picasso, Rauschenberg, Rockwell & Warhol.
• National Tours - to small communities: one-third have populations less than 10,000.
• Community Building - creates long-lasting alliances between arts, schools, business, government and service sectors.
• Art Education Programs - classroom lesson plans, guided educational and general public tours, artists demonstrations, guide training and the Allesee Fellowship for college art graduates.

 Communities and Visitors

• Since 1971, more than 3.2 million visitors during 845 community visits.
• Annually, Artrain USA visits as many as 35 communities and welcomes 80,000 - 100,000 people; 40% are school children.
• Admission is free.

Budget

$1.6 Million Annual Budget

Expenses

• 79% Programs
•   9% Management
• 12% Development

Revenues

• 20% Earned Revenue (program fees & gift shop sales)
• 80% Contributions
  • 20% Individuals
  • 18% Foundations
  • 33% Corporations
  •   9% Government

Artrain USA - In Transition

Since 1971, Artrain USA has mounted exhibitions inside specially designed and renovated railcars and traveled to host communities via the nation's railways.  With the nation's railroad companies as generous partners, Artrain USA has been extremely successful in reaching our target audience.

Recently, however, a new opportunity has developed that will exponentially expand Artrain USA's reach and allow us to benefit from cutting-edge technology.  Artrain USA's board and staff have determined to embark upon this exciting and challenging project in order to better serve our constituents across the United States.

Rails to Roads

Within the next year or so, Artrain USA will add state-of-the-art tractor trailers to our fleet.  Artrain USA has chosen a system of four trailers, each with a double expansion, creating more than 1000 square feet of exhibition space in each car! 

Building upon the expertise of the mobile exhibit industry and Artrain USA's own history of replicating museum standards in its mobile museum, the trailers will be modified to meet the climate, lighting and security requirements of any museum.

The benefits of this new facility are many:

• Artrain USA's reach will more than triple.

We will:

• Be able to visit any city in the US;
• Be able to park in downtowns, shopping centers, school yards or almost anywhere;
• Benefit from cutting-edge technology integrated into the facility;
• Have complete control over schedule;
• Be able to end periods of "downtime;"
• Visit more communities and welcome more visitors;
• Schedule longer and shorter visits; and
• Accommodate "Impromptu" visits.

Artrain USA is working with Switch (www.liberateyourbrand.com) on the design and planning of the trailers.  With support from donors and friends, Artrain USA hopes to launch the new facility in late 2008 or early 2009. 

Concept Drawings

 

 

Video

 

Pictures

 

 

 

Information on Switch 

If a brand is spending its days cooped up in the pages of magazines or locked inside a television, it is likely getting ignored. One-sided, two-dimensional relationships are unfulfilling for all parties involved. To have a real connection with a human being, a brand needs to live a little. It needs to breathe. It needs to get out in the world and be touched, smelled, seen, tasted and heard. And that's where Switch comes in. Switch will help give life to your brand outside of traditional media, so you can engage your audiences in a meaningful way.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Switch is an integrated marketing communications agency that helps clients engage audiences and deliver key messages through multiple channels and activation strategies. Switch has core capabilities and in-house resources in Mobile Event Marketing, Business Meetings and Events, Digital Media, Exhibits and Environments and Retail Sales Promotion.

For more than 27 years, Switch has been creating brand engagement strategies and experiences for clients such as Ameriprise Financial, Anheuser-Busch, A.G. Edwards, Artrain USA, Circuit City, Dickies, Enterprise, glacéau, Junior Achievement, Primerica, The Coca-Cola Company and UPS.

For more information go to www.liberateyourbrand.us