Aktionsart is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit laboratory based in Seattle that cultivates entrepreneurial actions in the arts and technology.

Our mission is to engage technology, design and contemporary culture to produce ambitious art projects in public and private space. We support artists who use technology for positive cultural impact and social innovation.

Our vision is to create a world-class arts organization that actively researches and experiments with new systems of curation, production, exhibition and distribution. In an age when digital media has dramatically disrupted the traditional museum and gallery model - from presentation and collecting strategies to market economics - this is no simple task. We are applying lean startup methodologies to design a laboratory built for rapid evolution and the iterative testing of ideas, programs and services.

Core programming is nomadic and antidisciplinary, considering the past, present and future of art and technology. 

Encouraging chaos, experimentation and the possibility of failure is integral to our mission. We provide opportunities for artists, businesses and nonprofits to employ emerging technologies, unconventional methods of production and new formats of presentation. Responsive and adaptive to the transitory nature of new media and the shifting landscape of public art, we remain in permanent beta mode.

Aktionsart is a German linguistic term that means “type of action.”

Services

We curate, produce, exhibit and distribute contemporary art.

We also offer consulting and advisory services for individuals, businesses and nonprofits. 

History

Aktionsart was founded by Julia Fryett in 2009 in New York City and relocated to Seattle in 2013. Projects are supported through a hybrid funding model of charitable giving, in-kind donations, corporate partnerships and earned revenue.

The organization received 501(c)(3) status in 2014.

The inaugural Black Box festival launched in May of 2014, initiating a local and global platform for the arts and technology.

Aktionsart has collaborated with notable institutions around the world, including: Tate Modern, Andy Warhol Museum, Hammer Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle International Film Festival and The Armory Show.