--- title: "Own the Work: Inside Colorado's New A-Corp for Artists" description: Colorado's innovative Artist Corporation (A-Corp) serves as a new business structure empowering artists with creative control, collaboration, and funding opportunities. image: https://knowledge.codaworx.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-11-09%20at%204.05.41%20PM.png --- [![Logo-CODAworx](https://knowledge.codaworx.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo-CODAworx.png?width=82&height=45&name=Logo-CODAworx.png "Logo-CODAworx")](https://knowledge.codaworx.com/codazine) [CODAworx Home](https://codaworx.com) # Own the Work: Inside Colorado's New A-Corp for Artists [By Marya Triandafellos](https://knowledge.codaworx.com/codazine/author/marya-triandafellos) 3 min read Nov 9, 2026 ##### Share - - - - [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://knowledge.codaworx.com/codazine/own-the-work-inside-colorados-new-a-corp-for-artists&body=Check%20out%20https://knowledge.codaworx.com/codazine/own-the-work-inside-colorados-new-a-corp-for-artists&media=https://5964602.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/5964602/Screenshot%202026-11-09%20at%204.05.41%20PM.png](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://knowledge.codaworx.com/codazine/own-the-work-inside-colorados-new-a-corp-for-artists&body=Check%20out%20https://knowledge.codaworx.com/codazine/own-the-work-inside-colorados-new-a-corp-for-artists&media=https://5964602.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/5964602/Screenshot%202026-11-09%20at%204.05.41%20PM.png) ###### ***Editor’s Comment:*** Every so often, an idea appears that could quietly reshape how our industry works. The Artist Corporation, a new business structure created in Colorado and designed specifically for artists, may prove to be one of them. For public artists, whose commissions bring together fabricators, engineers, funders, and long timelines, a structure that protects creative control while allowing teams to share in a work's success is an intriguing prospect, and we are glad to bring it to your attention. It is also very new. No A-Corp has yet been formed, and questions of tax treatment, procurement, and real-world practice will be answered only over the coming years. We share it here in that spirit: with optimism, with curiosity, and with the understanding that the public art community will help determine what it becomes. **— Toni Sikes** --- # **Artist Corporations: A New Business Structure Built for Artists** #### *Colorado has created the first legal business structure designed for artists. This is what it could mean for public art.* Artists have always run businesses. Most have done it with structures built for different business requirements. A sole proprietorship offers no legal separation between the artist and the work. A standard LLC, designed for conventional companies, protects personal assets. In June 2026, Colorado created an alternative. Governor Jared Polis signed the Colorado Artist Company Act, which establishes the Artist Corporation, or A-Corp. It is the first legal business structure in the United States designed specifically for artists. ### **What an A-Corp is** An A-Corp is a business structure built on the LLC, with unique protections for artists. Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler originated the idea, presenting it in a TED talk in 2025. The Artist Corporations Foundation, a nonprofit, now leads the work. The A-Corp incorporates several benefits for artists. Strickler said studios working for well-known artists pay $10,000 to $25,000 to build custom LLCs. The A-Corp provides a standard version of this structure through a simple form. Artists hold at least 51 percent of the voting power at all times. Even an operating agreement cannot change that. Every A-Corp includes an artistic mission in its founding documents. The mission carries legal weight. Investors and collaborators can hold A-Corp Shares. These shares pay distributions and royalties without voting rights or creative control. The artist's creative work counts as a capital contribution with real value. The law also protects the work. By default, if an A-Corp dissolves, the artistic work reverts to the artists and is protected from creditors. Artists do not need to live in Colorado to form an A-Corp, similar to how many companies incorporate in Delaware. ### **Why it could matter for public artists** For artists without a production team, the A-Corp may not provide much value. Hyperallergic's art advice column concluded that most visual artists do not need one. But large-scale public art projects are different. These commissions involve teams, budgets, liability, and long timelines. The A-Corp offers three advantages. Liability is the first. Legal separation from the business is a principal protection. An A-Corp formed for a single project can contain that project's risk inside its own company. A claim on one work stays apart from the artist's studio and other projects. Collaboration is the second. A public work depends on fabricators, engineers, and technologists. A-Corp Shares let those partners share in the income a work earns, while the artist keeps creative control by law. Funding is the third. Production gaps are often filled by sponsors, grants, and donors, each on their own terms. The A-Corp offers funders a standard way to invest in a work and share in its later income. ### **Where things stand** The law took effect on August 12, 2026. Colorado is now building the filing systems. In October, Strickler reported that the first A-Corps can form in July 2027, including for artists based outside Colorado. Other states are following. Strickler names New York, Illinois, and California as next. He says leaders in at least seven states plan bills for 2027 sessions. The Foundation's first focus after passage is group health care plans for A-Corps. Artists can pre-register at artistcorporations.com. The Center for Art Law hosted a panel on A-Corps in New York on October 1. ### **A model from film, and a new life for temporary work** Film offers a useful comparison. Producers often form a separate company for each film. That company holds the budget, contracts, and rights for a single project. A public artist could do the same with a project A-Corp. The lead artist holds control. The fabricator and technical partners take shares in exchange for part of their fee. Production funders take shares for capital. The commissioner contracts with and pays the project company. The model gains meaning with temporary work. When a temporary commission ends, the work often has no next home. Under a project A-Corp, the work returns to the company, subject to the commission contract, and can be offered to new presenters. Each new presentation earns a fee shared by everyone who helped build it. The whole team has a reason to find the next venue. Licensing could add a second stream. The Andy Warhol Foundation licenses Warhol's work to fund its philanthropy. A product line made from a public work could flow through the same project company and its shareholders. All of this is still untested. No A-Corp will exist until July 2027, and tax and procurement questions remain open. For public art, the A-Corp offers something new: a structure that fits how the work gets made. --- *Marya Triandafellos is a visual artist based in New York, NY, known for her innovative work at the intersection of technology, art, and public interaction.* Please note, she is not an attorney or an accountant, and this article reflects her understanding of the A-Corp, based on published research as of October 2026. 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