Spotlight! Art, Space, and Facilities with Martha Weidmann

#31- Art, Space, and Facilities with Martha Weidmann

Introduction:

Welcome to another episode of the Modern Facilities Management Podcast brought to you by Stratum. I'm your host, Griffin Hamilton. This is the show where I interview industry experts who share their stories, strategies and insights into modern day facilities management. From hospitality to commercial real estate and everything in between, we'll learn what it really takes to succeed as a facilities manager.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Welcome to another episode of the modern facilities management podcast. Today, I've got Martha Weidman with me. Martha, how're you doing?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

I'm doing great. Thanks, Griffin. Thanks for having me on the show.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Of course, thanks for coming on. Well, I know we were talking a little bit offline but to give the audience a little context why don't you tell everyone who you are and what exactly you do.

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

I'm Martha Weinman. I am the CEO and co-founder of Nine Dot Arts. We are a corporate art consulting and curating company. We work with commercial real estate facilities, healthcare facilities, hospitality environments all over the United States and in countries outside as well. So, we’ve worked in five different countries, 35 states and we are a national solution to the question of how do you tell a story and create a visual brand through supporting local artists.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

So that'll be my first question. How do you do that through supporting local artists?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Well, we have spent six years building a database of artists, primarily focused on artists in the US but we've had interest from actually all over the world. So, what that has created is this ability for us to be able to search, find, tag and locate artists who are within the vicinity of any of the projects that we're working on. And the reason that's important, there are some really important, feel-good social impact reasons that makes a lot of sense. Because when you are doing a renovation or when you are updating a property, you want to think about how you are getting buy in from the local community. It's really hard to do that with things like carpet or furniture or tables. But with art, it's actually a really easy way to engage the audience and can be really helpful and retaining talent, attracting and hiring and long-term creating a place that people want to be. So that's one of the main reasons it's this social impact. And then the second that's important is just from a logistics standpoint and I figured that as facilities and property managers also appreciate just thinking through the supply chain logistics. So rather than having things shipped across from overseas right, you're using a local community and that can when managed properly, really reduce lead times and reduce the overhead left of creating a site-specific installation that's highly successful in the environment because you're working with people who are right there.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, that is absolutely amazing and how did you get into the industry? What sparked this idea and this passion?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Well, my business partner and I actually met at a firm called McGrath and Braun and we worked there in our early 20s and learned everything that we could from the women who founded it and that company changed hands right before the recession. And during the recession, there was nowhere to hide so that company ended up dissolving but we bought the three existing contracts from that business, built Nine Dot Arts and then one of our first major clients was a big facility renovation. And we were able to bring in our mentors, the women who had originally founded that former company and they came back out of retirement to work for us that all came back full circle. Had a great experience and I feel really blessed to be able to learn from such experts.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, absolutely. And so, a majority of our guests are the ones running and managing the facilities and properties for their organizations. And so, tell me more about the relationships that you foster with property managers and facilities managers out there.

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Well, a lot of times when you're in your facilities, when you're in property, there is definitely going to be a responsibility for maintaining an image right. Everything should be in shipshape order and really put together. So, to maintain or put together a well-maintained image, you got to think about every detail and that includes the artwork. So, a lot of times one of the common things that we find in facilities or even in property management is that we will get calls when there's going through a renovation or an improvement project and then also just thinking about how do you work with an existing art collection. So maybe you inherited this collection of 1000s or hundreds or even a dozen artworks, maybe exterior or interior, what are they worth? What are they and do you need to keep them? Do you keep them? Do you maintain them? Do you invest into getting them up to snuff or do you need to look at a D/A session which is the fancy art word for let's get rid of it now? 

So, we really help people in facilities and people in property management work through those questions particularly around that, what is it and what do I do with it?

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Interesting. And so, when you initially start working with a new customer, you go in and you just assess their current situation and then I guess, what is the role that the property manager plays? Are they really reliant on you? How does that relationship typically work?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Well, I mean a lot of times the property manager is hiring us for expertise. So, they might be stuck with a problem that they're not quite sure how to solve or need to get some expertise in. For example, you don't want to get rid of something that holds quite a lot of value. So, you don't want to start just like throwing things away or you know that you need to do a renovation, you know that you've got to put a facelift on this building to get it up to speed, you've got new tenants moving in whatever the case may be and if you want to really up the ante, you've got to think about the finishing touches. So typically, a property manager would bring us in to help provide some vision and solutions for those finishing touches and that could mean an existing collection and could mean starting from the ground up.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Got it! It certainly makes sense there. And so, taking it a step further, at the end of the day, property managers and facilities managers, they want the building one, aesthetically to look great but also create a warm environment for their occupants and making sure that there's not turnover there and the occupants are there long term. And so, what kind of impacts does this artwork and just I guess the feeling around the facilities have on turnover and I guess the culture of that building?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Well, art is one of the most powerful tools that you have to leverage engagement in a property. Think of walking into a place that doesn't have anything really stand out, what are you going to remember and art can be that tool to create this out of the box experiences, out of the box use for what might have been in an empty corner now becomes this unique installation that people want to visit. You might spark interest for even a larger project down the road but something that gets you to think differently, right? How can you repurpose an old or an uninspired space by creating something that's truly different? How can you engage artists and cultural creatives and communities sometimes even in the process thinking through the design, putting out calls for entry and really getting people invested in the outcome of this idea. 

And so, depending on the property, we'll be selective about which steps we go through that are appropriate and how public you want your calls to be. But at the end of the day, when people are invested in the process, when you've got a committee who's invested in the process, they're going to be the ones that tell that story that carry it forward and ultimately, come back to be the champions for that building and that property.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah. And so, there's another point you made earlier as far as the different types of industries that you guys have worked with and you mentioned it being a global presence that you guys have. So, tell me the differences that you've seen and what you've learned over the years working with different industries working with different cultures from across the globe?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Hmm. Well, I think that every industry and every culture values distinctiveness. It's really about what makes this place unique. How is it different from all of the others like it? And so, there's really no limit to how you can advance that concept through original thought and through creativity and through art. For example, when we first started working in healthcare, one of the reasons that people in health care hired us was because we had experience in hospitality. And the people in health care wanted a stay to feel like you were in a comfortable calm home in a residential type environment. And so, it's funny that each industry kind of pulls design trends from the other in order to stay ahead of things. And then one of the things that started happening in large scale development projects even in industrial, we were doing big mural. So, you could see a building from the interstate and then large-scale corporate offices. Well that's pretty unique, right? I want people to know about our office building. And it almost becomes this way of branding your building almost like signage but signage has so many strings attached with policy and logos. Art is a very unregulated so it's completely different in how you approach it. So, each industry, each vertical pulls from the other. Hotels a lot of times lead the way on the cutting edge and then others will follow on what is the latest in particularly residential trends because those are the places that people generally feel the most calm and at home and so you're trying to replicate that experience. In an office environment, maybe you want to stimulate thought, there might be places where you want people to calm down and slow down and be more meditative. So, you're actually designing through art solutions that can shift your behavior.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

That's fascinating and it makes me sit and think about just the facilities that I work in and where I'm going on a day-to-day basis. And really what does catch your attention and until you sit back and think of the open environment and the artwork and the color selection even, you don't really realize the impact that it has subconsciously and so that's really fascinating there.

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Yeah, I mean think about a journey through let's say you've got a really large property and you have those corridors that feel like they go on forever, right? People can feel disoriented and lost. So how are you going to help them have an experience that drives traffic in an appropriate way that feels like you have a destination, you know where you're going. So, art can be this form of wayfinding. It's a tool to help you feel calm and relaxed on what might otherwise feel like an endless journey through a lengthy corridor.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah. And so, I guess switching gears here a little bit as far as what's changed over the last year and a half, obviously the world is going through quite a bit of change and especially in the workplace. How is that impacted you guys and where does that come into play as you guys look forward? Is that changing how you guys are working on property and facilities managers? 

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Well, one of the recent articles that we publish is called big art is in big demand and what we saw during COVID was this emphasis on large scale art installations for a few reasons. One, you can put them outdoors. And so, because they could go outdoors, you could actually create activations to keep your building relevant at a time when we may not all be able to gather inside. And then the most important factor is that when you are looking at large scale artwork, you're generally standing pretty far back. Viewing distance and social distance go hand in hand so that was definitely a win scenario. And of course, when you're thinking about the scale and impact, you could let's say be looking at a really expensive finished material, let's say finished tile that's quite expensive or stone that's quite expensive for the side of your building. Or you could do a custom commissioned mural and do it on the base material and have a less expensive base like a concrete or something very simple, even a CMU and have a really unique engaging installation that's done with paint and gets written about and talked about and Instagram about and then everyone notices your property. So, it's just a way of thinking differently and how you approach certain solutions.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, and getting creative has been a common theme on this show where there's not always going to be the same problems day in and day out. In fact, that rarely occurs and that's why people are geared towards facilities and so thinking outside of the box is a requirement here. So that is a great example where you have to get creative on adding value to your property and creating buzz about the physical building because that truly does make a difference there. And so, with that, what would you say as far as a timeframe is concerned? What is the best time to undergo this type of projects? You brought up renovations several times, is that primarily when you guys go in and do most of your work?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Most of our projects are new build or Reno because those are typically going to unleash a capital budget that would include some upgrades like artwork. But it's not the only time that we could get involved. Sometimes we even have districts that hire us to create a new brand or placemaking project for an entire neighborhood or an entire downtown district and that's going to be public art installations that happen over time. When you think about managing a building, we're usually going to come in as part of a capital plan, a capital renovation and that might be from a timeline perspective. Let's say you're trying to get your budget approved for property improvements, you're probably putting together your budgets right now for what you're going to do next year. So usually in mid-September October timeframe, we'll hear from people who are thinking about what are their projects for 2022, will help to develop a budget, understand the scale of how to get involved and then the implementation, really to be thoughtful about it. You want to give at least six months and that's if you're doing just an existing building, art installation update. If you're going to have us be part of a larger new build effort and those were typically involved at 60% schematic design. So, some of our projects, you know, when we're doing like a micro district, we might be involved for three or four years.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Wow, that long of a project.

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Uh huh Yeah so that one example just to give you a sense of scale would be to think about the dairy blot project that we worked on. That one is a way that we use placemaking to really impact the local community in a multitude of different ways with different types of installations. So that one is an adaptive reuse project. It was an entire city block and an urban environment. It included a 1920 Windsor dairy, the former dairy downtown. It also included the firehouse and some at the time what were vacant parking lots and then there was a micro district created where new architecture new infrastructure was put into those vacant lots. And that ultimately composed 250,000 square feet of blended office space event space, meeting space and included an independent 172 room event hotel, 392 underground parking spaces. And then this milk market which is this open market featuring food and drink venues, restaurant, bar, coffee shop, art gallery and then this awesome activated pedestrian alley with murals, interactive art and maker shops. And we worked with the developers on that project almost four years prior to opening. So when it was still dirt for the new builds and that building features more than 700 works of art all created by local artists.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Wow, that is incredible. So, I guess before we wrap it up here, what would you say would be a quick win that a property manager, facilities manager could have in the effort to begin this process of beautifying their building and beginning to put art front of mind here?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

I think murals are and will continue to be a great trend as well as sculptural installations because both of those stand out as being very distinctive. So, anyone who walks through that building will realize that this is not some cheap poster. They'll know that this is truly something crafted by hand something that's truly unique. And when you think about just the technical standpoint of a mural that's going to take up a large massing and so you can value that concept by thinking what would you do in its place? Where do you have an expensive wall covering? Would you have an expensive stone finish? And so, then you actually can have some cost justification methods of doing a unique application. So, I think that's a great way to start with a building is how do you conceptualize something large scale high impact, this is a paint finish that's quite different.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, love it. Well, before I let you go, I have one question that I always ask people. So, who or what has had the biggest impact on your career?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Oh, well, I'm going to go with biggest impact on my life and career in general and that would be my grandma, Emmylou Buckler. She's from Mississippi. I spent almost every weekend with her when I was a little girl and she told me baby, you can do anything. So, I love her because she gave me that sense of self-worth and purpose that allowed me to pursue my dreams and pursue my passion. So, very grateful that I had someone like that in my life to inspire me into the future. 

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

You lit up when I asked you that. Didn't even think twice about it. Absolutely love that. And I didn't hear any southern accent the entire conversation and being from the south, I was quite impressive. 

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Well, thanks. I worked real hard on it so just comes out when I want it to just get it on demand.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

That is great. Well, Martha, thank you so much for coming on. Where can people reach out to you and where can they find you?

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Yeah, so I'm on LinkedIn. You can find me there, Martha Weidmann. Also check us out ninedotarts.com is our website. We'd love to hear from you.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Well, perfect. Well, I'm going to certainly include that in the show notes here. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come on. It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you, and look forward to staying in touch.

Speaker: Martha Weidmann  

Thank you, Griffin.

Speaker: Griffin Hamilton  

Alright, take care. 

Outro:

Thanks for listening to another episode of the modern facilities management podcast. Make sure to subscribe for future episodes and visit our website stratumcommunity.com for more facilities management content

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