Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Judith HeartSong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Judith, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At Artists & Makers Studios we live by a Vision Statement as opposed to a Mission Statement, and it reads as follows:

“Artists & Makers Studios is dedicated to providing a supportive and vibrant environment for artists to realize their creative goals – through studio practice, collaboration, education, opportunities, networking and connecting with the community beyond our doors.”

Our Vision Statement was so important to craft properly, as my previous work experience with non-profit art centers mostly centered on grant-writing and a focus on the visiting public, as well as rentable space for events. We specifically wanted to create a space that focused on artists’ professional needs and their professional development, making sure that they could work the hours they wanted, when they wanted – with minimal requirements of them personally. After all, being a professional artist is a fulltime job.

Our buildings are kept clean and tidy, and well-organized so that artists and creative professionals have space to host potential clients and more for meetings and get-togethers related to their work. Artists can host small workshops, photographers can set up shoots in our public spaces, and everyone can find a space to sit and talk and create.

It has turned out that this vision statement has guided every decision along the way as we grow this business from one location, to three, and soon four from Maryland to Arizona, and most recently California. Our Staff works to make sure that policies are the same from location to location, and every artistic professional can enjoy the same benefits and experiences, no matter where their studio home is.

We host monthly and bi-monthly openings to invite the public in, and the goal is to welcome new fans and collectors, new business contacts, and more people who need the services of the artists we host. During open hours the public is welcome to visit and explore the galleries, peek in studio windows, visit with artists in their studios, and more. We offer tours and experiences for children, teens and adults, and often a busload of visitors will come by to explore. Our galleries host artists from the community and beyond – allowing everyone to get to know work and talent they may not previously been aware of.

We also pride ourselves on being very well-connected in our communities, so we often have new opportunities and calls for entry to share with Resident Artists. Our goal is to build community.

Judith, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Artists & Makers Studios is a for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the careers of working arts professionals. With a great variety of studio floorplans, galleries, unique amenities and more – we offer affordable space for working artists. We host artists, craftspeople, designers, photographers, Yoga and Pilates teachers, architects, writers and more in our buildings. We have locations in Maryland, Arizona, and California. With one to five galleries in each building, we host exhibits for local and nationally known artists, photographers, and more. We are currently celebrating our tenth anniversary as a business, and are so proud of supporting our artists throughout the pandemic and some very new business realities. During this tenth anniversary year the San Gabriel location has opened, and the North Hollywood location is breaking ground – a very exciting time! PR is a huge part of our job, as we reach out to the community and make them aware of what we offer, and welcome them to be a part of what our artists do. A welcoming, inviting space is good for everyone, artists and visitors – and stewardship of our buildings and the studios is important over the years. We always invite everyone to come and be a part of the arts.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I have been an artist for my whole life. I have been very fortunate to work in the arts for more than 40 years, working with the Women’s Caucus for Art in Florida, as well as galleries and festivals in Central Florida. Early on I became a connector of people and it stuck and resonated. I moved to metro DC 22 years ago, and worked for and had a studio at a non-profit art center – and served as the artist representative on the board. At the same time I began working for a corporate art consulting firm. I got to know so many local, regional, and nationally known artists, and working with and getting to know so many talented professionals was my great pleasure. I am a worker bee. Keeping my word and following through consistently with artists on projects, exhibits, and opportunities helped build relationships and trust over many years, and I gained so much experience working with a wide variety of people and practices as I became a part of this art community. I worked as the executive director for another non-profit art center – building it from the ground up, and eventually founded Artists & Makers Studios with two business partners. Our reliability and dedication to our artists is everything…. it is what we do.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Our staff is our brand on the ground. Our managers and directors work daily with artists and community members, doing outreach and supporting the people in our buildings. Empowering the staff to make good decisions based on our existing policies lets them work daily with a great knowledge base and the ability to learn more daily. There is always something new to learn, whether it is about artistic practices, or business, or managing people – and we all communicate frequently. We learn and grow together, and everyone hopefully gets to lead with their strengths. Our staff has wide-ranging expertise in their own right. Backing each team member up and helping everyone feel supported is critical. Everyone needs to know that we are in it together. Each staff member manages their own building, and there is a lot of pride in creating events and experiences unique to the individual location. Getting the word out about available studios, outreach, and PR are focuses for each of us. From our management staff to contractors, we work with wonderful people who take a lot of pride in what they do. I feel so fortunate that this small business has grown some wings with daily hard work and effort that is all about artists – the very soul of our communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://artistsandmakersstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistsandmakersstudios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtistsAndMakersStudios
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judithheartsong/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@judithAandM

Image Credits

Image of San Gabriel building with blue light art –

©David Schafer and Photography by Eric Staudenmaier Photography