Meet The Dots

We’re a lively bunch at Nine dot Arts: we jam out as easily to Kesha as we do to St. Vincent, Johnny Cash, Ray Charlesor Wham; our birthday bashes aren’t complete without Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show; our weekly Moments of Zen are the stuff of legend; and we zip line super-chica style!

You may think you know the Dots, but here’s a little something you might not know about us:

Martha Weidmann, Co-Founder & CEO

• Passions outside of art: urban hiking, treasure hunting in second-hand markets, animals
• One of Denver’s hidden gems: the graffiti walls in Northside Park
• Random facts about her: she has not had cable TV since 1999; her dog, Bunny, sings when she plays the harmonica; she loves visiting the dentist

Molly Casey, Co-Founder & Studio Chief

• Unusual qualities: doesn’t have an appendix, can put her foot behind her head and has won an award for her cursive handwriting
• Level of luckiness: “I’m as lucky as a rabbit’s foot because sometimes I’m lucky and other times not as much”
• Songs that best describe her: Good Golly Miss Molly by Little Richard, Obladi Oblada by the Beatles, Molly’s Lipsby Nirvana
• What she misses most about being a kid: being able to have a complete meltdown in public and no one judges you”

Katherine Lees, Art Consultant

• If she could have dinner with any artist, living or dead: “…It would be a horrible experience because I would be so nervous of saying something stupid that I wouldn’t be able to speak. I’d much prefer to go back in time and be a fly on the wall in Paris at the turn of the century to the conversations between artists like Pablo Picasso and writers likeF. Scott Fitzgerald.”
• The best thing about TAXI: Fuel Café
• Hunter or gatherer: Hunter
• Go-to drink: “Champagne – there’s always something to celebrate”
• Favorite time of year: “Summer! I love being outside and summer means grilling, patio dining and hiking, and it’s light out until 9:00!”

Grant Adams, Operations Director

• Favorite type of food to cook: Italian. “I just let the sauce simmer all day and toss in some sausage or chicken then make some pasta. It’s virtually impossible to mess up.”
• Last book he read: Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. “I had to read it because he’s my favorite comic and the stories are so similar to my life it’s scary.”
• Mutant superpower: “I can kill flies by swatting them out of midair with my bare hands. Beware bugs!”

Ben Sherrill, Project Manager

• What brought him to Denver: a girl. “But I will long be ensnared to the city because of its weather, proximity to family and mountains and its perfect size, Denverites get all the benefits of a city – art, music, culture, professional sports, diversity – without most of the downsides – traffic, crime and excessively high cost of living.”
• Passions outside of art: blues music, reading, photography.  “Blues is my favorite genre of music – I feel a visceral joy listening to the common I-IV-V chord progression, and I love reading about its history and iconic figures that have contributed to its evolution.  I continue to love reading more and more as I get older.  I read the New York Times and the New Yorker online throughout each day, and recently I’ve been reading mostly non-fiction and poetry. I spend quite a bit of my online time keeping up with the contemporary art photography scene.”
• Trend he wishes would disappear: most artist statements. “A good portion of the artist statements I read are relatively overblown and opaque.  I think this is mostly the product of formal art education and a need many artists feel to legitimize their work for both art insiders and outsiders.  My theory: If you splash paint on canvas, or experiment with film etc. (as an adult, for a living!) and you’re not explicitly telling the world those actions are about something profound and hard-to-grasp, it will probably be quite a bit more difficult to put yourself out there as an artist.  More art, fewer words!”

Deanne Gertner, Program Manager

• Passions beyond art: Reading (fiction, art and food reviews); Writing (short stories, art reviews, blog posts); Food (cooking, eating and Denver’s restaurant scene)
• What she misses most about being a kid: having a seemingly indefatigable amount of energy!
• Unusual facts about her: she’s the oldest of 13 female cousins on her dad’s side; she’d love to have a side job as aFandango puppet designer; she’s hopelessly analogue when it comes to music and books

Chris Roth, Art Director

• If he could have dinner with any artist, living or dead: David Byrne. “I’m a big fan of his music, and he’s also done some really neat art installations.  Plus, he used to date Cindy Sherman so I’m sure he has lots of stories to tell about all sides of the art world.”
• Moment he’s been most satisfied with his life: “the day my son Henry was born last fall.  It was the culmination of nearly 10 long months of waiting (much longer for my wife, probably) and was more exciting, rewarding, and memorable than anything else I’ve ever done.”
• Last book he read: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.  “It’s very much like Forrest Gump if Forrest Gump had been a Swedish explosives expert who loved to drink vodka.”

Ada Rael, Intern

• If she could have dinner with any artist, living or dead: Remedios Varo and Georges Seurat. “Due to Seurat’s untimely death, I think there is a lot unknown and unsaid about his extremely interesting studies in color. Varo’s paintings show her great imagination and interests in things like alchemy. I think such topics would be fun to discuss over happy hour!”
• Go-to drink: “Gin & Tonic, baby!  It’s refreshing, it’s delicious, it’s affordable, it comes in a normal glass so that you can still dance, it is a no hangover drink, and even as an extra cheap well drink IT’S DELICIOUS. Tip: Always enjoy a gin and tonic with both a lemon AND a lime.”
• Favorite thing to cook: Breakfast foods, Mexican food, and whatever happens when the two become one.

Trend she’d like to see disappear: abject art. “Some of it I can stand behind, ie. some feminist works or pieces that are an exploration of the body, it is more the attempt at eliciting a reaction with feces ‘just because’ that I am not into. I also would like to see the pre-ripped legging trend go away.”

Photograph by Ben Sherrill