When you’re born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, genteel grace and charm are just a natural byproduct of your upbringing. But Martha’s deep understanding of the art business and tenacious drive for business success are something all her own. As our CEO and Co-Founder of NINE dot ARTS, Martha oversees business planning, company finances, marketing and sales, team development, and is basically our head cheerleader and evangelist to the world. Martha left Alabama at 18 to expand her horizons and graduated from Colorado State University with a dual major – Communications and Fine Arts – to launch her journey. With her two diplomas in hand, she started her career with Walker Fine Art gallery in Denver, then moved on to the most prestigious art consulting firm (at the time) in the region, McGrath and Braun, from which NINE dot ARTS was born. Martha loves the business of art and finds tremendous satisfaction in helping new and emerging artists discover that you can actually get paid for your talent. She also loves using both sides of her brain on a daily basis, which can mean touring an amazing new NINE dot ARTS art experience in the morning and reviewing equally inspiring spreadsheets in the afternoon. When she’s not bouncing from meeting to meeting around our office, talking to movers and shakers in the art world, or giving high fives (with a handmade artistic hand, naturally) to team members, you might find her shopping at estate sales, urban hiking, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, or making cool stuff with her three art loving children.
Martha supports the art community by: currently serving on the Board of the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts and serving as Executive Director for Union Hall. Past experiences include lecturer for the Americans for the Arts conference in San Francisco on Art & Placemaking, serving on the Planning Committee for Stuart Semple’s Happy City, speaking on the CBCA Arts and Real Estate Panel, lecturer for the artist education series, Moxie U, and lecturer on Artist professional development for the Pueblo Economic Development Council.