Q: What is Project Studios in simple terms? Our beautiful FAQ will provide the answers!
A: Project Studios is company that offers co-working space for creative people and sometimes creative businesses in their early stages of development. In other words, Project Studios works within the arts sector giving creative people a place to work with amenities to support their process.
Q: Where is Project Studios located?
A: Our only location at this time is in Neumann Leathers in Hoboken, which is a large former factory complex. Project Studios is seeking to expand to a second location in spring of 2024.
Q: Is Project Studios a co-op?
A: No, we are an LLC with a single owner, artist Nick De Pirro. An artists’ co-op is a situation where a group of artists shares responsibility for rent and fees.
Project Studios sub-leases or licenses spaces to creatives and provides them free access to amenities such as an equipped photography studio, Wi-Fi, gallery space, and ceramics studio in the same way that business co-working companies provide a shared reception desk, cafe, and conference rooms.
A co-op may also have some of these features, however Project Studios manages space as a business entity, rather than a group of friends or colleagues sharing responsibilities. Project Studios provides maintenance of equipment and property management as a service to its tenants and members. Project Studios has a few part-time employees to support this program who address tenants needs, repair tools and equipment, clean and maintain units and common areas, handle company IT, and interface with building ownership.
Q: How is Project Studios different than an individual or company simply leasing space and subletting that space at a profit?
A: Fundamentally, Project Studios does sublease or license space that it has leased in bulk. However, the difference is that Project Studios provides amenities to those spaces that are not found in a simple sublease arrangement. An artist can sublease a unit as small as 150 sq. ft. and still be granted free access to every shared shop space and use of the equipment therein. Project Studios staff is on-site 6 days a week to support the studio program. We also offer short-term occupancy, which appeals to emerging artists.
Q: What kind of person or business joins Project Studios?
A: We provide space to create for musicians, designers, visual artists, craftspeople, graphic designers, performing artists, and fashion and industrial designers. Project Studios does not provide office space or space for people or businesses outside of the arts.
Q: What is an equipped shared studio or shared shop space mentioned above?
A: This is a large room that has equipment that artists generally do not own themselves, especially younger artists. For example, our photo studio has numerous strobe light systems, camera stand, Photo Robot machine, backdrops, and computers and file storage. Much of this equipment is beyond what an individual would own unless they were working commercially full-time. Our Clay Studio has more equipment than would be seen in a college art department. These rooms might be described as makerspace, but with a focus on the arts and not simply technology.
Q: Why not be a non-profit as many New Jersey organizations in the arts are?
A: Generally, within the arts sector, non-profits are 501(c)(3) which is specified as an educational organization. Project Studios does not provide educational services at this time, although in the future this might change. Project Studios is more of a professional services company and does not have a classroom and does not teach art.
Q: How does Project Studios generate income?
A: Due to the large amount of space Project Studios has leased, the per-foot cost is low enough to allow a mark-up of the rate for sublessees. Space of this type is at a premium in the New York City area. This margin pays Project Studios employees and covers the cost of upgrades, maintenance, and the purchase of new equipment. The sublet/license rate also offsets the per-foot cost of the shared shops. The membership-based part of the business (Clay Studio and New Collective) generates income in the same way as a gym. Members pay a monthly membership fee.
Project Studios also does consulting in information technology and fabrication, but this aspect of the business has been reduced in recent years. We only serve creative individuals and companies in this capacity.
Q: How big is Project Studios? How much space does it have?
A: Project Studios leases 32,000 sq. ft. in Neumann Leathers in Hoboken. It leases three full floors of the main building on Observer Highway as well as a large ground floor unit in the section of the complex located on Willow Avenue.
3600 ft. is used for the ceramics and glass shared shop space, 500 ft. is dedicated to the wood shop and spray room, the shared photography studio is 650 sq. ft., and about the same amount is used for fine arts printmaking equipment. The metal and welding shop formerly had about 500 sq. ft., but at this time that space is closed and metal work is being done at Modelsmith, another tenant in Neumann Leathers. Another 800 sq. ft. is used as a shared gallery space. There is some space used for art storage, but it is not a core part of the business.
Approximately 5000 sq. ft. is used for music rehearsal in private studios or studio suites that are shared by several musicians and bands.
1000 sq. ft. is used as a dance studio which at this time is sub-leased to a dance company.
1000 sq. ft is fitted out as recording studio which at this time is sub-leased to a music producer.
The remaining approximately 20,000 sq. ft. is fitted out as either private or semi-private art studios.
Q: What do these studios look like?
A: Private studios range in size from 2000 sq. ft. down to 250 sq. ft.. Private studios have to-the-ceiling drywall and steel doors.
Semi-private studios have 8 ft. or 10ft. drywall partitions that do not reach the ceiling and they have no individual doors. They are grouped within suites that are only accessible to people with spaces in that area. The studios are similar to those found in university art departments such as the School of Visual Arts.
Almost all of the private art studios have windows, most of the music studios don’t. The semi-private spaces may have a window in a space, but some spaces are far from a window. Due to constraints in Neumann Leathers, air-conditioning is provided by window units or portable units. Heat is provided by a central steam boiler and is supplemented by ceiling-mounted electric units. Studio suites use code-entry and individual units have keyed entry.
Our shared shops vary in size and appearance. The Clay Studio is very large with a coded entry door, garage door, and open floor plan, while the photo studio has windows all-around and has open access via the suite’s door code.
Q: How about security?
A: All of our suites and individual private studios have locking doors, some with deadbolts. Project Studios has its own camera system to monitor and record activity in the common areas, shared shops, and hallways. The building has coded entry doors, but does not provide a security guard.
Q: How are the studios arranged within the building?
A: For example, the 2nd floor suite at Neumann Leathers is about 5500 sq. ft. It has 10 semi-private studios, the dance studio and the wood shop and spray booth, as well as two large music rooms and a small gallery space. This creates a dynamic environment for collaboration.
The 5500 sq. ft. 3rd floor suite has 10 private studios, 4 large shared music rooms, and the fine arts printmaking area.
The 4th floor is larger, with sections of Buildings H, E, and G leased by Project Studios, but the scheme is the same with the shared recording studio and photo studio as well as 2200 sq. ft. of semi-private studios, a music practice space, and 10 private art studios.
Q: At any given time, how many people are active at Project Studios.
A: The studios in Neumann Leathers can be accessed 24-hours, so tenants and members can arrive and leave at any time. Some studios are used casually, but others are very active workplaces and have a sub-tenant working daily. On a given weekday during business hours, as many as 20 individuals might be working in their spaces.
During evening hours, a similar number of different individuals are likely to arrive, particularly in the music practice spaces. The Clay Studio may have between 1 and 6 individuals working at any time. Music practice rooms at Neumann Leathers are generally only used after business hours and might have 10 to 15 individuals rehearsing from 5:00 PM to midnight or later. We do not offer retail space and don’t expect our sub-tenants and members to be receiving customer foot traffic regularly.
Q: How do people get to your studios in Hoboken?
A: Our sub-tenants and members drive, walk, bike, or take public transportation. Neumann Leathers has a parking lot that tenants may use, but also many of our people are local and walk to the studios.