We bring ambitious public art to life

Building 180 is a women-led art production and consulting agency working at the intersection of artists, cities, developers, funders and institutions across the country and around the globe.

We come from the world of artists, builders and BIG creative experimentation and we know our way around the real-world structures that shape public art: permits, politics, fabrication, safety, budgets, timelines and public trust.

Our role is to protect the creative vision, guide the process and see complex public-facing projects through.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Art belongs to all of us.

We believe art can change the way people see a city, a neighborhood, a building or a shared public space. It creates connection, invites curiosity, supports local identity and turns everyday places into something people remember.

Our mission is to empower both artists and clients to dream bigger and build better. By building the systems, partnerships and production pathways behind large-scale public art we are not only supporting artists, but also elevating the human experience.

We do this by shaping ideas early, supporting artists through uncharted processes, navigating jurisdiction and site-specific realities and guiding work from possibility to public reality.

WHO WE ARE

Founded by Dreamers, Built for Complexity

Building 180 was founded by Shannon Riley and Meredith Winner, two visionary women with deep roots in the arts, who lead with purpose and share the same ethos of artist-centered production.

Originally inspired by Burning Man, Building 180 grew out of a Bay Area community of artists, builders, fabricators, producers and problem-solvers working at the edge of what public art could be.

That origin still informs everything we do. Building 180 was built around the idea that artists should be able to dream big and the infrastructure around them should help make that possible. Building 180’s project track record and authentic relationships with artists have earned it a reputation as a trusted partner.

The name Building 180 is an homage to a former airplane hangar-turned-makerspace located on Treasure Island, in the San Francisco Bay, that was home to 40 studios and hundreds of artists. Demolished in 2016, it was an irreplaceable space, where people came together to build BIG art and a sense of belonging.

HOW WE WORK

Public art requires trust in every direction. We move between worlds.

Our expertise gives big ideas solid ground, changing the way art is encountered, valued and made. Artists need a partner who understands the creative process and protects the integrity of the work; clients need a team that can manage risk, communicate clearly and deliver responsibly; cities and agencies need fluency in permits, safety, public space, community context and multi-stakeholder coordination.

Building 180 operates and interprets across all of these worlds. You might find us in an arts commission meeting, on a construction site, in a city permitting conversation, in a funder presentation or standing beside an artist as an installation comes to life.

That range is what allows us to do work that has no obvious roadmap.

Our Team

Building 180’s producers, curators, project managers, fabricators, artists, communications leads and technical specialists are all professional problem solvers who understand both the creative and logistical sides of large-scale art.

Together, we bring the care, rigor and resourcefulness required to carry unprecedented ideas all the way through to installation.