16 minute read
Building 180
building 180
WORDS BY KATE ZALIZNOCK
BUILDING 180 IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE MAGIC THAT CAN COME OUT
OF HARD WORK, DEDICATION, AND A CAN-DO ATTITUDE.
FOUNDERS MEREDITH WINNER AND SHANNON RILEY HAVE
BUILT THE ARTS MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING AGENCY FROM
THE GROUND UP, AND ITS SERVICES HAVE GROWN TO INCLUDE
PROJECT MANAGEMENT. THEY ARE THE WOMEN BRINGING THE
VISION INTO REALITY, WITH A RECENT EXAMPLE COMING IN THE
SHAPE OF A MASSIVE WHALE SCULPTURE NAMED ETHYL (CREATED
SALNIKOVA OUT OF TRASH TO RAISE POLLUTION AWARENESS).
WE SAT DOWN WITH WINNER AND RILEY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
BUILDING 180’S PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
“It was like no other art I’d been exposed to before, and I’d seen and worked in dozens of facets of the industry by then. I was hooked.” Tell our readers a bit about both of your backgrounds and what led you to create Building 180. What are each of your strengths? MW: As a kindergartner, I was asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, which at the time was an art teacher. As a kid, I would beg my parents to let me stay longer in museums when we traveled. Before college I would say that I wanted to own a gallery. I’m an artist, a craftsman and a muse to several painters. I started taking arts and crafts lessons down the street from my childhood home in upstate New York when I was about 7; I took oil painting lessons starting at 12. I wanted to be able to go into any museum and know the names and story behind every painting and sculpture. Art has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I studied fine arts in college, earning my BFA in sculpture; with a minor in art history. I knew before I went to university that I wanted to be in the business of art, not entirely knowing what that meant or how. I knew that having the applicable knowledge of how things were made would be important; that I could maybe bridge the gap between artists and the rest of the world by understanding how they do what they do. I never was keen on pursuing a career as an artist myself. I graduated when the market crashed in 2008, having wanted to work at the Metropolitan, only to find they laid off half of their staff. I was determined not to “sell out” even though finding work in the arts deemed difficult. I pieced together several part-time gigs at museums, galleries, auction houses, even cataloging a private collection. I ended up working at a Russian auction house in New York City that was in its first year of business. I lived with a Russian family, cataloguing paintings through the wee hours of the night. New York wore on me, however, and with some money I’d earned from these jobs and a large painting commission, I moved to San Francisco sight unseen. I worked in a gallery there, then an auction house, with a brief stint in publishing and then as a project manager at an art consulting company. Throughout all of this I discovered Burning Man and really committed to understanding and getting involved in the community by building and helping in any way that I could. It was like no other art I’d been exposed to before, and I’d seen and worked in dozens of facets of the industry by then. I was hooked. I couldn’t fathom how these incredible sculptures could end up stuck in a warehouse for no one to see and I wanted to help people feel the way I felt when I came upon these massive works of art, which is probably the unifying reason for both me and Shannon in wanting to start a business. Co-founding Building 180 is the culmination of my whole life, work experience and passion at play. I understand how to build things, I communicate well with artists, I have over a decade of experience working in the arts and bring a comprehensive understanding of the market to the table. SR: Growing up my favorite book was “How Things Work,” by David Macaulay. I’ve always enjoyed the outcome but more so appreciated how one got there and why. As a kid I spent my time tinkering and collecting strange things, I had a lot of friends who taught me their passions and always went home to color and create. When I went to university I wanted to study art but ended up focusing on business and marketing with a minor in studio arts. After graduating my first career was in Business Development and Sales for an Internet company. I felt the need to leave my passion, building and connecting the dots, behind to follow a career path deemed more “successful.” I spent 8 years working in tech, I started in NYC and landed in San Francisco in 2012. Although I loved the change in scenery my work was still not fulfilling my need to create. I was in a high-paid and high-demand job that was not closely aligned with my soul and at the end of 8 years I decided to take a break and revisit construction, art and social change. I committed to exploring art and delved deep into it - took carpentry and welding courses, worked at galleries, I have done a lot of photo and video production. I also explored my own art and found myself apprenticing under Burning Man and festival artists, using my new woodworking and metal skills to assist arts. We traveled the country building large-scale and immersive art. As mostly a volunteer to these incredible large scale and public artists I found a home and reconnected with my passion but couldn’t figure out how to
pay the rent (I had been couchsurfing for a little too long). So I decided to explore more spiritually and traveled for a year. I ended up in Derry, Ireland volunteering on David Best’s Temple - this public act of art and deep meaning led by an amazing art events organization Artichoke which made me realize I needed to go back and support the artists I was apprenticing under.
In San Francisco I had been working in an incredible warehouse, Building number 180, on Treasure Island. The warehouse was full of crazy sculptures packed away after a festival. The rent of the space was draining artist’s pockets and the pieces were sitting alone in old containers. As much as we created, the work only had limited visibility and I couldn’t help but think how more people needed to experience this. My art work and volunteering helped, but I felt a pull from my business and sales background - I knew I could develop partnerships that could help get the work out there. At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to merge the two worlds, but slowly I started managing several artists and pitching their work to businesses, festivals and public spaces.
I found a unique way to practice my love of art and also use my business skills and relationships to help the incredible network of artists who I had been working with as a volunteer for several of years!
The work continued to come but the actual warehouse we built was getting demolished. During this transformation of time and space, I also met Meredith Winner, who had a ton of experience in the arts and who shared my passion. Together we transformed my business into something bigger and renamed it Building 180 in dedication to the warehouse where we met. The strength I think that I have and the company holds true is believing in the unknown and following your heart. I learned this lesson myself and through the acts of the many artists who showed me the way - a non-tradition and very much needed way of work, dedication and trust. My strengths include building relationships, strong work ethic, hustling (a lot), confidence, bravery and fun!
Photo: Nitesh Mor
Building 180 combines artist management, creative consulting and curation, and production and project management, essentially handling the overwhelming majority of project responsibility from start to finish. How did you build a workflow to manage this expansive workload?
MW: Shannon and I try at the getgo to establish who takes the lead on what role so as not to let anything slip through the cracks. We fortunately have a lot of work so dividing and conquering is key. We would love to be involved in every facet of every project because they are all fun to us, but it’s just not feasible anymore (sad). Making and adhering to deadlines is probably one of the most important
things to be successful in staying on track as well as daily check ins.
SR: I think we are still figuring this out, haha! Every project is completely different but the level of production and work remains the same. The workflow changes, however keeping strength and trust and confidence in our crew helps. Everyone has an important role and remaining calm helps.
Walk us through an example of a workday at Building 180 (I intentionally didn’t say “typical,” as I doubt the word applies).
different. The most fun part about working on creative and unique projects is that there’s no real road map to completing them. The most challenging aspect is the problemsolving. I personally find that this is why I’ve always gravitated towards sculpture: no road maps, no perfect solutions. We’re figuring it out as we go a lot of the time as are the artists, which requires a lot of ingenuity.
Other than that, there’s a lot of communication between clients, artists and internal business upkeep. Shannon and I don’t have an office so we’re constantly on the go and working from wherever we can, which ends up
being all of the time as it turns out. We handle all of the paperwork ourselves, plus marketing, HR, accounting etc.
What have been some of your favorite projects and why? What have been some professional highlights? SR: Public and large scale installation art is where our passion lies. It’s so rewarding seeing an artist or client’s vision come to life. I think we both can agree that one of our favorite projects to date was the commission of an 82’ Blue Whale, made out of recycled plastic. We worked with artists Joel Dean Stockdill and Yustina Salnikova and a large crew to build the piece over five months. It’s been a labor of love, and a huge learning experience. The whale was sponsored by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Hub Strategy and Communications and has been truly incredible. We’re very proud that it aligns directly with our mission to make large scale art, free to the public, around an important message, in this case plastic pollution and ocean conservancy. You should watch this video and bring your friends to check it out!
MW: We also launched an Artist In Residency program this year in collaboration with Agapolis, which offers artists rent-free space and a home to create freely. Supporting artists is also very aligned with our mission.
What has your experience been so far building an arts-focused business in a tech-focused city?
MW: It’s kind of a catch-22. The businesses and individuals who can help fund artists and their work are sometimes the same entities that drive artists out. This isn’t news to anyone reading this, however, there is a really strong artist community here if you know where to look. This can cause some tension, however it’s not malicious
and always beneficial to get both sides working on a project together. Our current Artist in Residency Program at Agapolis, dubbed AB180, is supported by industry leaders working in tech and we are also launching a new program called the Ananta Artist in Residency, in collaboration with the California Institute of Integral Studies that focuses on the intersection of art, consciousness and technology.
SR: My first response is that I feel fortunate, very fortunate to be here at this time and place. Second response is the reality of how expensive the city is getting and how hard it is an artist to live and work here. On one hand the requests for art seem to be exploding and I hope more artists are taking advantage of this possibility. On the other hand, it is getting harder and harder to live here as an artist and freelancer. Oakland and San Francisco artists are starting to get bigger names and recognized on an international level. The tech community and growth of San Francisco in general has offered a lot of support and money. We’ve been able to hire on many artists to curate and install work at tech companies. San Francisco also has a “1%-forart program” that requires that large projects in the Downtown and nearby neighborhoods provide public art that equals at least 1% of the total construction cost. We are finding that more people are valuing public art as well as immersive and large-scale art in their companies, around their homes and public areas - it has been a great opportunity for the arts however there is the huge problem for artists living in such a city. Many artists we know have had to move, which is also why we are proud of our Artist in Residency programs and our ability to connect and hire many artists to sources of income, however the reality is that the Bay Area is expensive and this is driving out a lot of creativity. We
hope to change this and connect more artists to opportunity both locally and globally.
Who are some emerging artists we need to pay more attention to?
MW: The new frontier of art is definitely about creating immersive and interactive experiences, which often involves a group of artists coming together. Places like Meow Wolf in New Mexico is a huge art destination that shouldn’t be missed. Artists like Marpi and Can Buyukberger who build these amazing digital landscapes and utilize new technology to create augmented realities are are among the mix. We went to Art Basel in Miami in December and experienced Artechouse, which had some really awesome interactive displays produced by Adrien Mondot and Claire Bardainne.
There are also lot of amazing LED artists and collectives, many of whom got their start at Burning Man: Christopher Schardt and Foldhaus Collective to name two. These artists combine masterful programming and fabrication to create incredible displays.
SR: You will find a lot of the artists Meredith mentioned also at Burning Man. Meow Wolf was inspired by Burning Man culture -- all of this, in my opinion, is fueling the instagram / selfie trend exhibits. Burning Man art has been looked down upon in the art work however you see tons of incredible, never-been-done-before work that is produced here. Burning Man is an invitation to any artist to bring whatever they want, whatever size, with very limited restrictions (where you come across so many in the public permitting system and when working with designers and architects). It is an open canvas and quite a beautiful and large one. We are seeing more attention directed to the art of Burning
Man, artist such as Leo Villareal and Guy Laliberté, who work with light and performance, are influencing the larger world. We saw a Burning Man exhibit pop up across from the White House at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery. These artists are some of the most skilled and talented artists I have yet to see - and they are not skilled at one particular area - they are coming in teams of craftsman, tradesmen, mechanics, engineers, animators, electricians, welders, sculptors and more. Since this is The Vision Issue, let’s talk a little about visionaries who have inspired you and how they have affected your work. SR: I have always been impressed with emerging artists and artists taking a less traditional route - street art and public facing art. Activists tend to draw me in as well as craftsmen, like graffiti artists, glass blowers, seamstresses, carpenters and others developing non-traditional works into fine art. I love the story behind the art, when people get dirty and go against the rules. I am completely enamored with JR who has grown tremendously from a photographer, activist and street artists into a well known name. His stories and public work on important topics speak to me. I am also drawn to the art of Burning Man and other festivals. Artists like Peter Hudson who develops Stroboscopic Zoetropes and Marco Cochrane, known for his large scale sculptures of women, each developed unique ways to craft their art. Hudson’s work takes a community of many experts to pull off his work: animators, engineers, mechanics, electricians and programmers. It is incredible to see a community come together to innovate and create. These artists not only add value to public space but they inspire, and educate—while providing deeper contemplations about the world around them.
the pioneers of each movement. Those blazing the trail were (and are) always the ones pushing the boundaries of what is considered art, initially with little regard to how it is received. I’m a huge fan of surrealism and abstract expressionism for this reason. How novel at the time and “undone” the art was. What’s beautiful to trace is how the art we are creating now is such a product of its predecessors. We have so many visionaries to thank: Andre Breton, Salvador Dali, Mark Rothko, Louise Nevelson, the list goes on… Now I’m inspired by people making big
Where would be your dream location for an installation? SR: I think both the highly visible placements, like Crissy Field, continue to be a dream location, as does the idea of bringing something to a place where art has yet to develop and/or inspire the community. There are a lot of communities that need inspiration, light and do not have the economic benefits that San Francisco does. I would love for us to come in and brighten the walls with color, the nights
with light, to help bring brightness and curiosity to a new place.
MW:I’ve got my eye on the East Coast, or like Shannon said, somewhere that doesn’t have a lot of colorful art. In San Francisco, many people have seen big, impactful sculptures, and bringing that awe to other areas would be a dream.
What do you have coming up that we can look forward to? SR: We have a few exciting and confidential installations coming up that we can’t talk a lot about but that are pushing the boundaries of innovation,
interaction and education. I’m also excited to support more artists in different Artist in Residencies - we are launching two programs over the next few months. We have some exciting interior installations happening at several companies where we were able to hire on some of our Artists in Residence - pretty incredible to see everything come around full circle. All in all, every day is a new day and we’re grateful to be full-on in art production and also grateful for the days we can catch up on computer
work. Developing our business has been on the back burner as we focus on the art and installation and more and more we are realizing how important the day-to-day work is in order to allow us the opportunity to showcase more incredible and emerging art.
