Who Run the World?
Celebrating Women’s History Month
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the many achievements of women artists throughout history. Although representation for women in the arts has increased in recent years, women still face many disparities and obstacles in the art world. As a women-owned and run art company, we get it.
On the bright side, we’ve seen growing recognition, exhibitions, and appreciation for women in the arts. We’ve also seen more and more women become master fabricators, woodworkers, metalworkers, and other fields typically dominated by men. This is a significant step forward, but more work must be done.
Building 180 celebrates diversity and promotes the art of marginalized groups. This month we raise a glass to some of the most bad-ass women we have worked with. These women have made a significant impact through art and their work continues to influence and inspire artists worldwide. We’ve had the pleasure of working with hundreds of talented women, but here are just a few we’ve worked with over the last few months!
Photo Courtesy of @Hueman_
ALLISON HUEMAN is a multidisciplinary artist based in Oakland, CA. Her distinctly gauzy art style is what she likes to call “etherealism,” a blend of ethereal realism. Whether she is creating delicate visions on canvas, augmenting reality through tech, or crushing massive walls with a spray can, she often draws on the human condition to create colorful mash-ups of abstract and representation. Her pieces evoke modern mythology, exploring themes of time, memory, and healing, and her layered works can be seen on streets and in galleries worldwide. She balances her time between exhibitions and creating public works while also collaborating with some of the world's top brands that include the Golden State Warriors, Adobe, Nike, Google, L’Oreal, Sony Music, and many more. Her work has found homes in the collections of Ava Duvernay, Usher, P!nk, and Swizz Beats.
Photo Courtesy of Hoodline
YELENA FILIPCHUK of HYBYCOZO was born in Lviv, Ukraine. Yelena attended UC Berkeley and studied Conservation and Resource Studies, concentrating on patterns in the natural world, biomimicry, and environmental justice. Then trained in studio art and fabrication and digital design. She thrives in the creative process, creating thought-provoking artwork that investigates patterns and forms as a way to educate and inspire.
HYBYCOZO is the collaborative studio of Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk. The work consists of larger-than-life geometric sculptures, often with patterns and textures that draw inspiration from mathematics, science, and natural phenomena. Their works celebrate the inherent beauty of geometric form and pattern and compose them in ways that harmonize the experience of sculpture, light, and shadow.
Photo Courtesy of www.mrbbabyart.com
MICHELLE GUERRERO, aka MR B BABY's work explores the relationship between Mexican folk art and children’s books. Her artwork is a whimsical twist, combining the cultural world with a playful, colorful touch. She was raised in a predominantly Spanish-speaking home in Chula Vista with a single mother and her older sister. Her hardworking mother taught her that the sky was the limit, and she hopes to portray the same message through her art. Mr. B Baby’s art is heavily influenced by her culture and her experiences in life. As someone who battled with depression and anxiety starting from a young age, she advocates for positive mental health and hopes to inspire other people that adversities can be overcome through artistic pursuit. Mr. B Baby’s goal is to create art for everyone and, in the process, connect with people and bring happiness through her creations. She creates a wide range of characters who all tell their own unique story.
YUSTINA SALNIKOVA is a designer/sculptor with a vision to bring environmental awareness and social change through installation art and the transformation of public spaces. Originally from Kazakhstan, her mission is to animate the world in its remembrance of nature through public art and spaces that serve as portals for interaction, education, and inspiration in service of the community. In 2016, she joined forces with the artist Joel Dean Stockdill, and together, they created over 20 animal sculptures out of recycled waste. Their largest and most recent collaboration is a life-size blue whale commissioned by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Currently, Yustina and Joel are working with Lake Tahoe by Clean Up The Lake and the Tahoe Fund to create a sculpture using some of the recovered items from the Lake. “Surfaced,” a permanent art installation, will be featured at the new Tahoe South Events Center to educate visitors about what lies beneath Tahoe’s blue waters.
NINA FABUNMI has an MFA in Painting from the Academy of Art University (AAU) in San Francisco. She graduated with distinction and was highly recommended for a teaching position. She has worked as a part-time member of the Faculty at the AAU, has won several art awards, and has been published in renowned art magazines such as the American Art Collector, Southwest Art Magazine, and Artist Portfolio Magazine. Her work has been shown in Africa, Europe, and America. Fabunmi is versatile in portraiture, figures, and landscapes and is primarily known for her emotionally charged expressive technique, which she achieves with a palette knife. Her work has been shown in prestigious places like the California State Building, UCSF Women’s Health Center, and the Museum Of The African Diaspora. Fabunmi has an active studio practice at The Point Shipyard Artists, the largest artist community in the U.S.
KATY BOYNTON is a San Francisco Bay Area artist who specializes in large-scale metal sculpture. Her work has been displayed at events and festivals such as Burning Man, Bottle Rock, Life is Beautiful, Sunset Electronic Picnic, and Ghostship SF, as well as public placements in the cities of San Francisco, Fremont, Rohnert Park, and Las Vegas. Katy’s first sculpture Heartfullness, a steel sculpture of a mended heart, debuted at Burning Man in 2012. Her experience during this build was documented as part of the film Spark: A Burning Man Story. After experiencing the emotional impact of the first sculpture, Katy was inspired to create Heartfullness into a series of sculptures symbolizing healing around the world. While the hearts are similar in shape, the exterior of each sculpture is unique with inspiration drawn from their location and community. So far additional hearts have been placed in Las Vegas and SOMO Village in Rohnert Park. In addition to the Heartfullness series, Katy has been awarded 67,000 lbs of steel from the original eastern span of the Bay Bridge for use in Pier into the Past, a series of artistic elements that consist of a sculpture, auto barriers, and way-finding towers to be installed for Hornblower Yachts on Pier 3 in San Francisco.
These women have made a lasting impact on the art world and their work is sure to inspire generations to come. It's important to celebrate the success of women in the arts all year round, but Women's History Month is a special time to reflect on how far we've come. This month, take some time to celebrate the women in your life - whether they're artists, mothers, sisters, or friends. How will you be celebrating the women in your life this month and beyond?