Our Story

Headlands Center for the Arts provides an unparalleled environment for the creative process and the development of new work and ideas. Through artists' residencies and programs for the public, we offer opportunities for reflection, dialogue and exchange that build understanding and appreciation for the role of art in society.

Since its founding nearly thirty years ago, Headlands has developed an array of dynamic programs for artists and the public, including artists residencies, lectures and performances, Open Houses, community-based projects, publications and site-specific commissions.

In the nearly thirty since its' founding, Headlands has supported over 1,000 artists. We host artists from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds, and our public programs bring artists together with scholars, activists and other professionals. By facilitating interaction across traditional boundaries, Headlands works to introduce artists and audiences to new creative processes, and to broaden the range of possibilities for art's function in our society. Headlands' reputation for creative exploration is world renowned, influencing communities from Bangkok to Berlin, Stockholm and New York. The cross-pollination of ideas that is at the core of what we do attracts emerging talents and highly influential artists alike.

Headlands' Campus

Headlands Center for the Arts is a partner of the Golden Gate National Parks, and is situated in a cluster of nine historic, century-old military buildings in Fort Barry, in the Marin Headlands. Residency studios, offices and public spaces are located in two four-story former army barracks and feature 13-foot ceilings, large windows, oak balustrades, maple floors and redwood wainscoting. Since 1985, Headlands has renovated these remarkable historic structures through granting commissions to artists. Major American artists, including Ann Hamilton, David Ireland, Bruce Tomb and John Randolph have designed and supervised the renovation of the public rooms in the main building. In 1998, artist Leonard Hunter and architect Mark Cavagnero led the award-winning rehabilitation of a nearby 1907 Army storage depot, which now houses the Affiliate Artist program studios. Today, more than 10,000 people visit Headlands each year.