Travis Rix did not set out to start a nonprofit. What began as a personal relationship with photography and public space slowly evolved into SaveArtSpace, a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has spent the past decade turning advertising real estate into platforms for artists.

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace grew out of Rix’s time studying photography and living in New York, where commercial messaging dominates nearly every surface. Billboards, bus shelters, and walls were unavoidable, while art often felt gated behind institutions or gallery doors. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York in 2014 and facing the reality of a saturated creative job market, Rix partnered with a friend to stage an experiment during Bushwick Open Studios. Eleven billboards featuring twelve artists went up across the neighborhood. The response was immediate. People asked when it would happen again.

SaveArtSpace began working directly with billboard companies, paying for placements based on donations so artwork could remain visible for weeks rather than disappear overnight. From the start, the focus was local. Artists apply with their address, and whenever possible, their work is placed near where they live. It is meant to be seen during daily walks and commutes, not only documented online.

Running a nonprofit, however, brought its own challenges. SaveArtSpace operates through a mix of individual donations, foundation support, and corporate partnerships. While the nonprofit structure aligned with the museum world that Rix admired, the reality of funding public art required flexibility. Rising costs, shifting tax laws, and inflation have made large-scale shows harder to sustain. Some exhibitions now consist of a single billboard rather than several. The work continues anyway.

Despite the circumstances, the mission has remained consistent. Rix often returns to the idea that art should not require permission. Unlike traditional galleries that can feel intimidating or exclusive, public art removes barriers. Anyone can encounter it without paying. That accessibility has led to moments that still guide the organization’s purpose, including families recognizing the value of an artist’s work for the first time simply because it appeared in a public, commercial space.

SaveArtSpace has never positioned itself as anti-business, but it does challenge the assumption that advertising space must only serve commerce. Rix has spoken openly about imagining a future after fascism and systems that prioritize profit over people, where art replaces ads entirely. While that vision is long-term, this work focuses on securing funding, supporting artists, and keeping art visible.

Over ten years in, SaveArtSpace continues to operate at the intersection of creativity and reality. It is both an arts organization and a business, shaped by the same pressures as the cities in which it operates. Through it all, Rix’s focus has stayed the same. Let art lead the way, and make sure it has space to exist where people already are.

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