SaveArtSpace is proud to present Your Art, a public art exhibition in 4 US cities, starting March 27, 2023.

The Your Art selected artists are Alicia Saadi, Megan Riera, Nate "Igor" Smith, and Crisp County Primary School Students. Curated by SaveArtSpace.

During the week of March 27, 2023, SaveArtSpace will launch public art installations for each selected work on billboard ad spaces in the artists neighborhood. The public art will be on view for at least one month.

Selected Artists

Alicia Saadi Disparities

Location: Jersey Ave & Jersey Ave Station, New Brunswick, NJ

Alicia Saadi is a multi-disciplinary artist whose mission is to address social injustice and to insert African American narratives where they've been omitted. In pursuit of this goal, Alicia frequently undertakes outdoor projects and other public works. Her art has also appeared in galleries, periodicals and other spaces that share her vision. Alicia holds a degree in art history, while her studio practice is self taught. She furthers her real world education and socio-political messages on the street.

The works in the Disparities series represent areas where systemic racism in the U.S. has created inequities along color lines. However, while the problems caused by racism can seem larger than life, so are the affected people who continue to fight for justice. 

Special thanks to SAS, Kolaj Institute and CoLab Arts for creative support.

Connect with Alicia on Instagram at @alicia_undomesticated.

Location: Manchester Ave & S Main St, Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles based painter-printmaker Megan Riera approaches the environment and their inhabitants as something to be understood through close observation and documentation. Insights emerge through the process of making whether it is painting, print-making or design. Sometimes this is conveyed through highly rendered and detailed images; at other times it might be that the “capture” is more openly abstracted as a “realistic” representation of a mood or an adjective. Her background in architecture also influences her approach both as a form of design analysis, or the “prompt” of a “problem”. (Problems as a “good” thing - something to work on.) An additional influence from architecture is the engagement with material and craft as a departure point.

Originally from Marblehead, Massachusetts, the coastal town marked her aesthetic sensibilities from a young age. She graduated from Washington University in St Louis (BA Architecture), University of California in Berkeley (M Architecture) and the Academy of Art in San Francisco for her Masters in Fine Art Painting. She practiced architecture for several years in the San Francisco Bay Area before turning full time to the making of art.

She has work in several personal collections but has only recently begun to exhibit. Recent shows include the Winter Show at the Palos Verdes Art Center, The Gran Vida Show with Dab Art in Ventura California, and the Flowers, Trees and Roots show at The View Art Center in Old Forge New York, YonderCRUSH at the Satchell Gallery in Chelsea, Architecture in Contemporary Art Show at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, the WATER Show for the Marin Society of Artists, UnCommon Threads Show at the SO CAL Open Regional Exhibition, ShockBOXX Gallery Literally, Figurative Art Show, Las Lagunas Gallery Figures or Faces, LOVE Inglewood.

Her studio is based in Inglewood, California and she lives with her family in Los Angeles.

Statement about the piece: This specific location in Inglewood has always captured my eye because it is so visually interesting. I’m here a lot because it is right near Randy’s ; ) The road is curved and the side streets intersect at atypical angles to the main street - buildings align themselves with either some tangent to the curve or to the intersecting side street creating all these unique forms and spaces. Add to that the long shadows of the afternoon and WOW.

Connect with Megan on Instagram at @megan.riera.

Location: McGuinness Blvd & Calyer St, Brooklyn, NY

Nate "Igor" Smith is a Brooklyn-based photographer and photojournalist. Known for his candid and gritty street photography, Smith has built a reputation for capturing raw and unfiltered moments of everyday life.

Born and raised in the DC area, Smith moved to New York in the mid 2000s to pursue a career in photography. He started taking pictures at parties and events and soon realized that he had a talent for capturing the energy and spirit of the people around him.

Smith’s work is characterized by its raw and unfiltered nature, often featuring subjects and scenes that are unconventional or taboo. He has built a reputation for capturing the energy and spirit of subcultures and underground scenes, including punk rock shows, burlesque performances, and fetish parties. Despite his unconventional subject matter, Smith’s work has been featured in numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, Vice, and The New York Times. He has also exhibited his work in galleries and museums around the world.

In addition to his photography, Smith is also a writer, with a blog that covers a wide range of topics, from music and art to sex and drugs. He has published several books, including “Get Your Kicks”, “Dinner With Igor” and “Instaxxx”. This photo was originally published in his zine "Same Old City" and is part of a sold out NFT collection of the same name.

Smith’s dedication to his craft and his willingness to push boundaries have made him a beloved figure in the underground art scene. His work serves as a reminder that there is beauty to be found in even the most unlikely places, and that true creativity knows no boundaries.

Mostly true biography generated with artificial intelligence using ChatGPT.

Connect with Nate "Igor" Smith on Instagram at @nateigorsmith and on Twitter at @drivenbyboredom.

Location: GA-300 & Old Hatley Rd, Cordele, GA

Crisp County Primary School is a collective of the 1000+ young artists K-3rd grade in Cordele, Georgia. In 2021 CCPS and the Crisp Area Arts Alliance partnered to create an art room in the school, and introduced art activity, in which every student is invited to develop their unique creative style. Cordele is a tight knit community in a small rural county – the “Gateway to South Georgia”. Since I-75 was built through Cordele in the 1970s, this historically busy railroad town is now frequented by trucks and roadtrippers. The interstate is often the only part of Cordele that travelers experience as they pass through on their way to other places.

Welcome Home is a collaborative piece created by every K-3rd grade public school student in Crisp County, who are reclaiming the highway that runs through their town, brightening it up, and making it their own. It serves as a symbol within the community of the potential the students hold as the future of this town, as well as a reminder to those passing through that Cordele is more than just a rest stop, but home to many creatively gifted students.

Connect with Vicky Szuflita on Instagram at @vszufinsta.

Connect with Crisp County Primary School via there website or Facebook.

Connect with Crisp Area Arts Alliance on Instagram at @crispareaartsalliance or on Twitter at @caaa_crisparea or on Facebook.

Billboard sponsored by Prime Locations.

Curators

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and foster a progressive message of social change. By placing culture over commercialism, SaveArtSpace aims to empower artists from all walks of life and inspire a new generation of young creatives and activists.