LOS ANGELES — For over a decade, Superchief Gallery has been a cornerstone of LA’s underground scene, showcasing street art, photography, and work made on the cultural fringes. Despite its role as an experimental hub, mounting financial challenges in recent years have put the space at risk of closing. In an effort to keep the gallery running, Founder Bill Dunleavy is thinking outside the white cube, turning to alternative revenue models like crowdfunding to save the beloved space.Superchief began as a magazine in New York in 2010 before transitioning into a gallery in Williamsburg two years later. In 2014, Dunleavy moved west, opening a Superchief branch in downtown LA. “By 2018, 2019, it felt like Superchief had really found its niche,” he told Hyperallergic.That growing success took a hit in 2020, when a fire caused by an explosion in a neighboring building damaged the gallery and forced them to temporarily close. In 2022, Dunleavy and his team reopened Superchief in a 10,000-square-foot (~3,048-square-meter) warehouse in South LA, which allows them to mount ambitious exhibitions that draw hundreds of visitors. In addition to shows and performances, the space also hosts workshops, classes, and film screenings. Foos Gone Wild mural by Mr. B Baby on the front of Superchief Gallery in 2024 (photo by Bill Dunleavy, courtesy Superchief Gallery)Opening of Contagious Culture Vol. 5 curated by Estevan Oriol and Bill Dunleavy, in 2025 (photo by Bill Dunleavy, courtesy Superchief Gallery)The gallery has developed a strong following based on its dedication to “anti-elitist street culture,” as Dunleavy puts it, prioritizing artists and community over sheer profit. “My goal is to have an art space that gives a path to young people that don’t come from privileged backgrounds.”Artist Isaac Psalm Escoto, also known as Sickid, who had his first solo show with Superchief in 2019, says he was drawn to the gallery for that democratic spirit. “It didn’t make you feel unwelcome or discriminated against based on your education,” he told Hyperallergic. “As an artist developing my craft in my teens, there was no doubt in my mind it was where I wanted to see my work.” After working with Superchief for several years, Sickid had a solo show at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in 2024. “I’m very proud that he ended up with a solo at Deitch. I first showed him when he was 19 or 20 years old,” Dunleavy said.Polo Cutty also began showing with Superchief in 2017, participating in the meme-driven group show Peaches: A Black Internet Experience before embarking on a multi-faceted art and media career. “Bill was the first person to reach out. I wanted to show in galleries, but I wasn’t used to that world,” the artist told Hyperallergic. “Superchief is a big catalyst for artists who don’t necessarily see themselves showing in galleries. It’s such a necessity. It’s cool to have a space where you can really go all out, be real to yourself.”From left to right: Niohuru X, Creepygals, Aingelblood, Satanna, Grey Matter at the opening party of Creepygals solo exhibition HAUS OF DIVINE in 2025 (photo by Ludwig Cesar Cortes, courtesy Superchief Gallery)Installation shot of the group exhibition, CALIFORNIA COWBOYS, co-curated with Luis Hernandez in 2022 (photo by Bill Dunleavy, courtesy Superchief Gallery)Despite the popularity of Superchief among artists and visitors alike, Dunleavy says that art sales have been declining recently, as have corporate sponsorships. Although most of the work that the gallery sells is priced at $2,000 or less, its sales have been affected by the same market downturn that has shaken blue-chip galleries. To supplement art sales, Superchief has relied on sponsorships from media, skateboarding, and beverage companies, which have shifted to other markets like music festivals, according to Dunleavy. “A lot of people resonate with what we’re doing, but the business model needs to change in order to be viable,” he said. Although the gallery runs on a skeleton crew of Dunleavy plus two part-time employees, making rent has been a challenge lately. “We need to pivot away from a traditional business model and make a gallery that is more functional as a community space and an emerging artist incubation space.”Earlier this year, Superchief launched a Patreon, offering supporters free access to ticketed events, art prints, digital publications, and merch, with plans for a podcast and video content. Dunleavy says this brings in roughly $5,000 per month from about 400 supporters. He added that it will offer stability in the long term but doesn’t address the need for more immediate funding, which led him to create a GoFundMe on September 3. So far, the campaign has raised just over half of its $6,500 goal. The gallery will also be hosting a benefit show tomorrow evening, September 20, featuring work by over 200 artists, including JJ Vilard, Erika Weitz, Ara Cho, Steve Gai, Will Carsola, and Creepygals.“It’s time for the community to see the space as something important that exists in the now,” said Sickid, “rather than look back after it’s gone.” Volunteers sorting donations for Superchief’s Fire Relief Drive after the Eaton/Palisades disaster, amidst the backdrop of the Foos Gone Wild art exhibition in 2025. (photo by Bill Dunleavy, courtesy Superchief Gallery)Tribute wall installation by Estevan Oriol, dedicated to his friends who passed away, for the exhibition Stranger Stew in 2019 (photo by Bill Dunleavy, courtesy Superchief Gallery)“Lil Mr E” poses with a mariachi band at the opening of LAW ABIDING CITIZENS, the first ever Foos Gone Wild Art show in 2024 (photo by Ludwig Cesar Cortes, courtesy Superchief Gallery)