I’m honored to be the board president of this 43-year-old community arts organization in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood. The Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts presents visual art, diverse music and performance genres and hosts a wide variety of community and educational activities.
The original two-story building was built in 1887 as a tavern. The one-story addition where the gallery and performance space are located was constructed in the late 1940s early 1950s. From 1978-1984 the building was the site of the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery. On our stage some of the greatest artists in the history of jazz performed, including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Sun Ra, McCoy Tyner, Dexter Gordan and Stan Getz. It also hosted such diverse local talents as Paul Cebar, The Violent Femmes and Theater X. In 2008 the Riverwest Artists Association purchased the building and created the gallery and community center. Musicians clamored to play on our historic stage, which lead to our music programing in 2011.
We invite you to be part of our growing Riverwest community and become a member, participate as an artist or musician, take in an exhibit or performance, or volunteer your time.
Our current gallery exhibit (Aug. 6-Sept. 10) is titled “Purposeful Visionaries: The Art of Evelyn Terry, Della Wells, Mutope Johnson and Muneer Bahauddeen.”
Visit: Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts
Photo Credit: Erol Reyal
