Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts

The original two-story building was built in 1887 as a tavern. The one-story addition where the gallery and performance space is located was constructed in the late 1940’s early 1950’s. 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, such as 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. It fell into disrepair over the years until it was purchased in 2008 by the Riverwest Artists Association as a gallery and community center. Musicians clamored to play on our historic stage, which lead to the starting of our music program in 2011.

In 1979, we came together as the Riverwest Artists Association to present the first ArtWalk. The artists that gave our neighborhood its distinct identity opened their studio doors and welcomed the public into our community.
Nearly thirty years later, we purchased the former home of the historic Milwaukee Jazz Gallery, a nationally-renowned jazz club and transformed it into a dedicated space for the community — a place to create, present, and experience the arts.
Today we’re the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, a home for emerging artists and musicians as well as those who’ve been around the block a few times. Here we celebrate experimental efforts along with more traditional takes, and everything in between.