Gallery Hours are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons, 12 – 5 PM
OR by appointment, contact us at info@jazzgallerycenterforarts.org
Masks and other COVID-19 precautions are encouraged for all visitors.
Exhibition
March 22nd – May 10th, 2025
Opening Reception
Saturday, March 22, 2025, 4–6 PM
3:33am [A Solo Exhibition by Kierston Ghaznavi]
Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the first in what will be an annual competitive solo exhibition opportunity for one established Milwaukee artist. This year’s featured artist, Kierston Ghaznavi, was selected from a larger applicant pool by jurors Debra Brehmer (Owner/Curator of Portrait Society Gallery) and Graeme Reid (Senior Curator, Museum of Wisconsin Art).
3:33am, a solo exhibition of works by Kierston Ghaznavi, invites the audience to step into the space between dreams and waking life, a liminal hour rich with symbolism and personal exploration. Inspired by the numerological meaning of 3:33—trusting intuition, embracing creativity, and fostering personal growth—this exhibition reflects Kierston Ghaznavi’s journey through grief, dreams, and self-discovery.
The works include large articulated dolls, painted wooden figures with fabric masks, and intricate papercraft collages. These pieces merge layers of the subconscious with tactile artistry, reflecting the tension between what we reveal and what we conceal. The collection symbolizes the complexity of identity, as well as still frames of dreamlike moments, capturing the layered and fleeting nature of memory and imagination.
Artist Bio
Kierston Ghaznavi is a traditional and digital illustrator and artist who lives and works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her vibrantly colored articulated paper and wooden dolls and her conceptual works depict the beauty and unique personalities of black women today as well as black pop culture, explorations around personal grief journeys, affirmations of self-love, mental health and plus-size body appreciation.
Kierston Ghaznavi earned her BFA in Graphic Design in May of 2012 from the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Kierston’s work has been in numerous exhibitions in Southeastern Wisconsin since 2015. Including her 2020 solo exhibition, “ Without a Stitch”, at 5 Points Art Gallery and Studios in Milwaukee, the 2019 “Represent” exhibition at the Racine Art Museum, the 2022 Wisconsin Triennial “Ain’t I a Woman?” Exhibition at the MMoCA in Madison, and the 2023 Joint Exhibition “Plastic of the Sofa” at 5 Points Art Gallery and Studios in Milwaukee.
Also exhibiting on the JGCA Small Wall, is Aaron Toman, local collage/assemblage artist. Both exhibitions will share a reception on Saturday, May 22nd , 4-6pm