Opening Reception — Saturday, August 1st, 2026 from 4 – 6 PM

Steven Madison is a Milwaukee-based artist and has been a longtime member of the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (previously Riverwest Artist Association). In the 1970's Steve studied art at UW-Milwaukee where he majored in ceramics with a secondary focus in metals. Since then he has continued to practice his art in many different ways including large scale paintings on canvas. His primary focus in recent years has been paintings, large and small, of many different subjects from nature to his imaginings. Steve was chosen for a Solo Feature Wall exhibition in the 2025 JGCA Membership Exhibition. 

Opening Reception — Saturday, August 1st, 2026 from 4 – 6 PM

A visual art exhibition featuring a diverse group of Milwaukee artists who also teach art in Milwaukee Public Schools.

Opening Reception — Saturday, June 13th, 2026 from 4 – 6 PM

Introducing our newest Small Wall Gallery feature, Bruce Pattison! Bruce Pattison (b. 1959, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) defies the labels that gallerists and critics have tried to place on his work. He has painted and drawn for decades. He studied studio art at UW Milwaukee in the 1980’s and 90’s and then exhibited in shows at St. Michael’s Waiting Room, Metropolitan Gallery, KM Art, Bay View Gallery and others.

Opening Reception — Saturday, June 13th, 2026 from 4 – 6 PM

Dialogue is an annual Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts exhibition that honors and lifts up two emerging artists immediately after their BFA exhibitions have closed. Graduating BFA students are chosen from UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School for the Arts and MIAD in an opportunity designed to support and encourage emerging artists and build a stronger community between the two largest university level arts programs in Milwaukee.

Opening Reception — Saturday, April 25th, 2026 from 4 – 6 PM

Featured Small Wall Artist Mike Brylski is a longtime Milwaukee resident, active Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts member and accomplished artist with a powerful creative voice. Brylski’s colorful assemblage/collage found object constructions possess an order and symmetry that draws the viewer in. His use of bold color, unexpected materials and marks, balanced by precise and intense organization and repetition seems to reference music or sometimes sounds in nature. His works both comfort and energize.

Opening Reception — Saturday, April 25th, 2026 from 4 – 6 PM

Schlenker has translated the relief wood carving tradition into his own style exploring a rich variety of subjects that interest him. Some of these include portraits of artists he admires, explorations of children’s stories and fairy tales, art historical masterworks, and even simple still life glimpses from his day-to-day experience. Over time, Schlenker’s work has evolved from simpler, unpainted figures to more complex painted compositions drawing from children’s books, fairy tales, art history, current events and historical figures.

Opening Reception — Saturday, March 28th, 2026 from 3 – 5 PM

OWL (Older, Wiser, Local) is an open-door programming series welcoming all older adults. Produced by the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, OWL offers arts and craft workshops as well as informative lectures and demonstrations on a wide variety of topics. This exhibition will honor the creative endeavors of the attendees with an eclectic mix of artwork.

Opening Reception — Saturday, January 31st, 2026 from 4 – 6 PM

Art, like love, refuses to be constrained. It can uplift, soothe, challenge, educate and entertain. It can also help spark a dialogue on essential issues of the day: Who are we? What do we believe? What do we cherish? Participating visual artists include Niki Johnson, Nicolas Lampert, David Najib Kasir, John Fleissner, and Chrystal Denise Gillon.

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Opening Reception — Saturday, November 8th, 2025 from 4 – 6 PM

Ian Izard is a Milwaukee-based mixed media artist who focuses on the hypertextual-relationship between illustration and the written word.

Opening Reception — Saturday, November 8th, 2025 from 4 – 6 PM

Figure Xpression is a group exhibition representing artists working in a wide range of media, exploring the figure and portraiture. This exhibition was curated by Trey Savage. Artists include: Andrew Perry, Allison Smith, Katrina Hunt, Reinold Mesa, Amy Schmutte, Laura Zimmerman, Rory Donovan and Trey Savage.

Opening Reception — Saturday, September 20th, 2025 from 4 – 6 PM

Jazz Gallery’s annual membership show. All active members are welcome to submit their artwork.

Open Call: One Artist. One Solo Exhibition

Deadline to Apply: September 15th, 2025

Opening Reception — Saturday, July 26th, 2025 from 2 – 5 PM

Milwaukee artists showcase their visual and musical creations in a unique exhibition/performance collaboration at the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, in Riverwest.

Opening Reception — Saturday, May 24th, 2025 from 4 – 6 PM

For this annual exhibition JGCA  invites two recent BFA grads, one from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and one from UWM Peck School of the Arts to participate in a two-person exhibition and related programming. This opportunity is designed as important encouragement and professional opportunities to two emerging Milwaukee artists as they transition from student to professional life.

Opening Reception — Saturday, March 22, 2025, from 4–6 PM

Opening Reception — Saturday, March 22, 2025, from 4–6 PM

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.

Opening Reception — Saturday, January 18, 2025, from 4–6 PM

Sea Heart / Beach Garbage is a collection of doodle collages made during winter when colors are rare and visible life even rarer. Milwaukee Artist Victoria Robison is inspired by plants visited under microscopes, beachcombing, and hoarding tendencies as well as a desire to color in lines of her own creation. Together these pieces constitute an adult coloring book written by lonely amoebas reaching for signs of spring.

Opening Reception — Saturday, January 18, 2025, from 4–6 PM

Lavender & Green Carnation delves into the rich history and enduring significance of symbols that have quietly connected and empowered the LGBTQ+ community, especially during periods of societal or political repression. By exploring these queer symbols and the symbolism used in an artist's story telling, Lavender & Green Carnation not only honors their historical significance but also prompts us to consider how we can draw on these lessons of resilience and solidarity in today's shifting political climate.

Exhibition

November 30th 2024 – December 14th, 2024

Special Hours

Sunday, December 1st, 2024 from 12 – 5 PM

Opening Reception — Friday, October 18th, 2024 from 4 – 6 PM

View Exhibition

A group exhibition of receently censored artworks in Milwaukee. Artists include Sue Bietila, Amal Azzam, Nayfa Naji, Seth Ter Haar, Barbara Reinhart.

Deadline for applications is Sunday, Sept. 15th, 202411:59pm. Jurying and notifications of artists will take place by early November, 2024. Exhibition dates will be in Spring 2025.

Dates for the solo exhibition: March 22 - May 17th, 2025 The link for application is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftHGROapUZl_pNciKLsekvBRZeo00WkEilmr7j3v-lOjyzkQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Group show featuring artworks created by Jazz Gallery Members. Opening Reception: Saturday, August 24th, 3-5pm. Closing Reception/Event Saturday, October 12th, 3-5pm.

Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (JGCA)  is a non-profit organization serving Southeastern Wisconsin with a wide range of visual and performing arts programming, created by a diverse community of visual and performing artists. At JGCA we provide opportunities to create, present, and experience the arts.

During RW 24 race the gallery will be a Check Point and our doors will be open for 24 hours! All riders and passers by are encouraged to stop in and see the exhibition with memorabilia and artworks inspired by RW24.

This exhibition is free and open to the public.

Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (JGCA)  is a non-profit organization serving Southeastern Wisconsin with a wide range of visual and performing arts programming, created by a diverse community of visual and performing artists. At JGCA we provide opportunities to create, present, and experience the arts.