The Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts Supporting Milwaukee Arts in the Shepherd Express
Mark Lawson, Board President, Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts by Erol Reyal
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.