Green Gallery (Milwaukee)

The gallery was founded by John Riepenhoff in the attic of his apartment in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood in 2003. The name "Green Gallery" was both an homage to Richard Bellamy's Chelsea gallery in the 1960s and an ironic reference to the attic's sky blue color. The name intended to investigate the disconnect between expectation and experience, immediately generating an environment that invited questioning and dialogue. Such dialogue was motivation for Riepenhoff, who was also looking to fill a gap in the representation of emerging artists. Riepenhoff then moved the gallery to a larger industrial space in Riverwest two years later. The Green Gallery West In July 2012, The Green Gallery West was closed after a five-alarm fire broke out in the building. Much of the artwork stored at the space was damaged or destroyed and many artists living or working in other parts of the building lost significant amounts of their artwork as well. The Green Gallery East In January 2009, with business partner Jake Palmert, a second gallery space was opened on Milwaukee's East Side, called The Green Gallery East (the original gallery was then called The Green Gallery West). The primary goal of East was to create an easily accessible space to showcase contemporary artists from within the Midwest and bring nationally and internationally recognized artists into Milwaukee. == Exhibiting artists ==