The Green Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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.
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 has participated in numerous art fairs from both Milwaukee International Art Fairs and Dark Fairs as well as the New Art Dealers AllianceArt Fair Miami Beach. Additionally, the Green Gallery has represented at Sunday Art Fair, London, Material in Mexico City and Paramount Ranch, LA.
External Projects
John Riepenhoff was one of the co-founders of the Milwaukee International and Dark Fairs. The Green Gallery has done collaborative projects with in Los Angeles and 47 Canal Street Gallery in New York City. The gallery sporadically hosts film and video screenings and features bands, readings, and performance art. What What , a video which went on to become an online viral success, premiered at The Green Gallery. Club Nutz, billed as the "World's Smallest Comedy Club", was originally housed within The Green Gallery West.
The gallery also houses the publishing company the Green Gallery Press, which publishes books and pamphlets by and about artists, often related to shows in the space. The Press is run by editor Joe Riepenhoff, and has published books on behalf of Michelle Grabner, Nicholas Frank, Stephen Wetzel, Paul Druecke, Scott Reeder, Ken Kagami, Renato Umali, Patty Yumi Cottrell, Dorota Biezel Nelson, Sara Fowler, Sarah Luther, and Mark Borchardt. The Green Gallery Press is responsible for a broad range of media, ranging from prose, essays, drawings, non-fiction and a variety of other supplementary works. Materials are available for purchase through the Gallery.
