Former Pabst Brewery building to become hub for creative arts in downtown Milwaukee

On Feb. 27, Oscar-winning filmmaker and Milwaukee native John Ridley announced the creation of NO STUDIOS, a hub for the creative arts in downtown Milwaukee.

Ridley and his business partner Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele purchased a 40,000 square foot building located at 1037 W. McKinley Ave. in the newly developed Pabst Brewery Complex. The building will undergo extensive renovations in order to create a social space dedicated to the creation, curation and presentation of art.

NO STUDIOS is a for-profit venture that will aim to bring arts to the city. It will include long-term and short-term office space for local individuals, organizations and companies in creative fields, a 50-seat screening room, food and beverage services, galleries and rooftop event space.

“I’m proud to be from this city and I’m excited about giving back,” said Ridley in a press release. “With NO STUDIOS, we want to create a place where people can socialize with purpose and go about the hard work that’s at the core of creativity, as well as come together and celebrate art.”

In addition to serving as a physical space for the creative community and art lovers in Milwaukee, NO STUDIOS will present year-round programming that will provide an opportunity for local artists to present their work as well as bring in renowned artists working in a variety of creative fields from around the world.

The list of tenants currently on board includes Milwaukee Film, Milwaukee Filmmaker Alliance, 371 Productions, Custom Reality Services, UWM School of Film and Marquette University. Milwaukee Film will occupy an entire floor in the building and is slated to move in this spring.

NO STUDIOS will open in September with a weekend of programming that will highlight the uses of the space including film screenings and discussions, dance and music performances, readings, as well as photographic and fine art exhibitions.