JK Art House is a contemporary fine art gallery in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, and the next chapter of an artspace with deep roots in Milwaukee’s art community — formerly Lily Pad Gallery West.

We chose the word house deliberately. A gallery shows art. A house welcomes you in. At JK Art House, we are building something beyond the walls — a place for exhibitions, experiences, and events that bring people together around the work they love. Fine art is at the center of everything we do, and we want everyone who walks through our doors to feel at home here.

We represent approximately 55 artists whose work spans a wide range of media, voices, and perspectives. We present eight or more exhibitions each year in our newly expanded home at 191 N. Broadway — a space designed to let the work breathe, and to welcome everyone who walks through the door.

Our house. Your house. For fine art.

OWNERS

We are Julia Taylor and Karen Ellenbecker, and art has been at the center of our lives for as long as we can remember. As a working watercolor artist, gallery professional — and former President of the Greater Milwaukee Committee — Julia has spent her career in service to both the creative process and the broader community it calls home. Karen, as founder of Ellenbecker Investments, has spent her time building lasting relationships grounded in trust, vision, and the belief that what you invest in reflects who you are. When the opportunity came to steward this gallery into its next chapter, saying yes felt less like a business decision and more like a calling.