Michi Jigarjian on the art she collects and why

"Based in New York City, Jigarjian has an impressive and wide-ranging résumé. She is the longtime president of the artist-run photography non-profit Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York, where she started her art career as an intern. She is also an owner of the art-forward Rockaway Hotel in the namesake oceanfront neighbourhood in Queens, where she spearheaded a programme of rotating art and has hosted projects by artists like Shantell Martin, Nancy Baker Cahill, Jesse Krimes and Nina Chanel Abney."

"Last year, Jigarjian founded the creative agency Work of Art Holdings (Woah), focusing on social impact and community engagement. She was joined by the curator Isolde Brielmaier, formerly of New York's New Museum, serving as Woah's chief strategy officer. Woah launched during Art Basel in Miami Beach in 2024 at the Edition hotel, which later hosted a series of Woah-sponsored events pairing artists with chefs. Jigarjian likes to say that community is her medium-though she actually went to school to study photography."

"The Art Newspaper: What was the first work of art you ever bought? Michi Jigarjian: A photograph by the Canadian artist Moyra Davey. She was my professor during my Master of Fine Arts at Bard College in upstate New York, so it was a personal acquisition. Her work has always held a quiet intensity for me. It was less about collecting and more about marking a moment in my own creative evolution."

Michi Jigarjian is a New York City–based arts leader who balances institutional roles, hospitality projects and social-impact ventures. She presides over the artist-run photography non-profit Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York and initiated her career there as an intern. She co-owns the art-forward Rockaway Hotel in Queens, curating rotating art programmes and hosting major artists. She serves as a managing partner at 7G Group and sits on the boards of the Brooklyn Museum and MoMA PS1. She founded Work of Art Holdings (Woah) to prioritize community engagement and launched Woah at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2024.

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