Visual Culture: WOAH's Michi Jigarjian on the Arts, Community, and Success

By Julia Gamolina

Michi Jigarjian is the CEO and Founder of Work of Art Holdings (WOAH), a female-founded art and culture firm at the forefront of redefining art’s role in fostering social impact and community engagement. She also serves as Managing Partner of 7G Group, where she spearheads socially responsible investment models to create sustainable long-term projects in underserved communities. Prior to founding WOAH, Jigarjian played a pivotal role in the development of The Rockaway Hotel, a project that became a symbol of revitalization and artistic focus for the Rockaway Beach community. Jigarjian also serves as President of Baxter St at CCNY, where she led the 138-year-old organization to become a key incubator for emerging lens-based creators.

A community leader, Jigarjian serves on Brooklyn Museum's board as Community Committee Chair, the National Young Art Foundation's board with a focused role as its DEAI Chair, a board member of MoMA PS1, and a representative of the 7G Foundation. She also taught courses at Bard College, her MFA alma mater. She has authored several books, including Writing as Practice, How We Do Both: Art and Motherhood, and has contributed to and edited the three-volume series Mold. Jigarjian is a first-generation, bi-cultural Mexican-American who resides in New York City with her husband, Charles, and their three children, George, James, and Rose.

JG: You founded Work of Art Holdings (WOAH), your art and culture firm, almost a year ago now, with the mission to redefine art's role in fostering social impact and community engagement. Tell me about WOAH, and what you did last year to work towards this mission. And with that, what are you thinking most about as you look to WOAH's evolution in 2025?

MJ: WOAH was born out of work we’ve been doing for over a decade—as the creative engine behind 7G Group, we have shaped projects that merge cultural investment with strategic growth. Launching WOAH was an opportunity to take what we’ve built and expand it into a service and consulting arm, bringing our expertise to other businesses while continuing to grow our own.

Bringing Isolde Brielmaier onto the team a little less than a year ago was a pivotal moment, together we are deepening building out new franchises and business models that center art and culture with real, tangible returns. Looking ahead to 2025, it’s about scaling with intention—staying true to what makes WOAH special while creating new opportunities for artists, businesses, and communities. We’re building something that lasts, something that keeps evolving, and something that proves the value of art in every space we enter.

The Rockaway Hotel, courtesy of Michi Jigarjian.

Now let's go back a little bit — through your studies, you developed a focus on photography. Tell me about this. What were you hoping to do in the world?

Photography has always been a part of my life—a way to slow down and see the world. It makes sense that I turned back to it during a pivotal moment. I started my MFA at Bard under Nayland Blake shortly after having my first child, determined to keep momentum and not lose myself in motherhood. Looking back, that challenge reshaped my understanding of productivity and purpose. More than anything, it reinforced my belief in the arts and community—something that continues to shape everything I do today.

“At its core, success to me is simple: it matters who is around the table — who you build with, who you invest in, who you create space for.”

— Michi Jigarjian

I'd love to hear about your professional experiences prior to founding WOAH. What did you learn from various roles that you still draw from today?

WOAH is part of the 7G Group, where for the last ten years I have been a managing partner overseeing investments in art and culture. I’ve led the creative vision for projects like The Rockaway Hotel, shaping it as both a hospitality destination and a cultural hub.

In my early career I spent nearly a decade at Disney, where I built a foundation in creative storytelling, brand building, and integrated marketing. Returning to Bard for my MFA re-centered me in the art world, leading to a faculty role and, for the past fifteen years, serving as President of Baxter St — one of New York’s longest-standing artist-first nonprofits — has been incredible in supporting emerging, underrepresented artists and fostering a more equitable visual culture.

Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you both manage through perceived disappointments or setbacks?

Opening a hotel in the middle of a pandemic takes the cake. But what my partners and I learned together through that experience is something we’ll always carry forward. More than anything, it reinforced that when you develop with real intention, the impact extends far beyond the walls. The Rockaway Hotel became a real-time response to what the community needed in one of the hardest moments in recent history.

I try to look at challenges as opportunities but let's be honest — sometimes they just suck and you have to get through them. At the end of the day, our job is to move the ball forward and to trust that setbacks are part of the process.

What have you also learned in the last six months?

I have learned a lot about what I don't want to do. That is sometimes the most important factor for growth.

“There are no shortcuts; building a career is about showing up, compounding good decisions, and putting in the work.”

— Michi Jigarjian

Who are you admiring now and why?

Sarah Arison—she’s trailblazing in ways that are going to shift the course of our contemporary landscape. As one of the youngest women presidents of MoMA, she’s leading with vision and impact, and it’s incredible to watch.

Deana Haggag moves through the world with pure brilliance—her perspective, her ability to drive change, the way she articulates ideas with such grace and diplomacy. She’s someone who reshapes the conversation just by being in it.

Triple Espresso from the USA Women’s Soccer Team — Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swaanson. They are absolute forces. On and off the field, they embody strength, strategy, and sisterhood in a way that’s inspiring beyond the game.

And then there’s Lady Wray—she’s a mother, an artist, and the literal soundtrack of my life. Her voice, her presence, the soul she pours into her music—it all hits deep.

What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission? And, what does success in that look like to you?

Isolde and I always laugh that as a working mother, success can sometimes be as simple as just getting out the door in the morning. Some days, that’s the win.

Success also goes beyond the bottom line —from the micro to the macro, from personal to communal. At its core, success to me is simple: it matters who is around the table — who you build with, who you invest in, who you create space for. If the right people are in the room having the right conversations, then we’re on the right path.

Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?

There are no shortcuts; building a career is about showing up, compounding good decisions, and putting in the work. It’s a dance, but as long as you lead with kindness and a strong sense of business ethics, the rest follows.

For women, the reality is different. I would say it’s about understanding our boundaries, protecting our time, and knowing when to push and when to let the work speak for itself. Sometimes, the most powerful tool isn’t volume—it’s nuance. The ability to shift the energy of a project without forcing is how real impact happens.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.