Jonny Kelson’s devotion to the aesthetics of self expressions began with Kool-Aid, Manic Panic, and playing punk rock during his school days. This naturally evolved to formal training at the Aveda Institute in 1999, as well as education with Bumble & Bumble, Kérastase, Shu Uemera, and R&Co.

Jonny’s unique vision built him a loyal clientele that followed him to three different Minneapolis salons until 2007, when he opened Mezzanine Salon with his wife Stephanie. Jonny utilized his eye for beauty, structure, and light to reimagine a historic movie theater into a multi-level hair studio where he practiced the art of hair for thirteen years, helping clients to show their inner selves to the world. Recently, Jonny transmogrified his passion for the history of form and style into a new medium and taught himself to oil paint.

His expansion into the fine art world informed the creation of Gilda, which serves both as an art gallery and art atelier. As with Mezzanine, what you see at Gilda reflects both Jonny’s love of timeless objects, exacting attention to detail, and dedication to the art of life.