Thirty seniors receive MIAD Alumni Senior Thesis Awards
Thanks to the generosity of alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the college, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design will award $7,086 to an unprecedented 30 seniors to directly support the fabrication and installation of their Senior Exhibition capstone projects. Through the application process, students submit plans and sketches for their final project, as well as a budget for materials. Winners were selected by a panel of 21 MIAD alumni with experience in fine art and design career fields.
MIAD invites the Milwaukee community to view the seniors’ award-winning work from April 21 – May 6, 2023 during the MIAD 2023 Senior Exhibition, hosted in MIAD’s main building at 273 E Erie St. Nearly 190 students will be present on Friday, April 21 from 5 – 9 p.m. to discuss their projects in person. This event is open to the public.
Nita Flowers_CD_Solo A Portal Into Playful Learning
Nita Flowers, Communication Design, Solo: A Portal Into Playful Learning
MargaretGriffin_NSP_Industrial-Bodies
Margaret Griffin, NSP: Fine Arts, Industrial Bodies
Jenna Sedovic_IAD_Outbackyard
Jenna Sedovic, Industrial Architecture and Design, The Outbackyard
Dominick Streff_PD_See:Saw
Dominick Streff, Product Design, See/Saw: A board game that builds confidence in people with vision loss
Annalise-Rauchenberger_IL_Scandinave
Annalise Rauchenberger, Illustration, Scandinave in Bloom
sofia-briej_IL_untitled
sofia briej, Illustration, Untitled
Alex Niemann (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts) Necks Craned Skyward
Alex Niemann, NSP: Fine Arts, Necks Craned Skyward
The 2023 MIAD Alumni Senior Thesis Award recipients (in alphabetical order) and the titles of their works are:
Abi Bean (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Waking Life
sophia briej (Illustration), Untitled
Ladasia Bryant (Communication Design), Bout That Life
Andrea Cabrera Manuel (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Estragos: An eager embrace of coded grief
Allye Erickson (Illustration), Kids Adventure Packs
Adam Fehring (Illustration), Fairy Fort
Nita Flowers (Communication Design), Sozo
Madison Fox (Illustration), The Myths & Legends of America’s National Parks
Abbey Freimark (Communication Design), Festie Bestie
Ellie Garry (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Twirled Hurled
Margaret Griffin (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Industrial Bodies
Thea Huffman (Communication Design), Little Larva
Ryan Kane (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Untitled
Sonia Koehler (Communication Design), Dearly
Alecia McBride (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Abstraction of the Bird Landscape
Annie Miller (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Digital Noise
Alex Niemann (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Necks Craned Skyward
Melanie Orozco (Illustration), Florea Vests
Emma Rarick (Illustration), Learn to Love: Love Language Kits
Annalise Rauchenberger (Illustration), Scandinave in Bloom
Jenna Sedovic (Interior Architecture and Design), The Outbackyard
Ty Shirley (Illustration), Alien & Eve
Erika Sjoblom (Illustration), Biodiversity Habitat Puzzles
Emma Southard (Illustration), I Heart Earth Friends, Collectible Art Toys
Ezra Stonyte (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), the anthology of being a good boy : biting the hand that feeds me
Dominick Streff (Product Design), See/Saw: A board game that builds confidence in people with vision loss
Seth Ter Harr (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Tabernacle and Ark Of My Covenant
Brandom Terres-Sanchez (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), El Hogar
Robin Wegner (Illustration), Comic adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Jo Willis (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), VOID_FORGE/MOTHER OF ALL VESSELS
News
Fine Art senior selected for Wisconsin Artists Biennial 2026
Marta Tereziya ’26, a Fine Art + New Studio Practice senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), is one of 50 Wisconsin artists selected for the 2026 Wisconsin Artists Biennial. The Wisconsin Artists Biennial is co-sponsored and organized by Wisconsin Visual Artists and the Museum of Wisconsin Art.
Sabbatical journey: Revelations and a new course for students
A sabbatical year immersed in Japanese culture, language and the study of Ukiyo-e – images of Japan’s “floating world” – led Professor Chelsea Holton to two main “aha” moments and development of a new course for students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD).
Fashion students design adaptive clothing for Independence First
For the second year in a row, Fashion and Apparel Design students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) worked with Independence First to design adaptive clothing tailor-made for two people who use wheelchairs. The project is part of a junior-level Patternmaking & Construction course.
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Nichole Uecker
Nichole Uecker, Student Accessibility Coordinator, received the October 2025 MIAD Values Recognition Award at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Nichole’s nominations highlighted her embodiment of MIAD’s Core Values, especially Community, Inclusion and Kindness.
Personal and professional passion inspire Product Design student
When senior Carmen Briones’ mother was diagnosed with breast cancer during Briones’ sophomore year at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), finding a bra that was comfortable with a medical port became an additional challenge. Briones ’26 (Product Design) answered that challenge in her Design for Human Interface class by designing a product that reduces pain while increasing mobility.