2023 – 2024 Friends & Donors Report
Your support of our students enables them to change their lives, and ours.
Our vision is to be a galvanized educational and creative community, addressing universal needs through our thought, design and expression. Each year we share with you highlights of our college community’s amazing achievements and acknowledge our generous supporters who help ignite curious minds through art, design and service.
Interested in making a gift to this year’s MIAD Annual Fund? Donate here.
Five-Year Strategic Plan
Advancing Our Creative Future
2024 – 2029 Strategic Plan
MIAD’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan embraces the college’s values in service to our students and our greater Milwaukee Community. The plan – Advancing Our Creative Future – amplifies MIAD’s people, programs and places to ensure our college’s ability to adapt to and thrive in changing educational and technology landscapes while advancing its long tradition of education excellence.
People
Succeeding Together
Key Initiatives
- Strengthen our Community both within and beyond the college
- Increase Student Success: retention, academic progress and graduation rate
- Embody Servingness by achieving Hispanic Serving Institution status
Programs
Preparing 21st Century Professionals
Key Initiatives
- Enhance Institutional Financial Sustainability by optimizing and diversifying programs
- Leverage Institutional Technology and Digital Assets to prepare 21st century creatives & professionals
Place
Building Community
Key Initiatives
- Implement the Facilities Master Plan
- Implement the Sustainability Plan
- Expand Student Housing
(Updated January 2025)
Accreditation
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is a private, non-profit corporation chartered by the State of Wisconsin for the purpose of providing a professional education to students of the visual arts and related design fields. The college offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Communication Design, Illustration, Industrial Design (Product Design), Interior Architecture and Design and New Studio Practice: Fine Arts.
MIAD is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), (info@hlcommission.org, 800-621-7440).
The Wisconsin State Approving Agency under Title 38, US Code, approves the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree of MIAD for the training of veterans for federal veterans’ education benefits.
HEERF Grant Reports
MIAD is eligible to receive funds under Section 18004(a)(1) and 18004(a)(2) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
View Reports
02077100_HEERF_Q22022_070622_FINAL
02077100_HEERF_Q12022_040722
CARES Act Grant Report – Student Emergency Funds – ARP – 123121 FINAL
02077100_HEERF_Q42021_010522
CARES Act Grant Report – Student Emergency Funds – ARP – 093021
02077100_HEERF_Q32021_100721
CARES Act Grant Report Q2 – 2021-0630
CARES Act Grant Report – Student Emergency Funds – CRRSSA – 03/31/21 FINAL
CARES Act Grant Report Qtr Ended – 03/31/21
CARES Act Grant Report Qtr Ended – 12/31/20 REVISED
CARES Act Grant Report Qtr Ended – 12/31/20
CARES Act Grant Report Qtr Ended – 9/30/2020
CARES Act Grant Report – Student Emergency Funds – 09/30/20 FINAL
CARES Act Grant Report – 09/30/2020
CARES Act Grant Report – 08/07/2020
CARES Act Grant Report – 06/24/2020
CARES Act Grant Report – 05/20/2020
News
Two MIAD alumni named Mary L. Nohl Fellows for 2025
Two alumni from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) have received Emerging Artist fellowships from the 2025 Mary L. Nohl Fund for its 2025 cycle: Margaret Griffin ’23 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice) and Open Kitchen, co-founded by Rudy Medina ’12 (Integrated Studio Arts).
FYE Juried Media Arts Festival 2024 celebrates first-year student works
Seven students received awards at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s juried FYE Media Arts Festival – an in-house screening and celebration of video, animation and sound design works by current and former First-Year Experience (FYE) students held on November 26. The 56 entries were judged by multimedia and filmmaking professionals Emma B. Barany, Gabe Leistekow and Sara Sowell.
MIAD professor brings love of branding to projects and students
Brian Bowles ’01, professor of Communication Design at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), finds freelance projects “deeply fulfilling” and beneficial to himself and to his students.
Independence First and MIAD students produce adaptive clothing
Students in a junior-level Fashion and Apparel Design class at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) collaborated with Independence First to design adaptive clothing. Two Independence First employees worked closely with MIAD students on customized outfits specific to their needs and preferences.
‘GQ Rebranded’ series is a hit for MIAD alum’s new studio
When Justin Thomas Kay ’04 (Communication Design) opened his own studio, JTK Studio, Inc., in New York City early this year, he hoped that his work “would contribute positively to helping to make things look nicer and more enjoyable and speak honestly to people broadly.” The new GQ Sports series “GQ Rebranded” turned out to be a good fit to do just that.