Admissions Events
MIAD offers several in-person and virtual events throughout the year for prospective students to learn more. MIAD also participates in additional college fairs and events throughout the year. For information regarding specific events, please contact admissions@miad.edu. From information sessions to Portfolio Days, we invite you to join us for an event!
Experiment. Explore. Discover. You are welcome here.
Admitted Student Day
Are you an admitted student attending MIAD? Please join us for Admitted Student Day! This event is held at MIAD, located at 273 East Erie Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Get an up close and personal look at our facilities and see what it’s like to be part of our community!
MIAD Information Days
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design invites you and your family to attend an upcoming MIAD Information Day. These events are an opportunity for students interested in attending MIAD to learn more about the college. Please join us for presentations, tours and activities!
National Portfolio Day
MIAD participates in many in-person and online National Portfolio Day events! Meet with a MIAD representative for a free portfolio review.
Milwaukee National Portfolio Day
MIAD hosts Milwaukee National Portfolio Day each October. The event is free and open to the public, but requires registration. This is an opportunity for those who wish to pursue an education in the visual and related arts to meet with representatives from colleges accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Representatives will be available to review your artwork, discuss their programs and answer questions about professional careers in art. High school students, parents, teachers, school counselors, and college transfer students are encouraged to attend!
Wisconsin Education Fairs
MIAD admissions representatives participate in every Wisconsin Education Fair throughout the year. We look forward to meeting you at an upcoming event!
Art ConnectED
MIAD admissions representatives attend every Art ConnectED event. Stop by to meet us!
Visit MIAD
A visit to MIAD’s campus is an opportunity to see what our students see. Neat, it is not. There is dust. There is grit. Paint has been spilled. People are at work here, and this is the place where your passion can find purpose.
News
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.
Toy design at Squishmallows: MIAD student develops confidence
When she first got the internship offer from Squishmallows at Jazwares, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) senior Melody Frias ’26 (Communication Design and Illustration) thought she was in shock. Months after the internship concluded, Frias still reads that email when she needs a boost.