Events
We invite you to get involved with MIAD through the many events we host each year. Your participation supports students and alumni and helps create a galvanized education and creative community, addressing universal needs through our thought, design and expression. Join our mailing list to receive event updates!
MIAD Creativity Series
Founded in 2012, the MIAD Creativity Series annually brings in internationally preeminent artists, designers and creative scholars/educators to celebrate excellence in the arts, enrich the experiences of MIAD students and engage the community in new ways of thinking about and appreciating the visual arts and the world of design. Visiting creatives have an in-depth residency with MIAD students and present a public presentation.
MIAD Holiday Sale
The annual MIAD Holiday Sale supports students and alumni in showcasing and selling their one-of-a-kind art and design work (at all price points) to community members and art enthusiasts. The event is held during the first weekend of December. Proceeds support the artists/designers and MIAD student scholarships.
MIAD Senior Exhibition
MIAD’s annual Senior Exhibition, Wisconsin’s largest exhibition of its kind, features more than 130 artists and designers representing all of MIAD’s Bachelor of Fine Arts majors and minors.
Creative Fusion
Milwaukee’s signature fundraiser in the heart of MIAD’s creative studios, Creative Fusion, is an annual benefit for MIAD scholarships. The night includes a cocktail hour and dinner, as well as a live auction of artworks donated by a variety of artists.
Alumni Events
MIAD’s Alumni Office regularly hosts events for MIAD alumni! Check out featured events coming up.
Gallery Exhibitions
MIAD features two gallery spaces that are free and open to the public: The Frederick Layton Gallery and Brooks Stevens Gallery of Industrial Design. The galleries are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. View our current gallery exhibition schedule. Gallery tours are available.
Join Our Mailing List
Get updates on MIAD’s latest events!
Academic and Other Events
For other events, see our Academic Calendar and General Events Calendar.
Interested in sponsoring an event? Contact Tracy Milkowski at tracymilkowski@miad.edu or 414‑847‑3239.
Need a location for your next event? If you would like to have your event hosted at MIAD, please contact Fran Serlin, Director of Special Events, at 414‑847‑3336 or franserlin@miad.edu.
News
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.
MIAD student support system receives national SMILE Award
Choose Mental Health, the national voice for children’s mental health, named the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) the 2024 SMILE Award–Organization Winner for the college’s commitment to promoting mental health and well-being among its students.