News
Löwe: Senior Exhibition 2024
“Löwe,” Zach Scharrer’s ’24 (Product Design) senior exhibition project at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), is a bespoke adaptive formalwear line designed in collaboration with employees at Independence First.
Forgotten Nation: Senior Exhibition 2024
“Forgotten Nation,” Tanesha Spencer’s ’24 (Communication Design) senior exhibition project at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), is a guerilla marketing campaign intended to bring awareness to the 5,712 missing and murdered Indigenous women in the United States.
MIAD celebrates one-year anniversary of offsite gallery
The Gallery at The Ave, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) first offsite gallery, celebrated its one-year anniversary at the opening reception of its newest show, “Culture Starters: Emerging from Quarantine.”
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Matt Sothan
Matt Sothan, Assistant Director of Admissions, Transfer and Nontraditional Enrollment Specialist, received the March 2024 MIAD Values Recognition Award at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Matt received nominations that highlighted his embodiment of MIAD’s Core Values, especially Integrity and Community.
Director of MIAD Galleries commended by Common Council
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) Director of Galleries Mark Lawson was awarded a commendation by the Milwaukee Common Council recognizing his service to MIAD and to the Historic Third Ward Association.
Communication Design seniors win advertising design awards
Milwaukee has its ‘Oscars’ for advertising design, and at this year’s United Adworkers 99 competition for professionals and students, two Communication Design seniors at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) received coveted awards.
MIAD student projects fully funded by Grilled Cheese Grant
For the second year in a row, all five Grilled Cheese Grant finalists—including two Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) students—had their projects fully funded. In its ninth year, the MIAD alumni-run and crowd-funded grant awards funding to artists working in Southern Wisconsin.
Marquette University graduate starts design business
Imagine your favorite logo. Chances are good it is written in the Latin alphabet. Now imagine that same logo written in Arabic script. “South through East,” a clothing business started by Marquette University graduate student Mariam Ali, does just that: translating popular logos into Arabic.
Penelope Bowles x Unfinished Legacy: Senior Exhibition 2024
A trippy, dreamland adventure with giant insects and skeletons: this is Penelope Bowles’ ode to Milwaukee. Bowles, a senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) majoring in the college’s new Animation track, worked with independent clothing brand Unfinished Legacy to create her senior exhibition project, a looping animated sequence meant to play on repeat in a retail space.
Senior’s career at Delta ‘flows’ from Product Design internships
“First touch” can mean a lot of things. Think sports and weddings. But also think design. The first touch for Peyton Hartis’ senior project, Tac-Table, occurred during a furniture design project in the Product Design major’s junior year.
MIAD alums, professors receive MCT Black Excellence Awards
Two Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alums, one of whom is a MIAD professor, and a second professor were among the 25 recipients of a Mountaintop Legacy Award for Black Excellence given by the Milwaukee Chamber Theater (MCT) during its run of The Mountaintop March 8 – 24, 2024.
Wizards of the Coast hires MIAD senior
For Paolo Vacala ’24 (Communication Design), it took stepping back and shifting his attitude to land a post-graduation job with Wizards of the Coast. The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) senior had previously worked with the Lubar Innovation Center to develop a portfolio that resulted in two summer internships with the roleplaying game company.
MIAD Sculpture Lab pushes senior’s ‘boundaries of creation’
The transformation of molten metal to solid metal and the opportunity to “experiment and push the boundaries of creation” in the Sculpture Lab at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) have always filled senior Caroline Calvano with “amazement and inspiration.”
MIAD Illustration senior weaves Chinese and Western fashion
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design senior YongXue Hayden (Illustration) believes that “creatives are always the trendsetters of the world. So, in 50 years, I’m sure art and design students will be up on the coolest new tech, fashion trends and latest entertainment.”
MIAD senior’s passion for residential design becomes a career
Sebastian Wohlt’s passion for rearranging the furniture in his childhood bedroom, and occasionally painting a wall, became a major in Interior Architecture and Design – and a professional goal of residential design – at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD).
Bucks partnership with MIAD a slam dunk for Black History Month
When the Milwaukee Bucks chose Black Excellence in the Arts as the theme for their Black History Month game in February, it was natural to continue their ongoing partnerships with MIAD by reaching out to the college for a live art piece to be created at Fiserv Forum.
Two MIAD students finalists for Grilled Cheese Grant
The ninth annual Grilled Cheese Grant finalists include two Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) students: Stella Kowalski ’24 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice, Illustration) and Makenna Schibler ’25 (Fine Art + NSP). They are two of five finalists who are in the running for the crowd-funded grant.
Artist Talks provide MIAD student experience in museum world
For Stella Koslowski ’24, presenting at the Art Institute of Chicago during University Partner Fest 2024 “is a great way for students to gain experience in the museum world because it takes your research to a more professional setting and encourages you to have discussions with new people.”
Empathy, heritage, fashion drive MIAD 2024 Senior Exhibition
The future has arrived as MIAD celebrates more than 200 emerging creative professionals at the MIAD 2024 Senior Exhibition April 19 – May 11.
MIAD seniors receive 2024 Alumni Senior Thesis Awards
Thanks to the generosity of alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the college, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) will award $5,328 to 27 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 a record 54 MIAD alumni with experience in fine art and design career fields.
Overture Center gallery hosts MIAD alumni
Two alumni from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) are exhibiting work at Madison’s Overture Center. Cassandra Smith ’06 (Sculpture) and Stacey Steinberg ’04 (Drawing) both have work on display in separate galleries at the performing arts space.
Direct-to-can printing company cultivates MIAD partnership
For the second year in a row, students in the Packaging Design course at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) will visit Milwaukee’s Craft Beverage Warehouse, a direct-to-can printing company.
Battle of the Bands: Product Design class showdown
French Renaissance alt rock met space cowboy country from the future in one Product Design class at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Students in Storytelling: Compelling Narrative of the Design Process were tasked with creating a band, complete with newly designed instruments, stage plots and lighting, costumes and even a feature on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Ordinary people doing extraordinary work: Growing Resistance
In the 50th anniversary year at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), the college presents “Growing Resistance: Untold Stories of Milwaukee’s Community Guardians,” an exhibition in the Brooks Stevens Gallery running January 8 – March 2, 2024. Related programs include zine making, a book club, student-guided tours and a story circle with community partners.
Metalwork and molds: MIAD alum on Kohler Residency
Eye-opening and awe-inspiring: this is how Nirmal Raja ’08 (Painting) describes learning to work with liquid metal. The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alum recently completed the John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry Residency in Kohler, Wisconsin.