News

“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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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).

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.”

The future has arrived as MIAD celebrates more than 200 emerging creative professionals at the MIAD 2024 Senior Exhibition April 19 – May 11.

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.

Dale Shidler, Professor of Communication Design, received the January 2024 MIAD Values Recognition Award at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Dale’s nominations highlighted his embodiment of MIAD’s Core Values, especially Integrity, Kindness and Community.