News

In celebration of 50 years of art and design education, the Milwaukee County Historical Society honored the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) at their annual Awards Dinner on May 9, 2024.

Solution-oriented, hands-on visual literacy: this is a core quality of the Communication Design program at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). In 2024, Graphic Design USA Magazine recognized MIAD’s Communication Design major as one of the top programs in the nation.

Intentionality and purpose have been driving forces in Mary Frances Hoffman’s life that continue at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Combine them with a passion for knitting and sensory needs and you have Wool-ful, Hoffman’s senior exhibition project in Product Design.

Amidst the many standout works at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) senior, one piece is especially striking—and interactive. “Milwaukee’s Influences” by Isaic Pulliam ’24 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice) is an oil on canvas triptych housed in a handmade wooden cabinet that viewers can open and close.

Building a community and gaining a new perspective on art: these were frequent refrains from high school students in the 2023 Summer Pre-College program at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD).

Continuing a long-standing collaboration between advertising agency Cramer-Krasselt and the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), juniors in Illustration IV designed posters for the Annual Croquet Ball fundraiser at the Penfield Children’s Center.

Working through the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) Lubar Innovation Center, Illustration senior Kayla VanProoyen was hired to produce an ad highlighting the Milwaukee Ballet’s presenting sponsor, the Herzfeld Foundation.

“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,” 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).