News
Children’s books and food illustration: MIAD alum finds her niche
For Amira Humes ’22 (Illustration), food illustration was always a passion. From her Senior Exhibition project at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) to her social media presence, Humes specializes in illustrating delectable scenes of mainly Filipino cuisine. This specialization paid off in an unexpected way last summer: Humes was approached by Karen Chan of Gloo Books to write and illustrate a new book for children about Filipino food.
Museum and educational design at Discovery World
Milwaukee’s iconic science and technology museum, Discovery World, unveiled two new exhibits to mark the start of the summer season. Shaping the visual landscape of the museum is Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alum Lily Johnson ’22 (Illustration). As the museum’s graphic designer, Johnson had a pivotal hand in the creation of both “Block Party” and “Me, Undersea.”
Trust the artist: MIAD alumni talk curation and art
Two alumni of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) have forged a partnership in art and in life. Justin Witte ’99 (Painting) and his wife Olivia Schreiner ’98 (Drawing) live and work in Chicago at the College of DuPage. Schreiner works as an occasional adjunct instructor of drawing at the college, while Witte is the curator for the esteemed Cleve Carney Museum of Art.
Service learning class highlights local LGBTQ history
Passion and purpose combined to make Adjunct Instructor Hj Bullard’s service learning class unique this year. Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) students in Bullard’s class “Storytelling the Environment” partnered with LGBT milWALKee to provide creative solutions for their new House of History project, which aims to share the stories of Black LGBTQ+ Milwaukeeans.
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Duane Seidensticker
Duane Seidensticker, Executive Director of Advising & Career Services, has been awarded the April MIAD Values Recognition Award at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Seidensticker’s nominations emphasized his intentional Inclusiveness, supportive Kindness and enthusiastic dedication to MIAD’s Community.
MIAD NSP students install service learning mural
Students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) are developing professional expertise and honing their artistic craft, all while contributing to public art efforts in Associate Professor Brad Anthony Bernard’s New Studio Practice: Fine Arts murals class. Their 2Cubed Exhibit is the culmination of the hard work of MIAD students in this service learning course.
Exhibition at Hawthorn Contemporary curated by MIAD alum
Monica Miller ’13 (Integrated Studio Arts) has their hands full, from opening and managing the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) new offsite Gallery at The Ave to keeping up with their own artistic and curatorial practice. Now, Miller will curate Grasping Tenderness: Explorations of Queer Joy & Freedom, In Spite of Everything at Hawthorn Contemporary in Milwaukee’s historic Walker’s Point neighborhood.
TMJ4 features two MIAD graduates during AAPI month
Stephanie Brown of TMJ4 News featured recent graduates Mengdian Xing ’23 (Product Design) and her sister Lynn Xing ’23 (Interior Architecture and Design) during a month-long celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.
Magic: The Gathering tournament in Italy features Illustration faculty
Ever since he was a student at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), Associate Professor of Illustration John Matson has incorporated fantasy illustration into his work. This lifelong fascination has led to a fruitful career as a fantasy illustrator and educator, most recently manifesting in an invitation to attend a Magic: The Gathering tournament in Italy as a guest illustrator.
Successful Creative Fusion gala closes Our Creative Future campaign
Raising more than $10 million is no small feat. The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) announced it had exceeded its comprehensive campaign goal of $10 million after its annual fundraising gala Creative Fusion: Fashion Forward, where donors generously raised more than $485,000 in scholarship support on May 6, 2023.
2023 Penfield Poster Competition bolsters professional experience
This year’s Penfield Poster winners have been announced! In collaboration with advertising agency Cramer-Krasselt, 80 juniors at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) designed posters for the Annual Croquet Ball fundraiser at the Penfield Children’s Center.
MIAD alumni, faculty selected for gener8tor x Sherman Phoenix 2023 Spring Cohort
The Sherman Phoenix Foundation in Milwaukee, in partnership with startup accelerator gener8tor, has announced the members of the 2023 Spring Cohort of artists. Selected from a pool of 300 applicants, five of the 15 Milwaukee creatives awarded the grant are affiliated with MIAD.
Animation & Illustration receive top rankings in Wisconsin & Midwest by Animation Career Review
In its 2023 rankings, Animation Career Review named MIAD’s Animation program as the top in the state, and the college’s Illustration Program in the top ten in the Midwest. MIAD is the only college in Wisconsin included in that list.
MIAD ranked #1 Graphic Design School in Wisconsin by Animation Career Review
In its 2023 rankings, Animation Career Review named MIAD the #1 Graphic Design School in Wisconsin and in the top 7% of design schools in the Midwest. The college’s Animation and Illustration programs also received top rankings.
Senior Exhibition 2023: Calla Rivera-Matos
When Calla Rivera-Matos ’23 (Illustration) started planning her senior thesis project, she envisioned something unique and interactive. That planning process resulted in an intricately engineered pop-up book called “Mi Casita Criolla” featuring the architecture, tiles and culture of Puerto Rico.
Illustration senior wins 2023 Fromm Petfest poster contest
Representatives from Fromm Petfest selected the winning design for their annual poster competition, a long-standing collaboration between Fromm Petfest and the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Of the 75 posters submitted by illustration students, a mid-century style design by MIAD senior Maggie Carroll ’23 (Illustration) was selected as the winner.
First-Years declare Fashion and Apparel Design major
For Miah Brown ’26, Darwin Childers ’26 and Hayden Wendel ’26, declaring a major in Fashion and Apparel Design was easy. All three First-Year students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design have a deep personal interest in fashion and will be among the first graduates of MIAD’s new Fashion and Apparel Design major.
Senior Exhibition 2023: Dominick Streff
Reimagining the possibilities of tabletop gaming, Dominick Streff ’23 (Product Design) is working to revolutionize gaming possibilities in his senior thesis, a game called “Heroes and Hydras.” A tactile and auditory experience designed for people with vision impairment, Streff conducted extensive research and synthesized his findings into a sensory tabletop game.
Milwaukee PBS features Veteran Print Project
As part of a documentary on Milwaukee’s Soldiers Home, Scottie Meyers of Milwaukee’s PBS interviewed printmaking students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Grace Ranz ’24 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts and Illustration) and Grey Higginbotham ’24 (NSP: Fine Arts) created a print currently housed in Milwaukee’s Soldiers Home.
MIAD receives inaugural grant from Ruth Foundation for the Arts
The nationally recognized Ruth Foundation for the Arts (Ruth Arts) has awarded the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) an inaugural grant through its new Wisconsin Grants to Artists program to support research and development of work by individual artists. The MIAD grant is part of the Ruth Arts’ regranting program to three Milwaukee-centric organizations. Lynden Sculpture Garden and The Open Fund also received grants.
Senior Exhibition 2023: Jon Demirel
Jon Demirel ’23 (Communication Design) knew he wanted to be a graphic designer ever since he was a kid creating flyers for meme pages on Facebook. Since moving from Istanbul, Turkey to the United States at 15, Demirel has honed his craft far beyond his early start.
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Matthew Stricker
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) has announced the March recipient of the MIAD Values Recognition Award. Matthew Stricker, Associate Director of Student Services, received nominations for his phenomenal support of the MIAD community and its values, particularly his commitment to Kindness and Inclusiveness.
“Dear Nature” collaboration installed at The Avenue
Sculpture Milwaukee’s newest collaboration, “Dear Nature,” features work by students from four Milwaukee colleges. Students in Jason S. Yi’s New Studio Practice: Fine Arts course at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) installed work at The Avenue ahead of the exhibition’s opening on April 21, 2023.
Imagine MKE features MIAD in 414 Day video
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) was honored to participate in this year’s 414 Day video through Imagine MKE. The video celebrates Milwaukee artists and creatives and the vibrance they bring to the community.
Senior Exhibition 2023: Margaret Griffin
When Margaret Griffin ’23 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts) transferred to the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), she hoped to dig deeper into her artistic practice. Now in her final semester, Griffin’s work is catching the attention of the Milwaukee creative community.