News
Finalists win funding through Grilled Cheese Grant
Five art and design students, including three seniors from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), were selected as finalists for this year’s annual Grilled Cheese Grant. After an extremely successful event on April 1, 2023, all five students will receive full funding for their senior thesis projects for the first time in Grilled Cheese Grant history.
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Rithi Punyamurthula
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) has announced the February recipient of the MIAD Values Recognition Award. Rithi Punyamurthula, Coordinator of Equity + Inclusion, received nominations for many of MIAD’s Core Values, particularly Kindness, Inclusion and Community.
MIAD’s Design Internship prepares students for professional fields
Milwaukee boasts a vibrant community of artists and creatives. The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is proud to bolster this community through the Design Internship, a program for Milwaukee-area high school students intended to prepare them for careers in art and design.
NSP: Fine Arts junior selected for Yale Norfolk Summer Program
Chad Alexander ’24 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts) is one of only 26 students nationwide to be accepted into the prestigious Yale Norfolk School of Art Summer Program. Alexander, currently a junior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) will participate in the six-week residency in Norfolk, Connecticut.
MIAD River Rat recognized on World Rat Day
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) celebrates its iconic River Rat mascot on World Rat Day, April 4, 2023. Situated along the Milwaukee River, the institution proudly spotlights its favorite scrappy and resourceful rodent.
MIAD Gallery at The Ave celebrates opening
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) celebrates its first offsite gallery during its grand opening on April 6, 2023 from 6 – 8 p.m. MIAD invites the public to attend the event and to explore the new Gallery at The Ave, located at 301 W. Wisconsin Ave in The Avenue near the 3rd Street Market Hall.
First-Year Exhibition 2023 winners announced
Four winners and three honorable mentions were selected at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) First-Year Experience Student Exhibition opening reception on Friday, March 24, 2023. Renato Umali, Mariah Tate Klemens and Gabrielle Banzhaf, the three jurors, commended all the participating students for their strong work.
Communication Design senior lands Nike Internship
Catherine Currie ’23 (Communication Design), a senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), was selected for the highly competitive graphic design internship at Nike. The internship will take place over 10 weeks this summer at Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
MIAD Defines 2023: Day of play
For the 2023 iteration of MIAD Defines, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design dedicated Tuesday, March 21 to playing. With the aim to connect, converse and learn across majors, years and disciplines, this year’s MIAD Defines was a resounding success.
Peter Barrickman selected as NSP: Fine Arts full-time faculty
Following a national search, Peter Barrickman has been selected as the newest full-time faculty member in New Studio Practice (NSP): Fine Arts at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). An internationally recognized artist, Barrickman also co-founded Mazzzagine, a publication dedicated to supporting artists and fostering collaboration.
Associated Bank sponsors MIAD Pre-College students
For Kyla Chester-Hopkins and Matthew Goss, the summer 2022 Pre-College program at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) meant a new perspective on their artistic practices. Presented by Associated Bank, the MIAD Pre-College program is dedicated to developing high school students’ artistic skills and preparing them for a college career in art and design.
MIAD alum on maximizing college and intuitive making
From teaching pre-college classes at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design to planning international residencies, Alan A. Peralta Martinez ’21 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts) relies on his intuition. The multidisciplinary fine artist also known as pinchegato recently hosted a solo show at TASK ahead of his two-month residency in Guadalajara.
Remembering Adam F. Nilson, Fine Art alum
Adam F. Nilson ’03 (Drawing) passed away on March 5, 2023. He was the owner of nationally recognized Nilson Studio, where he created many beloved Milwaukee area murals. Generous with his community, Nilson also hosted art supply drives and mentored students to ensure children had access to the arts.
Product Design alum talks disability and design
Emily Siira ’17 (Industrial Design) started her education in mechanical engineering, but discovered industrial design (also known as product design at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design) unexpectedly through a journey of disability as a young adult.
Thirty seniors receive MIAD Alumni Senior Thesis Awards
Thanks to the generosity of alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the college, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design will award $6,857 to an unprecedented 28 seniors to directly support the fabrication and installation of their Senior Exhibition capstone projects. Winners were selected by a panel of 21 MIAD alumni with experience in fine art and design career fields.
Layton School of Art alum passes away
Leon Emidio Travanti ’56 (Painting), a graduate of Layton School of Art, passed away on January 21, 2023. The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design currently houses work by Travanti from his time as a student. The prodigious artist also donated two of his works to MIAD’s annual gala Creative Fusion.
First-Year Student Exhibition promotes professional skills
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design hosts the First-Year Experience Exhibition from late March through September 2023. A juried exhibition of work by MIAD’s first-year students, the installation celebrates the creative and personal growth that students experienced over the course of the year.
MIAD celebrates founders during Women’s History Month
There’s no more appropriate time than Women’s History Month to honor the founders of the Layton School of Art, MIAD’s predecessor college. Charlotte Partridge and Miriam Frink, partners professionally and in life, lived MIAD’s values as they began in 1920 to build one of the most progressive art colleges in the country.
Product Design juniors collaborate with local tattoo shop
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design students in a junior-level Product Design class recently visited Walker’s Point Tattoo Company to learn about tattoo equipment.
Veteran Print Project prints featured in New York gallery
The National Veterans Resource Center Gallery in Syracuse, New York is currently exhibiting selected works from the Veteran Print Project, including 13 prints by Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design alumni and faculty. The exhibition runs through March 10, 2023.
Black Art & Design Juried Student Exhibition: Noah Teague
Although the show is only up for a few more days, the Black Art & Design Juried Student Exhibition at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design remains a gem in the institution. Noah Teague ’25 (Communication Design), one of the 14 students showing work, explains his multimedia collages and creative philosophy.
Black Art & Design Juried Student Exhibition: Zara Dixon
“The Grim Reaper” by Zara Dixon ’25 (Illustration), currently on display at the Black Art & Design Juried Student Exhibition, is a deeply layered work by a Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design sophomore.
MIAD students paint mural for Milwaukee Bucks
When Ladasia Bryant ’23 (Communication Design) was tapped to create a mural for the Milwaukee Bucks, she turned to her fellow students in the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s Black Leaders and Artists Coalition (BLAC).
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Laura Baranyk-Morales
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design has announced its first recipient of the MIAD Values Recognition Award. Laura Baranyk-Morales, Assistant Office Manager in the Admissions Center, was recognized as embodying all of MIAD’s values, particularly Kindness and Community.
Black Art & Design Juried Student Exhibition: Darryl Wedgeworth
Glitch art is just one of the varied creative styles to be found in the Black Art & Design Juried Student Exhibition at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Darryl Wedgeworth ’24 (Communication Design) explains his creative process and his experience at MIAD so far.