Klein in Process
An idea conceived by several creative minds at MIAD and Gallery 224 led to the launch of the Gallery 224 Studios – an artist in residency program at the Port Washington gallery with strong ties to the college, including inaugural participants Tonia Klein ’07, Monica Miller ’13, Alice M. Waraxa ’13, Elise Thomm ’13 and Elizabeth Ann Guokas.
Melissa Dorn Richards ’96, MIAD director of cultural & alumni relations; Jason S. Yi, MIAD Fine Arts professor; Nicholas Frank, MIAD’s core coordinator; and Jane Suddendorf, Gallery 224 director, “came together to create the idea of a residency that would help recent graduates make the next step in their art career,” said Klein, who also acts as an administrator of the program.
Waraxa Skirt
“While the two institutions are in separate locations, the people behind the scenes are of a single mind,” Klein explained.
Attracting recent graduates is a priority, which fit perfectly for Waraxa, who spent time preparing for a residency in college. “In my junior year Writing 300 class at MIAD, I wrote for a mock-residency as an assignment,” she explained.
“The process of researching and looking at which residency met with my goals after school prepared me for the process of the residency application.”
Klein added that her time at MIAD also helped prepare her for this residency, “MIAD taught me the skills to be an artist in the 21st century. Not only did I learn basic art-making skills, but we discussed how to find a studio space after graduation, and the type of writing skills you need in order to apply to art-specific opportunities.”
Gallery 224 Studios is open to the public Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., and is made possible by a grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl Fund.
Read about Gallery 224 Studios in the Ozaukee County Press.
Click here to visit the Gallery 224 Studios blog.
First image: Tonia Klein’s studio space
Second image: Close-up, in-process of Waraxa’s skirt design
Third image: Tonia Klein, Cumulus Migration
