Two MIAD students finalists for Grilled Cheese Grant

2023 Grilled Cheese Grant. Photo courtesy of Adam White/docMyArt.

The ninth annual Grilled Cheese Grant finalists include two Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) students: Stella Koslowski ’24 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice, Illustration) and Makenna Schibler ’25 (Fine Art + NSP). They are two of five finalists who are in the running for the crowd-funded grant.

Possibly Milwaukee’s most delicious fundraiser, the MIAD alumni-run Grilled Cheese Grant awards funds to artists working in Southern Wisconsin. In previous years, the grant focused on seniors at MIAD and UW-Milwaukee to help fund their senior exhibition projects. This year, the Grilled Cheese Grant has expanded to accept applications from any emerging visual artist working in Southern Wisconsin.

The Grilled Cheese Grant event will take place on Saturday, March 23, 2024, 3 – 8 p.m. at MIAD alum-owned Vanguard Sculpture Services. Regular admission is $10, or $5 for students with a valid ID, with funds raised during the event going to support the 2024 finalists.

At the event, attendees will receive a grilled cheese sandwich with locally-sourced ingredients (gluten free and vegan options available). More importantly, they will also receive a ballot to cast their vote for their favorite finalist. While funds vary from year to year, first-place winners can expect their project to be fully funded and runners up will receive partial funding. In 2023, the event generated enough revenue to fully fund all five finalists’ projects.

The volunteer-run grant is organized annually by a small group of MIAD graduates, who include Rachel Hausmann Schall ’15 (Integrated Studio Arts), Alyssa Anderson ’15 (ISA), Joe Acri ’17 (Sculpture), Sal Nicholson ’19 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts), Alyssa Kaboskey ’19 (NSP: Fine Arts) and Margaret Griffin ’23 (NSP: Fine Arts). Read an interview with last year’s organizers.

Support Stella Koslowski and Makenna Schibler, as well as the other three finalists, at the event on March 23, 2024, view Koslowski’s senior exhibition project at MIAD’s Senior Exhibition and learn more about MIAD’s Fine Art program!