Select Page

Two Product Design students win Zinc Challenge international student design competition

Bryce Lee Zinc Challenge

Winning design by Bryce Lee ’22 (Product Design)

Two MIAD students were among the top three students recognized in the 2020-2021 Zinc Challenge Student Design Competition. Bryce Lee ‘22 (Product Design) and Szymon Salamon ‘22 (Product Design) each won a $2,000 prize for their designs. The faculty sponsor Pascal Malassigné, MIAD professor of product design, also received an $1,000 award for the college.

Bryce designed a fishing lure with zinc alloy sinkers, and Szymon redesigned a clothes hanger with zinc properties to replace plastic and wooden hangers.

Winning design by Szymon Salamon ’22 (Product Design)

This year’s competition was the 20th anniversary of the “Zinc Challenge” student design competition, hosted by the International Zinc Association. The competition tests students on their knowledge of zinc alloys and practical design for die casting. The contest is open to all undergraduate design students in Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The contest theme this year was material substitution, and students were challenged to recreated, redesign and redevelop an existing product in zinc to take advantage of the superior properties of zinc alloys and the zinc die casting process. More information on the competition is at diecasting.zinc.org.

News

La Mère Brazier: Phoebe Nelson Senior Exhibition 2025

Phoebe Nelson ’25 (Illustration) came to the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) to study children’s book illustration. Now at the end of her senior year, she is writing and illustrating a children’s book about Eugénie Brazier, the first person to get six Michelin stars, for her Senior Exhibition project.

MIAD Independent Inquiry Program launches with three student grants

Galilea Cerdea ’26, Tina Voith ’26 and Madi Weglarz ’25 are the first three Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design students selected to receive Independent Inquiry Program stipends to investigate new technologies and their applicability to art and design education. As first-time applicants, each receives a stipend of $1,200 for a six-week Mini Inquiry this summer.

Grilled Cheese grants propel MIAD seniors

Funds from the annual Grilled Cheese Grant helped Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) awardees Siren Harris, Yo Yo collective and Madi Weglarz complete their 2025 Senior Exhibition projects and future work. All the MIAD awardees are Fine Art + New Studio Practice seniors.

Sebastian Penn: Senior Exhibition 2025

Sebastian Penn ’25 (Animation Track in Illustration), “From Home to Legacy: Black and Queer Bars in Milwaukee.” Sebastian is a President’s (Honor) List student from Holman, Wis.

McKenna Martin: Senior Exhibition 2025

McKenna Martin ’25 (Product Design), “Hyacinth.” McKenna received first place for her design for the 2023 Delta design project/competition at MIAD, is on the Dean’s List and is from Fond du Lac, Wis.