Continuing Education Spring 2026
We bring creative minds together for professional development and personal enrichment.
Continuing Education Spring 2026
New trends, technology and challenges need new ideas, skill sets and relationships. MIAD’s Continuing Education helps meet these challenges through innovative programming that fosters:
• Interdisciplinary thought and practices.
• Re-envisioning of personal and professional creativity.
• Collaborative cultural and business relationships that enhance exceptional learning opportunities.
Registration Deadline: Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026
Any session cancelled due to weather or instructor illness will be rescheduled after the conclusion of the class. Tuition is not prorated for students unable to attend the makeup session.
SCHOLARSHIP PORTFOLIO CLASSES (GRADE
Spring Semester
Scholarship Portfolio in the spring semester is an opportunity for high school seniors to continue to develop a “living” portfolio representative of individual growth, and to further develop skills across fine art and design disciplines in preparation for the college experience.
Students complete five projects during the eleven-week course, strategically developed to provide ample opportunity for experimentation, discovery, diversifying, and adding to existing skills. Multiple prompts are provided for each project to allow students to make work relevant to their own technical and conceptual interests, regardless of discipline or media preferences. Group critiques, presentations, and individual feedback augment student growth, with support and access to the admissions team to further prepare for the transition to college.
High school seniors who successfully complete the course receive a $10,000 scholarship ($2,500/year renewable for four years), to attend MIAD in the fall following their high school graduation. This is in addition to any other merit or need-based monies awarded. Attendance is required each week, along with project completion, to receive the scholarship offer.
Learn more & register at miad.edu/spc
Online Scholarship Portfolio
This section of Scholarship Portfolio is an online, eleven-session course for current high school seniors, offered from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. The course includes multiple project prompts to support various solutions and creative direction, group and individual critiques and access to admissions counselors for support during the application process. Students are required to provide their own supplies based on their interests and guidance from the instructor. For online options, students will be provided with access to software for the duration of the course to complete their projects as necessary.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Jan. 24 – Apr. 4
11 sessions
Tuition: $450 ($200 deposit non-refundable after Jan. 4)
Registration Deadline: Jan. 16
Instructor: Emma Rarick
Please note: Scholarships are not available to attend this class. Students must be entering or currently in their senior year to register. Students must have a cumulative unweighted grade point average of 2.0 or above to register for the course.
Left: Maisie Doyle, Scholarship Portfolio Class, 2024
Above: Elana Brush, Scholarship Portfolio Class, 2023
Todd Mrozinski
Rosalie Beck
Introductory Figure Painting (NEW)
Focusing on form, color, and gesture, this course aims to help students develop the technical skills to transition from line-drawing to painting the figure representationally. Using the basics as building blocks, this course explores various methods of painting the human body from dynamic brushstrokes to tightly defined anatomy.
Wednesdays, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Olivia Lorber
Olivia Lorber
SATURDAY MORNING CLASSES
How to Glean a Quilt
Learn how to make a quilt from your worn clothes, old home textiles, and retired linens! In this course, students explore ways of assessing and reclaiming fabric from discarded textiles for the purpose of quilt making. Each student determines personal parameters for their own project and engages in a variety of techniques for gleaning yardage and maximizing the use of that fabric through quilt making. Reclaiming fabric, piecing, hand quilting and binding are covered. Some sewing experience is helpful but not necessary - both machine and hand stitching will be explored. Returning students are invited to bring a project for finishing guidance or to deepen their skills under the guidance of the instructor.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Grace Rother
Screenprinting Open Studio
This workshop is for those with beginner-level screenprinting experience as well as advanced students. Demonstrations include preparing images, exposing screens, and basic printing techniques. The instructor provides more advanced demos on color separations, ink mixing, registration techniques, and file prep, as requested. Functioning knowledge of screenprinting is helpful, but not required. Students work on self-guided projects through the duration of the course. Please note that the shop is not set up for commercial work or printing yardage.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $265
Instructor: Alan Peralta
Alan Peralta
SATURDAY MORNING CLASSES
Oil Painting from the Ground Up
What is oil paint? How is it different from other painting media? Using specific palettes to paint color charts, simple still lifes, master copies, and a selfportrait, students may also explore making oil paint from raw materials. Gain historical context and a contemporary understanding of oil paint’s unique properties to put them to work in your own artistic practice.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $225 ($205 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Beth Stoddard
Photoshop as Collaborator (NEW)
Photoshop as Collaborator introduces students to Photoshop through exercises that encourage play and experimentation. Students are encouraged to treat the image as an active site of artmaking, emphasizing intuition, experimentation, and creative risk. Designed to promote hands-on engagement with technology, students explore Photoshop as both a tool and a creative partner—touching on practices such as scanning, archiving, working with found images, self-portraiture, and collage. This course investigates how embodied interaction with digital tools can reconnect us to the act of making. Students gain an understanding of the practical utilizations of Photoshop and learn best practices for Photoshop workflows.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Olivia Ridge
Olivia Ridge
SATURDAY MORNING CLASSES
Expressive Acrylics (NEW)
Expressive approaches to painting are seen in many different art movements, such as the Impressionists’ response to light, the action painters’ use of movement, and the modernists’ manipulation of color. Working from photo and memory, students transform familiar images and ideas into emotive paintings. Students are encouraged to paint what they know, using color, brush stroke, and texture to create paintings that carry a tone or mood as directed by the artist, expressive of themselves and their ideas.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Feb. 14 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions, no class Mar. 7
Tuition: $225 ($205 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Beki Borman
Landscape Drawing in Pastel
Explore and interpret the green spaces, riverfront, and urban views of Milwaukee’s Third Ward in dry pastels. Beginning with the study of master copies to become familiar with depicting deep space, simplifying textures and utilizing light and shadow, students receive basic instruction in tonal and impressionist mixing of color. To apply these techniques, students then work from either photo references or direct views from MIAD of the Third Ward and Riverfront to create unique depictions of the urban landscape. Drawing experience is useful but no previous experience in pastel is necessary.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $225 ($205 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Rosalie Beck
Illustration: Heroes and Villains (NEW)
In this course, students dive into the aspects of character design that encourage the effective portrayal of hero and villain personalities. From the development of physical characteristics, tropes and accessories, emphasis is placed on using anatomy to represent more than obvious physical strengths or weaknesses, and investigate how it can convey emotion and mental attributes fitting to the character.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $225 ($205 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Rich Koslowski
SATURDAY AFTERNOON CLASSES
Figure Drawing Fundamentals
Ground your figure drawing practice in the fundamentals. New, returning, and experienced artists use dry media to create numerous sketches and finished drawings ranging from quick to lengthy sustained poses of unclothed live models. Narrated demonstrations reference both historical and contemporary artists while covering different gestural approaches, useful basic anatomy and surface landmarks, classical measurement and proportion practices, and ways of conceptualizing the figure to best realize your artistic vision.
Saturdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Beth Stoddard
Logo and Brand Design (NEW)
Learning the fundamentals in visual communication, students experience the brand design process step-by-step, from brainstorming to final mockups. Using vector graphics to develop a new visual brand for an existing local business of your choice, coursework allows students to produce quality graphics ready for production across many sizes and formats. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, software practiced by professional designers, are used to complete individual projects. No previous experience is required.
Saturdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Nathan Fetherston
Etching Open Studio
This class is for all levels. Beginning students will learn, from start to finish, how to make an etching. Plate prep, aquatint and stage-biting will be demonstrated and students will be able to experiment with color and selective wiping. More advanced students can continue their projects and try new methods through guided, small group demos. Upon the conclusion of the course, students have the opportunity to complete a small edition of prints.
Saturdays, 12 – 4 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $265
Instructor: Todd Mrozinski
SATURDAY
AFTERNOON CLASSES
Space Explorations: Techniques for Moving from 2D to 3D (NEW)
This class demonstrates experimental methods for translating your 2D practice into 3D space. Make playful sketches with pastels, paint, wire, plastic collage, and more. Learn how line, shape, and color transform across paper and sculpture. New mixed-media techniques are introduced each week for students to apply to their own projects and interests. Receive individualized feedback, discover new possibilities for artwork display, and leave with a full toolbox of accessible processes to continue 3D explorations.
Saturdays, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Siri Stensberg
The Styled Space: Interior Design Fundamentals
This immersive course introduces students to the core principles of interior design—space planning, color theory, material selection, and visual storytelling—through a creative and sustainability-focused lens. Students explore how to design functional and stylish interiors while making thoughtful, eco-conscious choices with materials and layouts. Working both by hand and digitally using InDesign, students will create mood boards, floor plans, and concept presentations. By the end of the course, each student completes a room design that reflects their personal aesthetic, a strong understanding of design fundamentals, and a growing awareness of sustainable design practices.
Saturdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Chelsea Mody
Siri Stensberg
Museum Drawing (NEW)
In this course, students utilize the collection currently on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) as source material to create observational studies of sculptures and two-dimensional works. This course meets at MAM each week, incorporating both group discussions and individual investigations. The course chronology follows an art historical timeline, beginning with Ancient Mediterranean art on the first floor and ending with Modern and Contemporary art. Topics such as representation and composition center around quick thumbnails in addition to prolonged study. Throughout the session, students examine art elements and principles across different periods and cultures to foster a greater appreciation for global visual culture.
Please note: Only pencils may be used in the museum (number 2 or HB). Pens, markers, colored pencils and other media may be used on works outside of the museum.
Saturdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $265, includes admission to the Milwaukee Art Museum
Instructor: Mary Beth Drabiszczak
Fashion Art: Illustration, Style, and Print (NEW)
Step into the world where fashion becomes art. This course guides students through the expressive practices of fashion illustration and textile design, teaching them to translate art through a fashion lens. Participants develop their authentic fashion illustration style, interpreting fashion through abstract explorations of color, composition, and pattern. Examining how fashion illustration can convey energy, brand DNA, and personal voice—students transform garments into art and art into story. The course also traces the legacy of fashion illustration’s golden age, studying iconic illustrators from the 1950s and 1960s to understand the artistry, technique, and cultural impact that shaped fashion imagery. In the second half, students explore textile print, highlighting the essential role of art in fashion and opening pathways to creative careers. Ideal for artists, designers, and dreamers eager to merge fashion, art, and self-expression.
Saturdays, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Mar. 28, 6 sessions
Tuition: $225 ($205 before Jan. 18)
Instructor: Leslie Randall
SUNDAY AFTERNOON CLASS
Lithography
Through step-by-step demos, students prepare, process and print a stone lithograph. Working with their own drawing, design or photograph, students use a variety of crayons and tools to create value and textures in their drawing and complete the course with a small edition of prints. Note: a printing schedule will be developed once registration is complete.
Sundays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Feb. 22 – Mar. 29, 6 sessions
Tuition: $265
Instructor: Todd Mrozinski
Todd Mrozinski
Beth Stoddard
OPEN FIGURE DRAWING
Open Figure Drawing is an opportunity to draw from a live model without instruction. One model provides a variety of quick and sustained poses. Participants can choose to pre-register: $50 for 10 sessions, or pay $6 per session at the door. Students under the age of 18 must have written parental permission to attend.
Tuesdays, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Jan. 20 – Mar. 24, 10 sessions