— Kelsey Mui Untitled
WE ARE MIAD.
IT’S DIFFERENT HERE. In the best possible ways. This is an immersive culture dedicated to you. A community where what you imagine and make matters today, and for your future. As you join motivated creatives from throughout the country, our faculty will inspire and prepare you for your career as a professional artist or designer. You’ll take on real-world projects, internships and service learning with businesses and organizations that recognize MIAD’s reputation and impact on the region’s creative vitality and vibrant design community. Your education, experiences, and the portfolio and networks you build will position you to succeed in your professional and entrepreneurial endeavors. And as a contemporary artist or designer, you will influence the direction of our global community. At MIAD, your passion will find professional purpose – for life.
2
MIAD COMMUNITY & STUDENT LIFE
Whether you’re volunteering in the neighborhood, hanging out on the Riverwalk, interacting with peers and staff in The Living Room, or participating in one of MIAD’s allschool annual traditions or student organizations, our welcoming community is holistically dedicated to your personal and professional success.
MIAD students also create and run their own organizations, providing opportunities to lead, socialize and propel community awareness.
STUDENT & ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTER Our Student & Academic Success Center brings together tutoring, accessibility services, academic guidance and personalized support in one welcoming space, ensuring you have the resources, encouragement and guidance to overcome challenges, build confidence and make the most of every opportunity.
SUPPORTING YOUR PATH FORWARD When you choose MIAD, you join a community that is deeply invested in your future. From your first day on campus through graduation, you’ll be supported by faculty and staff who know you by name and are committed to helping you grow as an artist, designer and person. With career guidance, meaningful experiences and a culture built on connection, you’ll graduate ready to create your future.
OUR CAMPUS
Our facilities are expansive – the size of nearly five football fields – to engage your interests and creativity. But our focus is personal and close-knit, supporting you even as your passion and education extend beyond the walls of the classroom.
Our studios, our residence hall and the surrounding Historic Third Ward are an integral part of your education, providing you with a close-knit community of inspired individuals, environments, businesses and culture to further your pursuit of a creative life and career. This is where you find, and define, the path to your future.
Two50Two: MIAD Student Apartments Living on campus at Two50Two puts you at the heart of your MIAD experience — your supportive campus network and the thriving art and design district of the Third Ward, ranked the fifth best arts district in the U.S. with the top ranked Public Market (USA Today).
The MIAD campus is a hive of creativity centered on you. In its interactive, dynamic spaces, you’ll experience learning and connect with your peers through research, creation and discussion.
MILWAUKEE Milwaukee is different from every place you’ve been, ranking the third best city in the U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler (2025). From music to food, unique nearby neighborhoods to incredible small businesses, the city offers something for everyone — a vibe and a welcoming Midwestern undercurrent. MIAD’s prime location positions you at the heart of it all. Explore the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan (four blocks from campus!) and the world-class museums located there, visit Third Ward galleries, restaurants and shops, check out great local bands at live music venues around town or huge acts at Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival, attend a cultural festival, grab a custard at your favorite stand or bike through one of the many parks in the city. Visit MKE and it might just feel like home.
Images courtesy of VisitMilwaukee.
MAJORS
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
Nurture Your Growth Your First-Year Experience (FYE) nurtures your growth and individuality as an artist and designer while fostering a sense of community and purpose with creatives throughout the college. You’ll ask deep questions about the nature of visual culture, art and design to develop a way of thinking that will inform the life of your creative career.
— Right Kai Davies Trapped in the Sewing Industry
Studio courses and MIAD’s labs will immerse you in 2-, 3- and 4-dimensional making, blending contemporary and traditional technologies. Whether you’re drawing, embroidering, screen printing or animating, you’ll be experimenting, problem solving and communicating. Most of all, you’ll be on your journey to your major and finding your individual voice.
— Above Ariel Golinghorst Scáthán na Farraige
— Left Addison Moonshower Be Where Your Feet Are
15
You’ll dig into creative problem solving in MIAD’s immersive labs. You’ll engage in conversations and critique. You’ll make meaning through experimenting. You’ll be at the center of your learning.
— Left Martin Ma Made by Human & Nature
— Previous page, left to right Marissa Taylor Eyes, the Window to our
—
Soul: The Window
Right
Richard Johnson
Bella Glenn
Hostile Collage
Gerardo Y Luna
16
MAJORS
COMMUNICATION DESIGN Create Compelling Value You’re an aspiring future designer, art director or creative director ready to take on a versatile and ever-changing global marketplace. MIAD’s top-ranked Communication Design program allows you to focus on your areas of interest while preparing you to create compelling digital and print work that informs and educates in innovative ways.
You’ll think conceptually and develop visual literacy through 2D, 3D and screen-based design. You’ll build your presentation and collaboration skills. And you’ll have opportunities to craft your portfolio through specialized electives and internships in Milwaukee and beyond.
—
Tatum Woodcock Hello Operator
Join our highly successful Communication Design graduates, who lead their own creative businesses and fill key positions at advertising agencies, design firms and major corporations.
Top Design School 2026 Students named 2026 Students to Watch Graphic Design USA — Above Olivia Nava Power in Play Left Christian Corral COMIC US!
19
Spark Plug
The Communication Design Special Projects Group elective offers students opportunities to work on realworld projects for non-profit and for-profit clients. Pictured here are Special Projects Group 2025 holiday window designs for the Milwaukee Public Market.
— Above Zayden Munch Waypoint
20
MAJORS
FASHION AND APPAREL DESIGN Find Your Authentic Voice Whether you’ve been fascinated by texture and trends for as long as you can remember, or you are newer to the world of fashion, MIAD’s Fashion and Apparel Design program will prepare you to develop your identity as a designer. Focusing on design, craft (mechanical and digital), inclusion and collaboration, you’ll reimagine and understand fabrics, create patterns, make garments and explore sustainable design.
— Right Bailey Staerkel Stitched Together
21
—
—
Above
Right
Bailey Staerkel
Joe Kline
Stitched Together
Izzy Messenger Romper
You’ll gain understanding of the social, environmental and economic systems of apparel, and the future of the industry itself. As you solve challenges for a range of demographic needs, you’ll be empowered to become an agent of change in fashion design – making clothes for everyone.
22
— Above Galilea Jazmine Everbloom
— Left Joe Kline Killshot
—
—
Previous Page
Right
Aspen Sweet
Miah Brown
Untitled
ANKÒ
—
—
Below
Right
Zachary Scharrer
Emma May Travitz
Untitled
Tulle Skirt
24
MAJORS
FINE ART + NEW STUDIO PRACTICE Hone Your Creative Identity MIAD’s Fine Art + New Studio Practice major invites you to join its supportive community of multidisciplinary makers and entrepreneurs, poised to flourish in our 21st century visual arts world. Whether you choose to focus your practice in a single field, such as photography, performance, sculpture, printmaking, digital media, drawing or painting, or work across approaches, you’ll hone your skills and deepen your interests. Internships, visiting artists, guest critics, curators, writers and more will connect you to the community and opportunities.
— Right Sophia Licari Frolicking Philbert
— Above, left to right Natalie White
Lauren Martin
Suspended in the Clouds
Self Portraits and Sleeping Dog
Quincy Gibson New Chigurh
Emma Stempien My Heart is Soft
Jayne Henningsgaard How to Navigate
Kaylee Builer Staged Scene
Khora Finch Home in Negative Space
Artifact of Study
—
—
Left
Above
Levi Johnson
Ashley Esmeralda Osorio
Her Arm
Soñando Estados Unidos (Dreaming United States) (detail)
As a responsible artist-citizen, you will create visual work grounded in a deep awareness of how your creative identity is shaped by – and shapes – the world around you. As a graduate, you will sustain a creative life that generates meaning, impact and transformation – one relationship, one community, one moment at a time.
— Above Mason Burton Microcosm of the Adult World
— Left Greta Berens Rendezvous in the Drawing Room (detail)
MAJORS
ILLUSTRATION
Unleash Your Visual Voice MIAD’s Illustration program will satisfy your craving to tell stories through captivating images while equipping you with the skills to become a professional communicator across diverse industries. You’ll explore a vast media landscape, both technically and conceptually, as you hone your craft with traditional and digital tools, including motion graphics.
— Right Mila Lovecky Binky Makes Pancakes
—
—
Left
Above
Kaitlyn Powers
Eeshaan Dutt
Solenne
Indra Supreme
—
—
Above
Top Right
Phoenix Garcia
Dylan Rogers
Red N Blue
An Uninvited Guest
— Right Paolo Quezada The Winter Spirit
31
Ranked #1 Program in Wisconsin -
— Above Emily Porven Sorceress
Animation Career Review
Your unique visual knowledge and career progress further as you gain real-world experience through collaborations with external clients. You’ll build your professional network through internships and curate a strong portfolio that showcases your ability to bring image and text alive in various design contexts. MIAD’s comprehensive, top ranked program prepares you to thrive as an illustrator, art director or designer in the industry of your choice.
MAJORS
ANIMATION TRACK IN ILLUSTRATION Bring Your Illustrations to Life MIAD’s Animation Track within the Illustration major empowers you to fulfill your dream of adding captivating movement to Illustration. You’ll discover the areas of animation most exciting to you through exploration of 2D animation, 3D modeling and interactive experiences as you also gain a strong foundation in Illustration.
— Right Alexis McConnell Making Friends
— Right Jay Herrera Farewell
— Right Bryan Cahill Nervosity
—
—
Above
Above
Autumn Neil
Anastasiia Zorina
Skull Showdown
Faultline
Ranked #1 Program in Wisconsin; in Top 10 in the Midwest Animation Career Review
— Above Phoebe Nelson Google Doodle: Emily Bronte
This powerful, award-winning combination of Illustration and Animation prepares you for a versatile career in industries from game design to TV/ film production and special effects, web and UI/UX design, multimedia advertising and marketing and more. Hands-on experience with diverse animation approaches, professional practice courses, electives that ignite your creative spark, and a first-year externally judged media arts festival will help you refine your unique voice as a dynamic storyteller.
MAJORS
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN Create Dynamic Environments Every space you encounter shapes how you feel and how well you function within it. In Interior Architecture and Design, you’ll discover how people interact with their surroundings, how smart design elevates everyday life and how to design environments that truly help people thrive.
— Right Adam World Residential Project
— This Page Jaden Nelson The Irish Cottage
— This Page Makenzie Cincotta Point Park Next Page Gabriella Figueroa Casa Ruiz
You’ll dive into hands-on projects in MIAD’s professionalstyle design studio, experiment with materials, master industry software and get feedback from working designers in the industry. You’ll use color, light, texture and form to create dynamic interior environments grounded by client-driven requirements and user needs. And with MIAD’s location in the heart of the Historic Third Ward, you’ll be steps away from inspiration, collaboration, internships and your future career.
MAJORS
PRODUCT DESIGN Inspire Yourself and Others As a Product Design major, you’ll take your curiosity and turn it into real things people use every day, from sneakers and faucets to carry-all bags, toys, medical devices, home goods and more.
— Right Sophia Mazzolari NIM
—
—
Left
Above
Sophia Mazzolari
Benji Cole
NIM
Wind Up
NIM is a physical,
The Under Armour
interactive object
Wind Up is the first
connected to a task
baseball cleat built
management app to assist
from the ground up
children and families
for pitchers.
in building healthy cleaning habits.
You’ll get hands-on with wide-ranging materials, tools and software, learn empathy-based design (designing with people in mind) and figure out what makes a product actually work and why someone would want it. Your designs will be functional, beautiful and “feel right.”
— Left Nicholas Chung Clover, Sewing Made Simple Clover is a simplified sewing machine that can minimize the learning curve for anyone. and colors.
— Below
43
Audrey Nadrasik
Logan Moris
Haylo
Regrowth
A rechargeable 360°
Regrowth is a functional
airflow collar to reduce
furniture collection
fly count on cattle.
using urban trees.
and colors.
and colors.
—
A concept eVTOL, an electric vertical take-
Andrea Rosas
off and landing aircraft,
Airway
that can provide quicker emergency response.
Through a program recognized by global businesses in Milwaukee and beyond, you’ll participate in realworld opportunities with company-sponsored projects, collaborations and internships that hone your professional design and presentation skills – all leading to a successful career in Product Design.
CRITICAL STUDIES Critical Studies asks you to investigate the past and present, acting as a creative agent and igniting your curiosity to imagine and innovate a more just world. In this creative world, your voice – written, spoken and visual – is important. Natural science, writing, humanities, service learning, and art, design and media history provide essential context for your creative practice, helping you to make connections to, and understand, the world around you while becoming an active part of your community.
Art Education
The Art Education minor in partnership with Alverno College offers you undergraduate and graduate pathways to careers in Art Education and to careers that benefit from the expertise achieved in the minor, such as museum and gallery education, community art practice and teaching, and arts administration. As you pursue your own passion for art, you’ll help others to find and develop theirs.
Art History
The knowledge and ability to look beyond the aesthetic and function of art and design is an essential part of a successful creative practice. Courses in Art History encourage inquiry and curiosity and provide you with context for your own pursuits. Active, professional experiences and access to extensive, world-class collections through MIAD’s educational partnerships with the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Haggerty Museum of Art will further your discoveries in art, design and media history. These experiences, within and outside of the classroom, cultivate the ability to analyze and understand the why behind the work.
Humanities
With Milwaukee as your backdrop you will become aware of the diversity of the human experience, of communities and culture, and how your influence, as a creative, can be transformative. Electives in Humanities are wide-ranging and strive to contextualize human values and historical forces that shape society, while Service Learning courses give you hands-on experiential learning in serving non-profits, enabling your analysis of and engagement with neighborhoods throughout the city. Humanities courses will expand your understanding of the world and challenge you to make a difference.
Natural Sciences
Writing
The lakes, rivers, forests and prairies surrounding Milwaukee will be your playgrounds in the study of Natural Sciences. Here you do science: you touch, look and smell as you deeply experience nature, whether drilling through the ice, wading in a river or figuring out what you see under a microscope. You’ll be challenged to go outside of your comfort zone, discover information, form your own thinking about it and share that information with your peers and community. With the scientific method as a basis for your exploration and thinking, you will become a critical lifelong learner.
Writing at MIAD is about expression, ideation, innovation and representation of yourself and the world around you. You’ll engage in passion-led exploration of personal, professional and creative writing that speaks not only to the self, but also explore with diverse audiences in a variety of forms. In your time at MIAD, you’ll become a better, more confident writer and discover the power of writing as making.
Learn more at miad.edu/criticalstudies
MINORS MIAD offers minors to enrich your knowledge and customize your academic journey across the college. Whether you’re looking to expand your skillset, satisfy your curiosity among areas of study, or share your passion with students from other majors, MIAD minors strengthen your professional preparation.
Studio Minors
Animation (for non-Illustration majors) Communication Design Fine Art + New Studio Practice Illustration Interior Architecture and Design Product Design Arts Management Book Arts Furniture Design
Critical Studies
Art Education Art History Creative Writing Humanities Natural Sciences Sustainability
Minors offered through Marquette University
Advertising Business Copywriting Games and Interactive Media Psychology
Learn more at miad.edu/minors
LIFE AFTER MIAD At MIAD, you’ll obtain the skills needed to flourish in diverse professions. Your focus on lifelong learning will extend beyond the campus to kickstart your life of creativity. After tying your education to the real-world at every turn, you’ll be the leader of your success. With MIAD’s supportive community behind you, your degree might take you places you never expected, allowing you to redefine the role of artist or designer in contemporary society.
Notable Current Alumni Employers
Adidas, Amazon, Arc Worldwide, Ariens, Baird, Blackbox Visual, BVK, Catalyst Exhibits, Catral Doyle Creative, Colectivo Coffee, Cramer-Krasselt, Delta Faucet, Derse, Direct Supply, Discovery World Museum, Dyson, Fiskars, Fashion Angels, Ford Motor Company, Froedtert Health, Frontgate, GE Healthcare, Generac Power Systems, General Motors, GMR Marketing, Google, Hallmark, Hanson Dodge Creative, HarleyDavidson Motor Company, Hyundai, Jockey International, John Deere, Johnson Controls, Kimberly-Clark, Kohl’s, Land’s End, Kohler Company, Kwik Trip, Inc., Laughlin Constable, Marquette University, MasterLock, Microsoft, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Bucks, Inc., Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee Tool, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Nestle, Nike, Northwestern Mutual, Pacific Cycles, Pivot Cycles, Pokémon, Quad, Rinka+, Rivian, SC Johnson, SherwinWilliams, SI Jacobson Manufacturing, SkB Architects, Starbucks Corporation, Stone Creek Coffee Roasters, Target Corporation, Trek Bicycle, West Elm, Weyco Group, Inc., Wisconsin Public and Private Colleges, Wizards of the Coast 50
Alumni Profiles
SEBASTIAN WOHLT 2024 Interior Architecture and Design Interior Designer Furniture Designer, Creative Business Interiors Milwaukee, WI
“MIAD challenged me to push myself and my creativity to new levels. MIAD also helped me to create a strong student portfolio, which helped me earn my amazing interior design internships. Those internships led me to the full-time job I have today.” “Fenner Retreat,” 2024 Senior Exhibition project.
FABIAN RICO SANCHEZ 2025 Product Design Product Designer, Andis Corporation Milwaukee, WI
“MIAD gave me the tools and confidence to turn creative ideas into real, functional products that make a difference. The hands-on studio time, close mentorship and collaborative environment were key in shaping how I think and work as a designer. “One of the most important things I’ve learned at MIAD is to design with reason, design with purpose. Because a design without a story is just another product with no meaning.”
Phenom Clipper for Andis Co., 2025.
Alumni Profiles
BREE VOUGA 2023 Communication Design Graphic Designer, Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee, WI
“The MIAD community really is something special. I was lucky to be surrounded by talented, diverse peers and supportive professors who always pushed me to grow as a designer and find my own creative voice. MIAD led me to where I am today.” NBA Bucks Cup Night Advanced Graphic, 2024.
NOMKA ENKHEE 2025 Fine Art + New Studio Practice; Writing minor Visual Artist, Poet, Performer 2026 Mary L. Nohl Emerging Artist Fellowship Co-Director, e.s.r. Artistrun exhibition space Milwaukee, WI
Enkhee’s work weaves oral Mongolian epic traditions with experimental writing and performance, creating space for friction, gaps and freedom in translation. Enkhee studied sculpture at the Kunsthochschule Mainz in Germany, received her BFA from MIAD, and is an alumna of the Yale Norfolk Summer Program which she attended as a MIAD student.
“Conversation Chairs” (Ongoing Series), 2023,
birch
plywood, lacquer, polyurethane coat, (each chair) 47x18x15
Impact of the Arts. The arts and culture sector
contributes $1.17 trillion annually to the U.S. economy and $12.4 billion to Wisconsin’s economy, supporting nearly 5.4 million jobs nationwide and more than 95,000 in Wisconsin.1 More than 2.7 million artists participate in the U.S. labor force, including approximately 1 million designers.2 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects approximately 76,400 job openings annually in arts and design occupations through 2035. Creative career opportunities also extend into growing digital fields. Employment of web and digital interface designers is projected to increase 6% through 2035, twice the projected average growth rate for all occupations.3
Sources: 1. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2023), 2. National Endowment for the Arts (2024), 3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025–2035 projections).
54
HOW TO APPLY
CHECKLIST
Application All applicants must submit a free, online application.
Complete a free, online applicationvia CommonApp or at apply.miad.edu (transfer students only)
•
Submit an official high school transcript via CommonApp or have it sent to admissions@miad.edu (all applicants)
First-time students should apply via the CommonApp.
Submit a 10 – 25 piece portfolio via SlideRoom (all applicants) •
Transfer and non-traditional students should visit apply.miad.edu to submit an application.
Optional: Official ACT/SAT scores Essay/personal statement Letters of recommendation
Official transcripts Submit your official high school transcripts, and transcripts for any college coursework you may have completed, via the CommonApp (or via your applicant portal for transfer and non-traditional students). Or, ask to have them sent to admissions@miad.edu. If you received a high school equivalency, request your GED scores be sent from your State Board of Education. If you have earned a Bachelor's Degree, submit only a final transcript from the college where you earned your degree. Portfolio A portfolio of 10-25 images is required for all applicants, and submitted via SlideRoom. Learn more about building a portfolio, getting feedback from our stellar admissions counselors, or meeting us at a National Portfolio Day at miad.edu.
55
Official college transcript(s) (transfer applicants and students with dual enrollment credit) GED report
Visit Us! Plan your visit to campus or meet us at a National Portfolio Day or upcoming event! Learn more at miad.edu/visit Ready to be inspired? Take a virtual walk around campus at miad.edu/tour Get in Touch → 414.291.8070 → admissions@miad.edu → miad.edu
RESOURCES
— Accreditation The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is a private, nonprofit corporation chartered by the State of Wisconsin for the purpose of providing a professional education to students of the visual arts and related design fields. The college offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Communication Design, Fashion and Apparel Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture and Design, New Studio Practice: Fine Arts and Product Design. MIAD is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (info@hlcommission.org, 800.621.7440). The Wisconsin Educational Approval Board under Title 38, U.S. Code, approves the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree of MIAD for the training of veterans. — Disclaimer The information in this catalog is subject to change at any time. It is intended to serve as a general source of information about the college and is in no way intended to state contractual terms. Accordingly, MIAD reserves the right to withdraw or change courses, academic programs and instructors, revise tuition and fees, and amend college policies. — Institutional Values Policy All MIAD handbooks outline the standards of behavior necessary from all members of the MIAD community to ensure the college maintains and promotes its educational mission. As an academic community and institution of higher learning, MIAD has a vested interest in the safety and well-being of members of this community and the perpetuation of a positive educational environment. MIAD is committed to the educational and social development of its members as responsible and principled human beings. MIAD has a priority interest in promoting personal and academic integrity, respect for the rights of others, diversity, free expression of ideas, civility and the law. This community of learning is governed by standards of conduct that define acceptable behavior in both the academic and non-academic dimensions of campus life. — Land + Peoples Acknowledgment The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) occupies land on the banks of the Milwaukee River in what is presently known as Wisconsin. This land is the home of Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe peoples, and it is the historic and present-day home of peoples who were forced by colonizers to leave their ancestral lands and migrate to and through this state. MIAD’s Acknowledgment affirms our actionable commitment to uplifting and centering Indigenous peoples and knowledge in our teaching and administration. Read our land + peoples acknowledgment at miad.edu/landacknowledgment.
— Front Cover Peter Larson The Living Room
— Notice of Nondiscrimination in Education and Employment The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design affirms its commitment to the principles of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, creed, age, national origin, ancestry, handicap or disability, or veteran status. MIAD also affirms its commitment to the principle of affirmative action.