If you’re into ancient television sitcoms and define your view of Milwaukee based on Squiggy’s concept of culture, forget it. Milwaukee is a great place to live and has a lot to offer the aspiring artist or designer.

It’s the 17th largest city in the nation, and has the capacity to feel both big and small, depending upon where your head is. It’s big, in that there are great restaurants, museums and professional sports teams. It’s small in that there’s a genuine sense of community in Milwaukee. People are friendly. And it is extremely easy to get around, whether you’re on a bus, in a car, biking or walking.

There are four distinct seasons, each with its pleasures. Breezy warm summers, colorful falls, snowy winters and fresh springs. MIAD is located within walking distance of Lake Michigan, and its beaches and rocky shores are well worth the time. In the spring and summer there’s a “lake culture” with music and art festivals, rollerblading and general purpose “hanging out.” .

In the Third Ward, where the MIAD campus is located, and part of Milwaukee’s east side, hanging out becomes an urban coffeehouse experience, with small retail shops, neighborhood movie theatres, performance spaces, bookstores and music shops. The Grand Avenue Mall, a traditional shopping center, is downtown and about a five-minute walk from campus.

It’s worth mentioning that Milwaukee is also extremely artist-friendly. You’ll find few cities in the country, regardless of size, that support the arts like Milwaukee. Theatre companies and dance troupes thrive here, as do music groups of every variety.

And Milwaukee’s commitment to the visual arts is demonstrated by the community funding of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s expansion. This is the internationally famous gallery space designed by Santiago Calatrava that graces the lakefront, also walking distance from MIAD.