MIAD receives Arts Midwest GIG Fund for upcoming exhibition

Photograph by David Johnson.
The Arts Midwest Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund has awarded the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design a $4,000 grant to fund the upcoming exhibition “Wig Heavier Than a Boot: Work by David Johnson and Philip Matthews.” Funding is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The Midwest GIG Fund “provides financial support to arts organizations for rebuilding and re-imagining creative engagement in their communities,” according to their website. Arts Midwest promotes programs and experiences that “[engage] people in meaningful arts experiences,” a mission that aligns closely with MIAD’s own goals around gallery exhibitions and their ability to “cultivate conversation with the community.”
MIAD will use the generous funds awarded to support the upcoming exhibition “Wig Heavier Than a Boot,” which runs from January 16 to March 11, 2023 in the Brooks Stevens Gallery, located in the lower level of MIAD’s building at 273 E. Erie St., Milwaukee WI. The exhibition, a collaboration between photographer and videographer David Johnson and poet Philip Matthews, combines art-making rituals and performances to reveal surprising relationships between character, observer and author.
Learn more about the Arts Midwest GIG Fund and MIAD’s Galleries!
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