Campus

MIAD’s campus is located in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward; some twenty blocks of renovated warehouses, artists lofts, theaters, businesses, shops, and restaurants. A destination for both tourists and residents, the Third Ward possesses a distinct and unique urban flavor.
A mainstay in the Third Ward, MIAD has since become the catalyst for further growth in the area. Now at the center of this thriving arts community, the college benefits from the region’s new-found prosperity while continuing to add to it.
Safe, public transportation stops near MIAD’s campus, and within walking distance are the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Milwaukee Public Museum and Library. There are also various lakefront activities, and assorted festivals at the Summerfest grounds featuring music and entertainment from around the world. Within a block there’s the Broadway Theater Center, with three resident companies. And just a few blocks away is the Marcus Center, featuring major pop and classic concerts as well as local touring performance groups. Throughout the city are scores of ethnic, fast food, and high cuisine restaurants, and the nearby shops at The Avenue offer 160 diverse stores and hosts MIAD’s first off-campus gallery space, the Gallery at The Ave.
News
Students celebrate professional growth at 2024 First-Year Exhibition
An annual tradition at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design from late March through September, the juried First-Year Experience Exhibition celebrates students’ yearlong personal and professional growth.
Ice cream social meets fine art networking at Cone-ections
Through the Intro to Arts Management course at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), five students collaborated to plan a successful artist networking event via ice cream social. Milwaukee-area artists and MIAD alumni visited campus to connect with students and enjoy a cone!
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 Cerda ’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.