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2023 – 2024 Friends & Donors Report

Your support of our students enables them to change their lives, and ours.

Our vision is to be a galvanized educational and creative community, addressing universal needs through our thought, design and expression. Each year we share with you highlights of our college community’s amazing achievements and acknowledge our generous supporters who help ignite curious minds through art, design and service.

Interested in making a gift to this year’s MIAD Annual Fund? Donate here.

Five-Year Strategic Plan

Advancing Our Creative Future

2024 – 2029 Strategic Plan

MIAD’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan embraces the college’s values in service to our students and our greater Milwaukee Community. The plan – Advancing Our Creative Future – amplifies MIAD’s people, programs and place to ensure our college’s ability to adapt to and thrive in changing educational and technology landscapes while advancing its long tradition of education excellence.

People

Succeeding Together

Key Initiatives

  • Strengthen our Community both within and beyond the college
  • Increase Student Success: retention, academic progress and graduation rate

Programs

Preparing 21st Century Professionals

Key Initiatives

  • Enhance Institutional Financial Sustainability by optimizing and diversifying programs
  • Leverage Institutional Technology and Digital Assets to prepare 21st century creatives & professionals

Place

Building Community

Key Initiatives

  • Implement the Facilities Master Plan
  • Implement the Sustainability Plan
  • Expand Student Housing

(Updated January 2025)

Accreditation

The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is a private, non-profit 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, Illustration, Industrial Design (Product Design), Interior Architecture and Design and New Studio Practice: Fine Arts.

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 State Approving Agency under Title 38, US Code, approves the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree of MIAD for the training of veterans for federal veterans’ education benefits.

News

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.