Milwaukee’s iconic science and technology museum, Discovery World, unveiled two new exhibits to mark the start of the summer season. Shaping the visual landscape of the museum is Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alum Lily Johnson ’22 (Illustration). As the museum’s graphic designer, Johnson had a pivotal hand in the creation of both “Block Party” and “Me, Undersea.”
Two alumni of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) have forged a partnership in art and in life. Justin Witte ’99 (Painting) and his wife Olivia Schreiner ’98 (Drawing) live and work in Chicago at the College of DuPage. Schreiner works as an occasional adjunct instructor of drawing at the college, while Witte is the curator for the esteemed Cleve Carney Museum of Art.
Monica Miller ’13 (Integrated Studio Arts) has their hands full, from opening and managing the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) new offsite Gallery at The Ave to keeping up with their own artistic and curatorial practice. Now, Miller will curate Grasping Tenderness: Explorations of Queer Joy & Freedom, In Spite of Everything at Hawthorn Contemporary in Milwaukee’s historic Walker’s Point neighborhood.
The Sherman Phoenix Foundation in Milwaukee, in partnership with startup accelerator gener8tor, has announced the members of the 2023 Spring Cohort of artists. Selected from a pool of 300 applicants, five of the 15 Milwaukee creatives awarded the grant are affiliated with MIAD.
From teaching pre-college classes at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design to planning international residencies, Alan A. Peralta Martinez ’21 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts) relies on his intuition. The multidisciplinary fine artist also known as pinchegato recently hosted a solo show at TASK ahead of his two-month residency in Guadalajara.
Adam F. Nilson ’03 (Drawing) passed away on March 5, 2023. He was the owner of nationally recognized Nilson Studio, where he created many beloved Milwaukee area murals. Generous with his community, Nilson also hosted art supply drives and mentored students to ensure children had access to the arts.
Emily Siira ’17 (Industrial Design) started her education in mechanical engineering, but discovered industrial design (also known as product design at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design) unexpectedly through a journey of disability as a young adult.
Leon Emidio Travanti ’56 (Painting), a graduate of Layton School of Art, passed away on January 21, 2023. The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design currently houses work by Travanti from his time as a student. The prodigious artist also donated two of his works to MIAD’s annual gala Creative Fusion.
Arguably Milwaukee’s most delicious fundraiser, the Grilled Cheese Grant is in its eighth successful year of supporting art and design students’ senior projects. This year’s leadership is composed entirely of Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design alumni: Rachel Hausmann Schall ’15 (Integrated Studio Arts), Alyssa Anderson ’15 (ISA), Joe Acri ’17 (Sculpture) and Sal Nicholson ’19 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts).
Briana Hibbs ’12 (Photography) started her own handmade earrings business, Made by the Lake, in January 2019. She relies on her eye for product photography to show her jewelry in its best light, and the business now boasts a successful following of over 2,000 customers on Facebook.
The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA), located in West Bend, has announced its “Ten at Ten” exhibition celebrating the work of ten emerging artists for the tenth anniversary in its new Mothership building. Two MIAD alumni, Lindsey Yeager ’21 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts & Illustration) and Eduardo Zavala ’22 (NSP: Fine Arts), were selected to show work at the exhibition.
During her final year at MIAD, Zachary Ochoa’s senior thesis was majorly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ochoa ’20 (New Studio Practice: Fine Arts) bounced back by creating a fantastical universe of paintings featuring Girl Hero, a trans Mickey Mouse-esque warrior.
