MIAD Learning Commons

MIAD’s Learning Commons combines the resources of the Library with the personnel of the Academic Success Center to give students comprehensive services in one convenient location. Situated on the River Level, at the far west end of the Pettit Building, the Learning Commons is a comfortable oasis where students can study, get help with research and writing, read, or just relax and enjoy the river view.
LIBRARY
The Library is a curated center for information access and retrieval and is an integral part of MIAD’s learning experience. Students, faculty, staff and alumni have on-site access to 19,000 books and DVD’s, 82 current periodicals, online databases, reserve items, and an impressive and up-to-date collection of career materials. The library collection supports MIAD’s curriculum, and is extensively focused on art and design. In general, library materials circulate for a period of 4-weeks, with the possibility of two renewals. The MIAD I.D. serves as a library card. The library is a member of the SWITCH Consortium, one of eight area colleges sharing their library resources. Using the online catalog, TOPCAT, students are just a click away from more than 600,000 additional books and DVDs that can be requested online and delivered to MIAD the next school day.
ADDITIONAL LIBRARY RESOURCE LINKS
- Library ePortfolio https://sites.google.com/miad.edu/miadlibrary
- Library Catalog, TOPCAT https://topcat.switchinc.org/
- Library Hours https://sites.google.com/miad.edu/miadlibrary/home/hours
- Library Databases https://sites.google.com/miad.edu/miadlibrary/databases
ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTER

Learning Resource Center
The Academic Success Center provides students with the academic support they need to be successful in their studies and to develop skills for life-long learning.
Students can work with either the Coordinator of Tutoring Services or a peer tutor in individualized tutoring sessions. Peer tutors are knowledgeable and experienced in the MIAD community. They are student advocates and caring role models dedicated to empowering all MIAD students to achieve their goals.
- Hours: Tutors are available in person and virtually Monday–Friday and Sundays (when the Learning Commons is open).
Students may schedule weekly appointments with an Academic Success Center peer tutor or the Coordinator of Tutoring Services, or they may choose to come only when they have a specific question or assignment. For information on tutoring or research assistance, please contact Samantha Holt, samanthaholt@miad.edu, Coordinator of Tutoring Services.
More information about tutoring and the services of the Academic Success Center can be found here.
When asked what students were taking away from their tutoring sessions, we received the following responses:
“I was able to form a much clearer sense of what I wanted to be saying with my research paper.”
“It’s okay to ask for help if there is something I don’t understand.”
“My tutor was very helpful in the way that she broke down simple uses of grammatical mechanics.”
“I’ve learned how to make different types of charts so I could actually understand my data visually.”
“Confidence!”
“Try out different methods to see what works best for you to get yourself organized and prepared for classes.”
News
MIAD Gallery at The Ave celebrates opening
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) celebrates its first offsite gallery during its grand opening on April 6, 2023 from 6 – 8 p.m. MIAD invites the public to attend the event and to explore the new Gallery at The Ave, located at 301 W. Wisconsin Ave in The Avenue near the 3rd Street Market Hall.
First-Year Exhibition 2023 winners announced
Four winners and three honorable mentions were selected at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) First-Year Experience Student Exhibition opening reception on Friday, March 24, 2023. Renato Umali, Mariah Tate Klemens and Gabrielle Banzhaf, the three jurors, commended all the participating students for their strong work.
Communication Design senior lands Nike Internship
Catherine Currie ’23 (Communication Design), a senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), was selected for the highly competitive graphic design internship at Nike. The internship will take place over 10 weeks this summer at Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
MIAD Defines 2023: Day of play
For the 2023 iteration of MIAD Defines, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design dedicated Tuesday, March 21 to playing. With the aim to connect, converse and learn across majors, years and disciplines, this year’s MIAD Defines was a resounding success.
Peter Barrickman selected as NSP: Fine Arts full-time faculty
Following a national search, Peter Barrickman has been selected as the newest full-time faculty member in New Studio Practice (NSP): Fine Arts at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). An internationally recognized artist, Barrickman also co-founded Mazzzagine, a publication dedicated to supporting artists and fostering collaboration.