Belonging at MIAD
We believe everyone deserves a safe and supportive environment in which to teach, learn and create. At MIAD, our values call us to find strength in our diversity and to act with kindness in our actions.
Everyone wants to belong. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, staff or visitor, you are invited to add your voice. Across the college, there are numerous spaces, people and programs offering connection and community-building. Belonging requires participation – how you find your fit is up to you!
The works which fill our hallways and galleries reflect an exploration of identity and expression, as well as personal style and practice. This diversity of the MIAD community contributes to our teaching and learning, and provides opportunities for both affirmation and dissent.
The Living Room
The Living Room is a student-managed lounge for Affirmation, Belonging, and Connection, where all persons are welcomed and celebrated. This is a space to explore the complexity of humanity and to embrace the fullness of our lived experiences. The Living Room models MIAD’s Core Values of community, kindness, and inclusion, while centering joy, accountability, autonomy, and interdependence in our work. We hold space for uncomfortable conversations and feelings in all the ways they may show up, and empower students to address situations independently and aligned with their values. Printed items around the space represent the lives and works of historical and contemporary creatives, affirming our experiences and allowing for discovery of new worldviews.
What you’ll find inside:
- Staff offices
- Open work spaces for meetings, critiques or doing homework
- Television
- Zine Library curated by MIAD students
- Community Garden
- Resource Library
- Flair (buttons, stickers, name tags, etc.)
- Personal products
- Sensory tools
Disability and Access
MIAD supports the ability of all community members to succeed creatively, educationally and professionally, by removing barriers and promoting access in all college programs, activities and facilities. We provide reasonable accessibility services to students, employees and campus guests to ensure equal access and participation.
Find Your Connection
Belonging doesn’t just happen! Join one of the many student organizations on campus to start making new connections and find friends to explore Milwaukee.
Tribal Map
Lands + Peoples Acknowledgement
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) occupies land on the banks of the Milwaukee River in what is presently known as Wisconsin. This land is the home of Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe peoples, and it is the historic and present-day home of peoples who were forced by colonizers to leave their ancestral lands and migrate to and through this state. MIAD’s Acknowledgment affirms our actionable commitment to uplifting and centering Indigenous peoples and knowledge in our teaching and administration.
News
MIAD seniors receive 2026 Alumni Senior Thesis Awards
Thanks to the generosity of alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the college, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) will award $7,085 to 44 seniors to directly support the fabrication and installation of their senior exhibition capstone projects.
GDUSA selects MIAD Students to Watch 2026
GDUSA selects MIAD Students to Watch 2026
Communication Design senior Olivia Nava ’26 and junior Nola Hennen ’27 were named 2026 Students to Watch by Graphic Design USA magazine (GDUSA).
MIAD student awarded 1st Place at NARI Student Design Competition
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design junior Paul Budnowski ’27 (Interior Architecture and Design) was awarded 1st Place and Crowd Favorite in the Interior Design Portfolio Contest at the 2026 NARI Spring Home Improvement Show. A select group of students from MIAD,...
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Leslie Fedorchuk
Leslie Fedorchuk, Professor of Writing & Humanities and Director of Service Learning, received the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) MIAD Values Recognition Award for February 2026. Leslie received nominations that highlighted her embodiment of MIAD’s Core Values, especially Integrity, Kindness and Community.
MIAD Innovation Center and MAM provide career experience
Through a partnership with the MIAD Lubar Innovation Center, stunning campaign artwork by a student at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) once again is helping to launch Art in Bloom – the Milwaukee Art Museum’s annual celebration of art and spring. Illustrations by senior Emily Porven ’26 are both vibrant and subtle, colorful and evocative, capturing the essence of the event.