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
Meet Bailey Staerkel and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Stitched Together
Bailey Staerkel ’26 (Fashion and Apparel Design) is a Dean’s List student from Vancouver, Wash., and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. My thesis, Stitched Together, is an exploration of Gothic horror through fashion, taking classic horror archetypes and reinterpreting them into a collection of fully realized couture looks.
MIAD faculty Yi receives Wisconsin Academy Fellows Award
Multidisciplinary artist, curator, mentor and Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) professor Jason S. Yi has been named a 2026 Fellow of the prestigious Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters. Yi is one of “16 extraordinary Wisconsinites who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to intellectual discourse and public service,” the Academy said in its awards announcement.
Meet Logan Moris and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Regrowth
This is one in a series of online interviews with MIAD seniors, who share their thoughts about their 2026 Senior Exhibition project and their MIAD education. Logan Moris ’26 (Product Design) is from West Bend, Wis., and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. What...
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Jason Yi
Jason Yi, Professor of Fine Art + New Studio Practice, received the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) Values Recognition Award for March 2026. Jason received nominations that highlighted his embodiment of MIAD’s Core Values, especially Integrity, Kindness and Community.
Meet Makenzie Cincotta and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Point Park
Makenzie Cincotta ’26 (Interior Architecture and Design) is a Dean’s List student from Milwaukee and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award.