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Five MIAD students awarded Alumni Thesis Scholarships

MILWAUKEE … March 12, 2019 – Five students have been awarded Alumni Thesis Scholarships for their Senior Exhibition projects at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. The award money directly supports fabrication and installation of their work. The scholarship is funded through donations by MIAD alumni and winners were chosen by a panel of alumni.

Winners of three $400 awards include:

  • Maddie Bright, Illustration, Grayslake, IL, who is illustrating a picture book called “Chewing On Sunshine.” The book includes poems, meditations, thoughts and paintings intended to help readers seeking healing, especially from eating disorders.
  • Ivan Vasquez, New Studio Practice: Fine Arts, Beach Park, IL, is crafting a 3D installation that utilizes light to allow the viewer to experience the architecture and the artwork from an internal and external perspective.
  • Toni Holz, Communication Design, Iola, WI, is creating a suicide prevention campaign for transgender and gender nonconforming youth that includes four videos and a website.

Drawing from Emily Verbeten's proposal

Emily Verbeten proposal

Winners of two $200 awards include:

  • Tommy Moore, Interior Architecture and Design, Berrien Center, MI, is designing a residence comprised of a main house, studio and writer’s retreat that serves as designed experience through music, nature and food.
  • Emily Verbeten, Illustration, Madison, WI, is creating a four-piece museum exhibit modeled after a woodland habitat that will teach visitors about forest management and environmental issues.

The innovative work of more than 100 of Milwaukee’s emerging creative professionals is on view in the 2019 Senior Exhibition April 19 – May 11, 2019. The exhibit’s Opening Reception is Friday, April 26, 5 – 9 p.m as part of Spring Gallery Night in the Historic Third Ward.

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First-place winner Sophia Simonson ’28 created Refractions as part of her MIAD studies in Interior Architecture and Design. She is one of 20 students studying at MIAD through a cross-registration program with Concordia University. MIAD students Kaitlyn Powers ’26 (Illustration) and Natalie Spetell ’27 (Product Design), both of whom have minors in Communication Design, received Honorable Mentions.

Meet Carmen Briones and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Echo

Carmen Briones ‘26 (Product Design) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Cambria, Wis., president of the MIAD IDSA student chapter and an intern at SI Jacobson Manufacturing. Briones designed a device called “Echo” that removes ovarian cysts without surgery.

Meet Eeshaan Dutt and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Indra Supreme

Eeshan Dutt ‘26 (Illustration) is a President’s (Honor) List student from India and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. Dutt’s work centers on visual storytelling through sequential art, where he explores how narratives can engage and connect with audiences.