Events
We invite you to get involved with MIAD through the many events we host each year. Your participation supports students and alumni and helps create a galvanized education and creative community, addressing universal needs through our thought, design and expression.
MIAD Creativity Series
Founded in 2012, the MIAD Creativity Series annually brings in internationally preeminent artists, designers and creative scholars/educators to celebrate excellence in the arts, enrich the experiences of MIAD students and engage the community in new ways of thinking about and appreciating the visual arts and the world of design. Visiting creatives have an in-depth residency with MIAD students and present a public presentation. Learn about this year’s MIAD Creativity Series events.
MIAD Holiday Sale
The annual MIAD Holiday Sale supports students and alumni in showcasing and selling their one-of-a-kind art and design work (at all price points) to community members and art enthusiasts. The event is held during the first weekend of December. Proceeds support the artists/designers and MIAD student scholarships.
Senior Exhibition
MIAD’s annual Senior Exhibition, Wisconsin’s largest exhibition of its kind, features more than 130 artists and designers representing all of MIAD’s Bachelor of Fine Arts majors and minors.
Creative Fusion
Milwaukee’s signature fundraiser in the heart of MIAD’s creative studios, Creative Fusion, is an annual benefit for MIAD scholarships. The night includes a cocktail hour and dinner, as well as a live auction of artworks donated by a variety of artists. Learn more about this year’s Creative Fusion.
Gallery Exhibitions
MIAD features two gallery spaces that are free and open to the public: The Frederick Layton Gallery and Brooks Stevens Gallery of Industrial Design. The galleries are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. View our current gallery exhibition schedule. Gallery tours are available.
Academic and Other Events
For other events, see our Academic Calendar and General Events Calendar.
Interested in sponsoring an event? View opportunities for sponsoring events and program at MIAD, or contact Tracy Milkowski at tracymilkowski@miad.edu or 414‑847‑3239.
Need a location for your next event? If you would like to have your event hosted at MIAD, please contact Fran Serlin, Director of Special Events, at 414‑847‑3336 or franserlin@miad.edu.
Join Our Mailing List
Get updates on MIAD’s latest events. Click here to sign up to receive email communication from MIAD.
News
Service learning class highlights local LGBTQ history
Passion and purpose combined to make Adjunct Instructor Hj Bullard’s service learning class unique this year. Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) students in Bullard’s class “Storytelling the Environment” partnered with LGBT milWALKee to provide creative solutions for their new House of History project, which aims to share the stories of Black LGBTQ+ Milwaukeeans.
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Duane Seidensticker
Duane Seidensticker, Executive Director of Advising & Career Services, has been awarded the April MIAD Values Recognition Award at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Seidensticker’s nominations emphasized his intentional Inclusiveness, supportive Kindness and enthusiastic dedication to MIAD’s Community.
MIAD NSP students install service learning mural
Students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) are developing professional expertise and honing their artistic craft, all while contributing to public art efforts in Associate Professor Brad Anthony Bernard’s New Studio Practice: Fine Arts murals class. Their 2Cubed Exhibit is the culmination of the hard work of MIAD students in this service learning course.
Exhibition at Hawthorn Contemporary curated by MIAD alum
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.
TMJ4 features two MIAD graduates during AAPI month
Stephanie Brown of TMJ4 News featured recent graduates Mengdian Xing ’23 (Product Design) and her sister Lynn Xing ’23 (Interior Architecture and Design) during a month-long celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.