Ice cream social meets fine art networking at Cone-ections

Through the Intro to Arts Management course at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), five students collaborated to plan a successful artist networking event via ice cream social. Milwaukee-area artists and MIAD alumni visited campus to connect with students and enjoy a cone!

Fine Art + New Studio Practice students Desiree DeBaker ’25, Kenzie Swangstu ’26, Natalie Branch ’26, Sam Mormino ’27, and Siren Harris ’26 collectively planned and implemented the well-attended “Cone-ections” event, from securing donations to advertising to implementing a follow-up survey. They shared goals of “connecting MIAD students to the meaning and purpose of their careers, increasing motivation to pursue a career connected to the arts and increasing their confidence as future arts/creative professionals,” according to their instructor, Joëlle Worm.

Milwaukee artists Phoenix Brown ’19 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice), Luka Milosevic, Darius Smith, Brett Henzig, Shana McCaw and Brent Budsberg attended Cone-ections to chat with current students about their artistic practices and their advice for students entering the professional field.

Students in MIAD’s Intro to Arts Management course learn “principles of arts management through reading, didactic lectures, preparing and delivering presentations, taking a quiz, and through the planning and implementation of an original arts management project … within the semester,” explains Worm. “Students articulate desired outcomes for their activity/event and then work backwards to design the undertaking. They play specialized roles that would be found in a typical arts organization or project, including: human resources, finance/development, programming, leadership, and marketing.”

MIAD’s Arts Management minor prepares students to lead and manage arts organizations and events. “The spring 2025 cohort of Intro to Arts Management students were a joy to work with from the start,” continues Worm. “They were open to each other’s ideas, willing to learn, listen and revise, and contributed generously to the project. I would hire any of these students to play a role in a project or organization!”

Learn more about MIAD’s Fine Art + New Studio Practice major and Arts Management minor!