MIAD alum selected as finalist in Honda Design and Drive Art Contest

Jimmy Cobb next to his 2023 entry “Mosaic Michigan”
Jimmy Cobb, New Studio Practice: Fine Arts ’22, is one of six finalists selected for Honda’s Design and Drive Art Contest. His tile-based work, “Mosaic Michigan,” is featured on a vinyl-wrapped Honda Pilot and connects the paneled and streamlined nature of modern vehicles with Michigan’s roads and waterways. Cobb, who previously won the 2021 Design and Drive Art Contest with his design “Lakeshore Drive,” credits MIAD with showing him “the expanse of avenues available… I learned it was less about single practices and more about the spectrum of trades that truly makes a well rounded artist.”
The Design and Drive Art Contest, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, draws hundreds of submissions each year and asks artists to create an artwork to be applied to a new Honda. Six finalists have the opportunity to bring their design to life, and the winner will receive a 2-year lease on a 2023 Honda CRV. Honda invites the public to vote on their favorite design. Voting ends September 29th.
Design and Drive is part of ArtPrize, an international competition which “celebrates artists working in all mediums from anywhere in the world.” ArtPrize publicly displays submissions for 18 days (September 15 to October 2, 2022) in Grand Rapids, MI. Winners are selected by public and juried votes.
“I knew coming into MIAD that I understood the language of paint,” says Jimmy. “What I didn’t… know is all the different places paint can take you!” While at MIAD, Cobb expanded beyond his studio practice to evolve his talents as a muralist, a duality which he has carried into his present-day making philosophy. He urges current students to “find balances between practices that work for them.” Keep up with Jimmy’s work on his website or follow him on Instagram (@jm.cobb).
View Cobb’s submission here and click here to cast your vote before September 29!
News
MIAD Task Award: Alum pays it forward with generous mentoring
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alum Amy Cannestra ’06 (Communication Design) believes in giving back, in mentoring and in the supportive nature of the Milwaukee art and design community. By founding Task Creative and the MIAD Task Graduate Award, the incredibly busy creative exemplifies all three beliefs. The Task awardee, Ashley Osorio ’26 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice), will receive five consecutive days to use the Task Creative space for a project of their choosing this summer.
Meet Michaela Prischman and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Cloth
Michaela Prischman ’26 (Communication Design) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Tinley Park, Ill. She created “Cloth,” a tool to help guide young professional women to find and organize alternative work attire through a personalized style subscription box.
Flagship Madison museum features exhibition by FYE faculty
The First-Year Experience (FYE) at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) blends contemporary and traditional techniques, an approach embraced by FYE faculty David R. Harper in Good Morning Sweetheart, a solo exhibition on view at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) through August 30, 2026.
Illustration seniors land NASA and Disney internships
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design seniors Grace Weisner ’26 and Allison Stras ’26 have landed the internship of their dreams: Weisner at NASA and Stras at Disney. Both are Illustration majors with minors in Communication Design.
Meet Kas Cook and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Mcallaster’s Special
Cas Kook ’26 (Animation Track in Illustration) is a Dean’s List student from the Greater Chicago area and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. “Project Calvin Sazerac” is about Calvin Sazerac, a seasoned barkeep, who creates new cocktails for his favorite regulars. When he is challenged to meet the demands of a picky saloon patron, he creates something life changing.