MIAD’s Annual Creative Fusion event raises more than $421,000 for student scholarships
MILWAUKEE (May 14, 2019) … The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s (MIAD) annual Creative Fusion event raised more than $421,000 for student scholarships. The 13th annual event held May 4, 2019, in MIAD’s creative studios, brought together a sold-out crowd of 350 Milwaukee area civic, arts and business leaders and advocates.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s LiveWire prototype, on view at Creative Fusion
The evening – Experience Creative Fusion – celebrated how technology meets creativity, the college’s growing enrollment and the launch of the MIAD Innovation Center, which uniquely benefits MIAD students, small and large businesses, and nonprofit partners.
The event’s leading sponsor, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, showcased a prototype of the company’s new LiveWire electric motorcycle. The bike’s co-designer, MIAD alum Ben McGinley ’10 (Industrial Design), attended the event and was featured in the Milwaukee Business Journal. A slideshow of the event also is available from the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Creative Fusion Contributing Sponsors include Associated Bank, Madeleine and David Lubar, Eileen and Barry Mandel, Susan and Bob Mikulay, Quad and Weyco Group, Inc. See the full list of sponsors.
Sarah and Steve Zimmerman, Cynthia and Jim Stoll, Madeleine and David Lubar, Sang H. Kim and Bryan LeMonds served on this year’s event committee. MIAD Trustee Denisha Tate-McAlister emceed the event.

Experiences and artwork by established artists and MIAD students is available at Creative Fusion
Funds raised from Creative Fusion sponsorships, as well as the scholarship bid, live auction experiences, and Buy It Now auction of work by established artists and MIAD students, support the 100% of students who receive financial aid, including scholarships. MIAD has received national accolades from Money Magazine for being one of the top 3 art and design colleges in the country for helping students from low-income backgrounds attain upper-middle-class jobs.
Creative Fusion was founded in 2007 by Madeleine and David Lubar. Past chairs include Chris and Amy Goller, Molly Gallagher and Peter Kies, Katie Heil and Peter Mahler, Brenda and Matt Levatich, Jennifer and Tom Florsheim, Susanna and Justin Mortara, Linda and Greg Marcus – among many others.
Leading Sponsor:
About MIAD: As an accredited, nonprofit college, MIAD provides a transformative Bachelor of Fine Arts education that prepares students of diverse backgrounds for fulfilling and financially rewarding careers. MIAD fosters innovative, entrepreneurial and disruptive thinking that benefits our students and our corporate and nonprofit partners. MIAD also brings robust career pathways and college-readiness experiences to high school youth and provides cultural experiences and programming to the Greater Milwaukee community.
News
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.
Magic: The Gathering tournament in Italy features Illustration faculty
Ever since he was a student at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), Associate Professor of Illustration John Matson has incorporated fantasy illustration into his work. This lifelong fascination has led to a fruitful career as a fantasy illustrator and educator, most recently manifesting in an invitation to attend a Magic: The Gathering tournament in Italy as a guest illustrator.
Successful Creative Fusion gala closes Our Creative Future campaign
Raising more than $10 million is no small feat. The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) announced it had exceeded its comprehensive campaign goal of $10 million after its annual fundraising gala Creative Fusion: Fashion Forward, where donors generously raised more than $485,000 in scholarship support on May 6, 2023.
2023 Penfield Poster Competition bolsters professional experience
This year’s Penfield Poster winners have been announced! In collaboration with advertising agency Cramer-Krasselt, 80 juniors at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) designed posters for the Annual Croquet Ball fundraiser at the Penfield Children’s Center.
MIAD alumni, faculty selected for gener8tor x Sherman Phoenix 2023 Spring Cohort
The Sherman Phoenix Foundation in Milwaukee, in partnership with startup accelerator gener8tor, has announced the members of the 2023 Spring Cohort of artists. Selected from a pool of 300 applicants, five of the 15 Milwaukee creatives awarded the grant are affiliated with MIAD.