Milwaukee Arts Board names alum Aaron Boyd Artist of the Year

Award-winning children’s illustrator and author Aaron Boyd ’93, who majored in Illustration at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), has been named one of two Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year by the Milwaukee Arts Board.

The award recognizes artists “for their voices, vision and service in shaping and elevating Milwaukee’s vibrant arts scene,” said Ald. Milele A. Coggs, chair of the Milwaukee Arts Board, in a release. Amal Azzam was also named a 2025 Artist of the Year, and Nakeysha Roberts Washington and Symphony Swan-Zawadi were named 2025 Friends of the Arts.

Boyd, a Milwaukee native, has illustrated more than 40 books. Several focus on engaging people with the struggles and successes of such Black American icons as Vel Phillips and John Lewis, and with the richness and diversity of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. The Harambee neighborhood, for example, is seen in Boyd’s first acclaimed written and illustrated book, “Giving Good” (2024), about his father, and Boyd’s son Lucas represents Boyd’s younger self.

“I am always most interested in children relating to someone else or a character in a story,” says Boyd. “Asking, ‘Can you relate to this girl’s feelings even if you are not a girl?’ Or ‘Can you relate to this orphaned boy from Haiti?’ They may not have experienced the exact experience … but when you have that empathy dialog, we all get greater understanding.”

“One of the greatest awards … is when a young artist or child stops me to say how much a book of mine spoke to them. This award is just like that child or artist who reaches out to me because it is from my home, Milwaukee.”

Boyd says his learning continues today. “We often think of college as four years, but I still connect with my MIAD teachers to go over ideas, share a new piece or simply have lunch. This is something that cannot be measured by a school’s rank, cost or curriculum alone. To have educators who share in the creative journey with me well after my time in school is priceless. In many ways, they all still teach me.”

Over the last several years, Boyd has been refining a newer style, using more contrast and mixed media. In addition to exhibiting, he runs workshops and discussions around art, storytelling and wellness throughout the community to, Boyd says, encourage kids (and others) to tell their own stories, without judgment, and to understand the transformative power of art.

Boyd’s advice for aspiring illustrators?

“One of the greatest lessons I pass on is that technique/style comes second. I remember how much we fretted in school trying to find our defining style that would make our mark. Over the years I have come to feel that it’s substance that must come first. Experience new foods, make a lot of friends, travel, read, observe and be okay with the mistakes. These are the things that bring soul and life to one’s work. Your style and technical skill will come in time. When it does, you need to have something to say with it. Everything you absorb can be a part of your education.”

The awards will be presented on June 10, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. in the City Hall lobby.

Learn more about MIAD’s award-winning Illustration major. Follow Aaron Boyd: @aaronboydarts