Practice what we teach: MIAD president exhibits creative vision

In addition to a decade serving as president of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), Jeffrey Morin maintains a thriving artistic practice. Morin founded his studio, sailorBOYpress, to showcase his monotypes, book arts, papermaking and figure drawing works.

Morin’s work is featured in three current and upcoming exhibitions: “A Landmark Exhibition in LGBTQIA+ Contemporary Art” at the Studio Door, Hillcrest, Calif.; “Original Prints: A National Printmaking Showcase” at Art Center of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas; and “Unfolding Events: Exploring Past and Present in Artists’ Books” at Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

Jeffrey Morin, “White Noise 10,” 2024.

“For years, I’ve shown my work across the country and am fortunate that it is in collections internationally,” says Morin. “I do try to focus on local exhibitions at times because I know that the people that I serve may not have an opportunity to see the work or even realize that I remain active in the studio.” Several Milwaukee solo and group exhibitions featured Morin in 2024.

Not only is Morin busy creating and preparing work for exhibitions, he is also celebrating a decade of serving as MIAD’s president. “I think that to be an authentic leader at the college, I have to practice what we teach,” he explains. “I have to engage with at least one practice that our students aspire to. In kindergarten, I dreamt of being a teacher and an artist. I did not dream of being an administrator. I love the work that I do [as president] because I feel that I can be of use, but the dream was to teach and make work.”

Creative practice and college administration, Morin contends, are connected. “It has always been about craft for me,” he says. “I love printmaking because of the process of making in the same way that I loved having a communication design practice. Craft is the vehicle for problem solving. And there is a craft to leading and institutional future proofing. It is all cut from the same creative cloth.”

Morin finishes, “As a leader, I think that it is important to represent all who are part of our community. That often requires tempering my personal opinions or convictions. When I make art, I speak my mind, I do not speak on behalf of others. It is important to make space for that.”

Explore sailorBOYpress and learn more about Morin’s role at MIAD.