As part of a $10 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is working to improve its campus, expand its scholarship offerings, and offer additional resources to its student body. The college has raised more than $8.1 million toward the effort to date. Visitors to the college, including prospective students, will notice a series of big changes to campus this fall.
During the pandemic, MIAD’s fourth floor was redesigned to establish permanent homes for the Lubar Centers for Innovation and Emerging Technology.
Through the Lubar Innovation Center, students across all majors work directly with outside companies on paid projects. On the same floor, new studio spaces, classrooms, and production areas were added to accommodate MIAD’s growing enrollment in its ranked Illustration and Communication Design programs.
The main entrance will offer a redesigned lobby, admissions office, and reception area. MIAD is a kind of creative hive, but the entryway long undersold the bustling nature of the work students were doing throughout the facility. The new entrance will provide visitors with an immediate sense of MIAD’s mission through a suite of technology displaying student work, facilities, resources, and campus messaging. MIAD hired RINKA to design the new space, with Greenfire Management Services performing the construction.
Additionally, a new Community Hub was added to the first floor to host a rotating series of community events and exhibitions. The space can flex to accommodate lectures, presentations, and gallery shows.