A gallery run by the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design is the latest addition to The Avenue development in downtown Milwaukee.
MIAD today announced plans to open the ‘MIAD Gallery at The Ave’ in November. The 2,500-square-foot space is situated near the main entrance of The Avenue’s 3rd Street Market Hall, off of West Wisconsin Avenue. The year-round gallery will feature works by current students, alumni, faculty and staff. All pieces on exhibit will be available for purchase.
“MIAD Gallery at The Ave is an exciting and significant expansion of our campus and represents an opportunity to further elevate our profile and raise institutional awareness, as well as provide learning and professional development experiences for our students and alumni,” said Jeff Morin, president of MIAD. “It is a high-profile touchpoint with the potential of reaching the approximately 1 million people who are expected to visit The Avenue each year.”
The college currently enrolls approximately 900 students, largely at its main campus in the Historic Third Ward. Under Morin’s leadership, enrollment has grown 50% over the last five years.
MIAD Gallery at The Ave will showcase the college’s five degree programs: Communication Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture and Design, Product Design and New Studio Practice: Fine Arts. Similar to other area galleries, a portion of the proceeds directly supports the artist or designer.
“Most people do not realize the breadth of creative majors we offer so the gallery is an ideal way to visually tell our story,” said Morin. “It is also an opportunity for community members, businesses, MIAD supporters and others to access and purchase work at a variety of price points from some of today’s best and brightest emerging artists and designers.”
The Avenue began exploring partnership opportunities with MIAD after developer Josh Krsnak, CEO of Minneapolis-based Hempel Real Estate, was introduced to a group of students through the MIAD Innovation Center, he said. The group was tapped to design booths for 3rd Street Market Hall’s selfie museum.
MIAD Gallery at The Ave adds to the new and emerging arts and entertainment district on West Wisconsin Avenue, which includes the new Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Riverside Theater.
3rd Street Market Hall is slated to open to the public on Oct. 18. It’s first phase will bring 10 to 12 food vendors, a 40-seat central bar, and several entertainment amenities like shuffleboard courts, snookball, a selfie museum, old-school arcade games, and a turf area with yard games and seating. By February of 2022, the market hall will expand to 19 vendors as well as Topgolf Swing Suite simulator areas.
So far, the lineup of announced vendors includes Dairyland Old Fashioned Hamburgers and its off-shoot Mid-Way Bakery, Super Nova Coffee & Doughnuts, Anytime Arepa, Middle East Side, Brew City Brand, Strega, Amano Pan, MaKE Waves and The Green House. A few of those businesses will occupy miniature vendor spaces, or hawker stalls, managed by Dairyland.
