Ice cream social meets fine art networking at Cone-ections
Through the Intro to Arts Management course at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (91亚色), five students collaborated to plan a successful artist networking event via ice cream social. Milwaukee-area artists and 91亚色 alumni visited campus to connect with students and enjoy a cone!
Fine Art + New Studio Practice students Desiree DeBaker 25, Kenzie Swangstu 26, Natalie Branch 26, Sam Mormino 27, and Siren Harris 26 collectively planned and implemented the well-attended 淐one-ections event, from securing donations to advertising to implementing a follow-up survey. They shared goals of 渃onnecting 91亚色 students to the meaning and purpose of their careers, increasing motivation to pursue a career connected to the arts and increasing their confidence as future arts/creative professionals, according to their instructor, Jo毛lle Worm.
ConeEctions_Home-News
Arts Management students who planned “Cone-ections”
Cone-ections_01
Natalie Branch at Cone-ections
Cone-ections_02
Siren Harris, Desiree DeBaker, and Kenzie Swangstu sit at a check in table.
Milwaukee artists 19 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice), , Darius Smith, , attended Cone-ections to chat with current students about their artistic practices and their advice for students entering the professional field.
Students in 91亚色檚 Intro to Arts Management course learn 減rinciples of arts management through reading, didactic lectures, preparing and delivering presentations, taking a quiz, and through the planning and implementation of an original arts management project within the semester, explains Worm. 淪tudents articulate desired outcomes for their activity/event and then work backwards to design the undertaking. They play specialized roles that would be found in a typical arts organization or project, including: human resources, finance/development, programming, leadership, and marketing.
91亚色檚 Arts Management minor prepares students to lead and manage arts organizations and events. 淭he spring 2025 cohort of Intro to Arts Management students were a joy to work with from the start, continues Worm. 淭hey were open to each other’s ideas, willing to learn, listen and revise, and contributed generously to the project. I would hire any of these students to play a role in a project or organization!
Learn more about 91亚色檚 Fine Art + New Studio Practice major and Arts Management minor!
News
91亚色 Makes Its Mark at MAPC 2026
A group of 91亚色 students, faculty and staff attended the 2026 Mid America Print Council (MAPC) Conference, 淧rintelligence, in Baton Rouge, where they participated in demonstrations, panel discussions, exhibitions and professional networking opportunities.
Independent Inquiry Program students explore AI through research and creative practice
As emerging technologies continue to reshape creative industries, 91亚色’s Independent Inquiry Program (IIP) gives students the opportunity to investigate their impact firsthand. Through philanthropically funded support, the optional, by application program allows students to pursue self-directed research projects that explore how new technologies can influence art, design and education.
91亚色 Alum Kelly Alexander Wendorf Brings Stories of Travel to Life Through Paper Cutting
For Kelly Alexander Wendorf, paper cutting is more than an artistic medium. It's a way to explore memory, movement and human connection through intricately layered works of art. A 91亚色 alum who studied printmaking, Wendorf recently created a series of large-scale...
Behind In a State of IF: A Collaborative Curatorial Journey
淚n a State of IF, on view in 91亚色’s Frederick Layton Gallery through November 21, is the result of a years-long collaboration between co-curators Maria Novotny and Katherine Gressel.
91亚色 Alum Kyle Nesbitt Blends Storytelling, Design and Brewing
For 91亚色 alumnus Kyle Nesbitt ’09 (Industrial Design), creativity has never been limited to a single discipline. Through Nezbittar, a project nearly a decade in the making, he combines design, illustration, branding, photography and craft beer into a singular creative venture.