Alicia Zapata, a second-year MAKE! participant and kindergarten through eighth grade art teacher at Waters Elementary School in Chicago; Kelly Wendel, an eighth-year participant and art teacher at Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wis.; and Gail Kowsky, a second-year participant and sixth- and seventh-grade art teacher in New Brighton, Minn., reflected on what they gained from this year�s program.

For Zapata, MAKE! provides the time and space to nurture ideas that continue to develop throughout the school year.

�I always say this program is planting seeds for my art practice and then for the rest of the year, I help make them grow,� she said. �Being able to be here and having the time and space to work and to have dialogue with other artists about my work, their work, the world and teaching is so valuable.�

Wendel said one of the program�s greatest strengths is the creative freedom it offers.

�One of the biggest things I get out of this program is the freedom to come in either with a plan or without a plan and to still create on my own terms,� she said. �I can watch demos, talk with other art educators and professors, and then decide how I want to spend my studio time.�

Kowsky said the connections she builds with fellow educators are invaluable.

�A lot of times we�re by ourselves [as educators],� she said. �It�s nice to gather in a space and talk about trends, what we�re seeing in kids, what projects are working and what new materials people have found.�

She also appreciates how her personal artwork is supported and taken seriously.

�Just having that extra level of input and connection and, you know, being taken seriously,� she said, �is really meaningful.�

Participants also reflected on the ideas and inspiration they’re most excited to take back to their classrooms and creative practice.

Zapata said she is leaving with a substantial body of work she can continue developing throughout the year while bringing new ideas and techniques back to her students.

�The conversations with other educators plant so many seeds,� she said. �You�re talking about your work, then your classroom, then back to your work again.�

Wendel hopes to model creative risk-taking for her students.

�I want my students to know that just because there are rules or expectations, it doesn�t mean you should stop showing your voice. One big thing is finding things that you�re passionate about,� she said. �It doesn�t matter if other people don�t like it or understand it. That�s OK. It�s for you.�

For Kowsky, MAKE! is a reminder of both the importance of creative time and the challenges students face every day.

�It puts us in a student mindset again,� she said. �It reminds us what it feels like to struggle, to be uncomfortable and to learn. That�s where learning happens � in the discomfort.�

Learn more about 91��Ʒ�s .

Alicia Zapata, a second-year MAKE! participant and kindergarten through eighth grade art teacher at Waters Elementary School in Chicago; Kelly Wendel, an eighth-year participant and art teacher at Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wis.; and Gail Kowsky, a second-year participant and sixth- and seventh-grade art teacher in New Brighton, Minn., reflected on what they gained from this year�s program.

For Zapata, MAKE! provides the time and space to nurture ideas that continue to develop throughout the school year.

�I always say this program is planting seeds for my art practice and then for the rest of the year, I help make them grow,� she said. �Being able to be here and having the time and space to work and to have dialogue with other artists about my work, their work, the world and teaching is so valuable.�

Wendel said one of the program�s greatest strengths is the creative freedom it offers.

�One of the biggest things I get out of this program is the freedom to come in either with a plan or without a plan and to still create on my own terms,� she said. �I can watch demos, talk with other art educators and professors, and then decide how I want to spend my studio time.�

Kowsky said the connections she builds with fellow educators are invaluable.

�A lot of times we�re by ourselves [as educators],� she said. �It�s nice to gather in a space and talk about trends, what we�re seeing in kids, what projects are working and what new materials people have found.�

She also appreciates how her personal artwork is supported and taken seriously.

�Just having that extra level of input and connection and, you know, being taken seriously,� she said, �is really meaningful.�

Participants also reflected on the ideas and inspiration they’re most excited to take back to their classrooms and creative practice.

Zapata said she is leaving with a substantial body of work she can continue developing throughout the year while bringing new ideas and techniques back to her students.

�The conversations with other educators plant so many seeds,� she said. �You�re talking about your work, then your classroom, then back to your work again.�

Wendel hopes to model creative risk-taking for her students.

�I want my students to know that just because there are rules or expectations, it doesn�t mean you should stop showing your voice. One big thing is finding things that you�re passionate about,� she said. �It doesn�t matter if other people don�t like it or understand it. That�s OK. It�s for you.�

For Kowsky, MAKE! is a reminder of both the importance of creative time and the challenges students face every day.

�It puts us in a student mindset again,� she said. �It reminds us what it feels like to struggle, to be uncomfortable and to learn. That�s where learning happens � in the discomfort.�

Learn more about 91��Ʒ�s .

This is one in a series of online interviews with 91��Ʒ seniors, who share their thoughts about their 2026 Senior Exhibition project and their 91��Ʒ education.

Maya Koehn �26 (Interior Architecture and Design) is a President�s (Honor) List student from Sheboygan, Wis., currently employed as a Junior Designer at Direct Supply.

What is your �elevator pitch� for your senior exhibition project?

L�Atelier immerses guests in the arts, blending curated design, unique experiences and a stay that feels both comfortable and inspiring. This boutique hotel transforms the existing building at 631 New York Avenue in Sheboygan into a cultural destination directly connected to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, located across the street. Developed in partnership with the center, the hotel extends its mission by featuring curated artwork, rotating exhibitions and site-specific installations throughout its interiors.

This is one in a series of online interviews with 91��Ʒ seniors, who share their thoughts about their 2026 Senior Exhibition project and their 91��Ʒ education.

Kaitlyn Powers �26 (Illustration major; Communication Design minor) is a self-described mixed media illustrator, graphic designer and textile artist. She is also a President�s (Honor) List student from Appleton, Wis.

This is one in a series of online interviews with 91��Ʒ seniors, who share their thoughts about their 2026 Senior Exhibition project and their 91��Ʒ education.

Emily Camp �26 (Animation Track in Illustration) is a President�s (Honor) List student from Fox River Grove, Ill.

Emily Camp �26 (Animation Track in Illustration) is a President�s (Honor) List student from Fox River Grove, Ill.

What is your �elevator pitch� for your senior exhibition project?

Predisposed is an interactive set of poems centered around addiction in the family unit. It has been my job in this thesis to illustrate graphics and GIFs to bring the poems to life so viewers can read at their own pace.

Paul Fletcher, a principal product designer at LinkedIn, and Jacqualyn Laughlin, co-founder of Invisible Ink Partners, were elected members of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design�s Board of Trustees at the college�s annual meeting in June.

Currently working on LinkedIn�s Premium team, Fletcher focuses on early-stage product exploration and turning unclear opportunity areas into clear product direction. His work spans product and design strategy, interaction design, prototyping and close collaboration with product, research, engineering and business partners.

Fletcher is also active in using AI tools to support research, strategy, product storytelling and rapid prototyping. He looks forward to bringing that perspective to 91��Ʒ as the role of AI continues to grow in creative education and professional practice.

Invisible Ink Partners, co-founded by Laughlin, is a boutique recruiting firm focused on creative services specifically in advertising agencies and in-house creative departments. Over the past 20 years, Laughlin honed her keen eye for spotting talent working as a creative resource manager with global agencies Leo Burnett and Dentsu Creative, along with Milwaukee-based independent agency Laughlin Constable.

Fletcher and Laughlin join 91��Ʒ�s board officers:

• Amanda Singh, Chair � Artist/Community Volunteer
• Jason W. Allen, Treasurer � Partner, Foley & Lardner, LLP
• Geoffrey Mackey, Secretary � Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Robert W. Baird & Co.
• Jeffrey Morin, 91��Ʒ Board Ex Officio � President

Also serving on 91��Ʒ�s 2026-2027 Board: Robert Dumville, Hans Eckholm, Leesa Gilliam, Nezih Hasanglu, Jr., Lauren Hurley, Abim Kolawole, Madeleine Kelly Lubar, Steve Morales, David Nelson �02, Sarah Pancheri, Laura Peck, Tina Quealy, Ryan Ramos �02, Kevin Ringgold, Xavier Ruffin �10, Bob Schwartz, Jane Kim Stephens, Noah Stone, Todd Stone, Kimberlie D. Weekley and Sarah Zimmerman.

Rising senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (91��Ʒ) Adam Wold �27 received two awards in May from the (ASID). The Interior Architecture and Design (IAD) major won the Silver Award in the Commercial category and the Bronze Award in the Residential category.

�My Residential submission was inspired by the growing need to incorporate landscape design into the interior,� Wold says. �I wanted to play with different elevations, so the user is able to feel the effect of travel, even though the space is small. The Commercial submission was inspired by stone, lichen and moss, refined as places of rest within nature.�

Professor Leslie Fedorchuk and alumni of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (91��Ʒ) received four of the eight individual for �their significant contributions to the state�s creative culture.�

Professor of Writing & Humanities and Director of Service Learning Fedorchuk received the Educator (University) Award. Alumni �15 (Integrated Studio Arts) received the Arts Writing Award for her work at magazine; �24 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice) received the Emerging Artist Award; and �04 (Illustration) received the Community Arts Advocate Award for.

In May, the same month as receiving the WVAA award, Fedorchuk concluded more than 30 years at 91��Ʒ. Her many achievements include developing and teaching courses in the humanities, art history, writing, letterpress and book-arts, and she played a pivotal role in the founding of 91��Ʒ�s Service Learning Program.

Fedorchuk is also a sought-out national and international artist-in-resident, consultant, panelist, presenter and teacher, who maintains, and shares, an active practice of lifelong learning.

�This award was such a welcome validation of not only my work, but also the work of my 91��Ʒ colleagues,� says Fedorchuk. �Sharing the day with so many former students who are accomplishing and contributing so much to the world through their work makes the award especially meaningful.�

Works by 13 students and recent graduates of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (91��Ʒ) were selected from among 4,550 nationwide submissions to receive 2026 honors from the national . Works were completed during student studies at 91��Ʒ and are among only 216 selected to be honored.

Two students who majored in 91��Ʒ�s Animation Track in Illustration received scholarship awards: Brooke Thompson �25 received the Nancy Lee Rhodes Roberts Scholarship and Alexis McConnell �26 received the In Memory of Harry Rosenbaum Scholarship.

Alexis McConnell “Loss From Stroke”

Phoebe Nelson �25, who received a Scholarship Award in 2025, and Julius Koo �26 had works selected by the society for the second consecutive year. The 2026 awards continue a steady increase in the number of accepted entries from 91��Ʒ.

The 216 selected works, which are judged by professional peers, were exhibited May 2 � 16, 2026, at the society�s New York headquarters.

�I am so grateful to have been chosen for this award! It was my first time in New York,� Thompson says. �The Society of Illustrators hosted so many fantastic young artists from around the country and I�m honored to have met them.

�Having proudly finished my thesis comic �Brutal Magic� and see it appreciated by so many others inspired me endlessly. I�m continuing to create original comics, traditionally with ink and Bristol paper.�

�This piece draws on a family member’s experience with a hemorrhagic stroke, exploring the emotional weight and sense of loss that follows such a life-altering event,� shares McConnell. �Created in Blender, the work emphasizes a tactile, melancholic atmosphere through spatial and compartmentalized composition and a cool-toned color palette.”

Additional 91��Ʒ awardees are: Amber Antonich �27 for �The Sirens of Titan,� Liesel Barkei �26 for �Croquet Ball,� Hayden IntVeld �25 for �Arthropoda,� Aubrey Jilla �28 for �Alice in Wonderland 2,� Sylvia Munoz �26 for �Find Your Absent Mind,� Daniel Perez �26 for �Fish,� Abby Phillips �26 for �Inspiration,� Hanna Rasmussen �27 for �Inge Lehmann� and Kyle Woodfin �26 for �Rosary.

Learn more about 91��Ʒ�s award-winningIllustrationandAnimationprograms!

Alexis McConnell “Loss From Stroke”

Phoebe Nelson �25, who received a Scholarship Award in 2025, and Julius Koos �26 had works selected by the society for the second consecutive year. The 2026 awards continue a steady increase in the number of accepted entries from 91��Ʒ.

The 216 selected works, which are judged by professional peers, were exhibited May 2 � 16, 2026, at the society�s New York headquarters.

�I am so grateful to have been chosen for this award! It was my first time in New York,� Thompson says. �The Society of Illustrators hosted so many fantastic young artists from around the country and I�m honored to have met them.

Brooke Thompson �25 (Illustration)

�Having proudly finished my thesis comic �Brutal Magic� and see it appreciated by so many others inspired me endlessly. I�m continuing to create original comics, traditionally with ink and Bristol paper.�

�This piece draws on a family member’s experience with a hemorrhagic stroke, exploring the emotional weight and sense of loss that follows such a life-altering event,� shares McConnell. �Created in Blender, the work emphasizes a tactile, melancholic atmosphere through spatial and compartmentalized composition and a cool-toned color palette.”

Additional 91��Ʒ awardees are: Amber Antonich �27 for �The Sirens of Titan,� Liesel Barkei �26 for �Croquet Ball,� Hayden IntVeld �25 for �Arthropoda,� Aubrey Jilla �28 for �Alice in Wonderland 2,� Sylvia Munoz �26 for �Find Your Absent Mind,� Daniel Perez �26 for �Fish,� Abby Phillips �26 for �Inspiration,� Hanna Rasmussen �27 for �Inge Lehmann� and Kyle Woodfin �26 for �Rosary.�

Learn more about 91��Ʒ�s award-winningIllustrationandAnimationprograms!