MILWAUKEE — This year, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) is celebrating a milestone anniversary for one of its programs.
The Bridge Work program has helped cultivate artists into professionals through coursework.
For the past ten years, the program has taken three recent graduates through the process of transitioning into a professional studio practice.
Through the program, artists are provided real life experiences with exhibitions and deadlines.
Professor Jason Yi helps lead the program.
“I also see a lot of struggles sometimes with students transitioning from the academic environment into the professional art world,” Yi said. “For me, as an educator, I want to sort of extend the ways of teaching students how to survive, how to thrive in the art world."
Julia Bradfish is one of over 20 artists featured in the exhibition.
Bradfish graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2023 and was a part of the MIAD Bridge Work program.
“I feel like this program was almost like a second type of school in a way,” Bradfish said. “It was quick and had a lot of exhibition opportunities. It had a lot of professional development opportunities."
The entire exhibition displays works of art from artists throughout all 10 years of the program.
“I believe this exhibit also showcases the will and perseverance and success of our artists,” Yi said.
Bradfish said being a part of this exhibition for its 10-year anniversary is an honor.
“Looking at the show and looking at 10 years of the program is crazy, because I was only one of them,” she said. “To see the amount of work and the artists that are involved in it is something really special,”
The special gallery exhibition will open at MIAD on Jan. 13.
Learn more about the program, here.