Milwaukee, WI — Interdisciplinary artist and Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alumna Phoenix S. Brown (‘19) has been awarded a $10,000 Ruth Arts + MIAD Artist Grant to support Realms of Unbecoming, a new body of work transforming her large-scale, unstretched paintings into three-dimensional sculptural forms. This project explores reclaiming physical and psychological space, emotional vulnerability, and personal transformation. By suspending her works on custom wooden structures, Brown will challenge traditional painting presentation, creating immersive, spatially engaged installations.

Brown is one of 12 MIAD faculty and staff members selected for the 2024–25 Ruth Arts + MIAD Artist Grant program, which supports the research and development of new work to further artists’ practices and expertise as educators. Ruth Arts awarded $145,000 to MIAD for this grant cycle, nearly doubling last year’s funding. A panel of three national jurors reviewed 37 applications before selecting the recipients.

The grant will fund Brown’s acquisition of studio equipment to expand the scale and structural integrity of her work. Research travel to New York City will further inform her practice through key exhibitions at MoMA, the Guggenheim, and the Brooklyn Museum.

Realms of Unbecoming will culminate in a temporary gallery installation, serving as a testing ground for Brown’s evolving practice. This grant reinforces her commitment to resilience, identity, and empowerment through artmaking.

About Ruth Arts

The Ruth Foundation for the Arts (Ruth Arts) is dedicated to meeting the evolving needs and lived experiences of artists, communities, and arts organizations whose work is anchored by the visual and the performing arts. Based in Milwaukee and national in scope, Ruth Arts honors our benefactor Ruth DeYoung Kohler II (1941–2020) with inventive approaches to philanthropy that are rooted in creativity, experimentation, and access. Ruth Arts currently supports a dynamic cultural landscape in three distinct ways: grant programs for organizations nominated via Artist Choice, continuing Ruth’s personal giving, and an invite-only initiatives program designed as multi-year thinking partnerships.

About MIAD

The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is Wisconsin’s only four-year, nonprofit, private college of visual art and design. MIAD is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of 39 leading art schools in the United States and Canada.

More info:

https://www.miad.edu/ruth-arts-miad-artists-grantees-launch-multidisciplinary-projects