I interviewed Allana during class on 9/19/22, and she gave some interesting feedback on herself as an artist, and about her time at MIAD. She is an Interior Architecture + Design Major in her senior year, and a long time creator, although she took a break during high school, as many do. As she began looking at schools to go into, she was looking specifically for good design and interior architecture programs, which led her to MIAD.

As she began her career at MIAD, she became further engrossed in this corner of art/design, and kept refining her work, and honing her craft. While her career path is a very expansive one, her work and interests align in the world of residential design, which involves homes and apartments. In terms of commercial design, which focuses more on public spaces, her and much of the program felt turned away from it, largely thanks to a professor (who does not work here anymore) who was less than inspiring, and they felt did not contribute to their growth.

Allana is currently thinking forward to her thesis and beyond, and what ideas she can explore in the future, as she continues her passion, and grows as a designer.

Jason McDowell speaks on the changing of the Milwaukee skyline and the shift of buildings to parking lots in the city itself. While he makes many good points in the article, he clearly takes a lot of personal bias into this argument, which isn't necessarily unwarranted. The style and life of the city you live in is important for the health of the community. Jason clearly has a strong appreciation for the history and stories of the Cream City, as he so fondly calls it.

No matter where you go in Milwaukee, it is undeniable that it has not only many construction projects ongoing, but also a bit of an identity crisis. I've always said that Milwaukee looks like it was designed by 2 people. Someone very fond of brick, and someone very fond of minimalistic apartments with open windows and balconies. These two styles are perceived throughout the city's entire visual identity. When these older buildings are torn down, despite how it may or may not help the people, it can be hard not to feel like Milwaukee loses just a bit of its unique visual language.

Todd is a person who seems to take great appreciation and attention to the smaller details of our world. The work on his site is split up into surprisingly specific units about topics like trees, the sky, the edges of tables, and more. I think this take on specific and insignificant ideas is amplified and becomes much more powerful by his style of painting and etching, which adds a sense of drama and importance to these things, which they otherwise would not have. While at first this surprised me, I have come to really appreciate his work, as he really illustrates the narrative of an individual life. To the average passerby, the things Todd draws are nothing more than background dressing. However, for Todd, or someone living in that space, these are things he sees all the time. 

On Todd's blogpost, he shows off real photos of him in a vast, open environment, however all of his etchings he showed off were of bushes, weeds, an individual tree, and so forth. He illustrates to provide a moment for the viewer to shed off the weight and size of the world, and to focus on a small space, and the possibilities of that space alone. 

Todd's writing in general has a more sensory feel, compared to many articles one might read. He describes things in a very poetic, somewhat-subjective viewpoint, and that adds to his unique writing language. His works are all about him as an individual, and what inspires him, and catches his attention most.

I'm Jack DeSautel, a Senior Illustration student working in mixed media. I love painting and sketching, and all forms of visual storytelling.