Interior design alumna Aga Artka creates stunning spaces where people live, work and succeed
Growing up in a small town in southern Poland, Aga Artka’s home crackled with creativity. Her mother loved to dance and constantly rearranged the furniture. Her father was a musician. Outside in her sandbox, Artka carved out walls, rooms, and living spaces, then preserved them by barring anyone else from playing in the box.
“There was a freedom to creatively express myself,” she recalled.
Artka turned her creativity into a career thanks to the lessons she learned in MATC’s Interior Design associate degree program. For more than 20 years, Artka has shaped and molded living and working places for a variety of clients as an award-winning interior designer at Aga Artka Interior Design LLC.
Last summer, Artka was named one of two Interior Designers of the Year by The Daily Reporter, which covers the construction and development industries in Wisconsin. She was honored at the Women in Construction Awards ceremony in August 2024.
“Some people have the ‘it’ factor and Aga is one of them,” said Jenny Rebholz, principal at PushPoint Marketing in Milwaukee and a former Interior Design instructor at MATC. “She has passion and drive and is so committed.”
Shaping her world
Artka’s path to MATC is a story about passion, drive, and commitment. It began with her childhood goal to move to the United States. When she graduated high school, an ad for a study abroad program presented the perfect opportunity. She signed up, and a few months later was living with a host family in West Bend, Wisconsin. As she explored education options in the area, a critical thinking class sparked her desire to make a greater impact on people and create a sense of place.
“I realized there is a bigger world out there, and we all have the power to make a difference and make things better,” she said. “I discovered that you could shape the world you want to live in.”
Yearning to study something creative, she moved to Milwaukee in 2003 and began taking courses at MATC. The college offered flexibility — classes at night while she worked full time during the day — and was affordable. That was especially important to an international student who could not access financial aid.
In her MATC classes, she learned computer-aided design drawing, commercial and residential planning, design fundamentals, the interrelation of color, lighting, and materials. These classes taught her the importance of research, thoughtful planning, and precise calculations — critical skills that, combined with her creativity, provided a solid foundation for any career path.
“MATC taught me the basics that I needed to know,” she said. “Everyone develops their own process. The tools you use might be different, the customers might be different, the setting might be different, but the basics are the same for everyone.”
The college also taught her about resourcefulness, how to solve problems quickly and effectively, and how to network and connect with others, she said.
Rebholz became her favorite instructor, and Artka enrolled in every course Rebholz taught.
“Aga was one of those students who paid close attention. She was always engaged,” Rebholz said. “Her work was always thoughtful and creative. I was always excited to have her in class because she raised the bar. When students are really with you, it’s so much fun to teach.”
After earning her degree at MATC, Artka worked at Cranston, a home decor store in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. In 2006, she became an interior designer at Brookdale Senior Living in West Allis. When her position was eliminated in the recession of 2008 and 2009, she took a chance and started her business.
“I haven’t looked back,” she said.
At MATC, alumna Aga Artka learned critical skills that gave her a solid foundation in business, allowing her creativity to flourish.
“MATC taught me the basics that I needed to know. Everyone develops their own process. The tools ... the customers ... the setting might be different, but the basics are the same for everyone.”
More than four walls
Since then, she has helped design senior living and healthcare facilities, hospitality operations, multifamily residential buildings, and office environments.
“Most of our time is spent indoors, so aesthetics and functionality have to work in unison,” she said. “One can’t exist without the other and be successful. Our job as designers is to understand the client and the project, and translate their needs to the best solution that balances both. What we do is so much more than four walls.”
Artka’s proudest moment came in 2020 when she worked on the Badger State Lofts, a former tannery complex converted into a residential community in downtown Sheboygan. The project revitalized abandoned warehouse buildings while maintaining and respecting their historical value, she added.
Her efforts earned her a Gold Design Excellence Award from the Wisconsin chapter of the American Society of Interior Design.
“What I do is one piece of the puzzle,” she said. “Collaboration is key. It is absolute magic when the right team shares the vision and talent to turn an idea into reality.”
In 2016, she brought another idea to life. She and Rebholz wrote a book about developing a personal brand called The Brand of You: The Ultimate Guide for an Interior Designer’s Career Journey. The book, which details their personal and professional journeys, was conceived to help students and young professionals find success and confidence in the field of interior design, Artka said.
The book is now in its third update, with a new forward written by Molly Philaja, another instructor in the college’s Interior Design program, who has found the book to be a great classroom resource.
Along with running her own business, book writing, mentoring, and speaking, Artka has served on MATC’s interior design advisory committee since January 2009, providing faculty and staff with information and insight to ensure the program remains viable and competitive.
She lives in Cudahy with her husband, her 8-year-old child, and their dog. She loves to travel, often returning to Poland, where her parents still live, and enjoys the serenity of nature. “Lately, I’m drawn to water — rivers, lakes. They seem to clear my head,” she said.
Artka is also pondering her next life move. She serves on the Cudahy Design Review Board and has applied for Marquette University’s Associates in Commercial Real Estate program, which promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion within the commercial real estate industry.
“The beauty of a design education is that it provides a foundation to thinking creatively and solving problems no matter the challenge,” she said. “I’m thinking about how my creativity and skills can be applied to the wider community.”
“Whatever she wants to do, she’ll make it happen,” Rebholz said. “Aga has the talent to take everything she does to a higher level.”