Biography

Brooke Millecchia’s teaching and ceramic art complement one another in perfect harmony. As she works and as she teaches, Brooke synthesizes her approaches into real-world relatable forms and explanations. Her love of kind-hearted humor and understanding of finishing with comfortable tactile surfaces make her a refreshing artist and teacher.

Brooke has a consistent 16-year professional exhibition and teaching career that reveals her strong work ethic. Her quest for invention is based on solid technical accomplishments that give rise to playful surfaces. She gives personally to her work and motivates viewers and students to think on a wide variety of levels. Brooke’s love of and meticulous attention to small details bring joyful fascination to those who are fortunate enough to live with her art.

Throughout her process, Brooke relies on her intuition to guide alterations of her thrown forms. As a result, her work feels fresh, alive, and immediate. She is able to maintain a well-organized aesthetic while still expressing spontaneity. 

After earning her BFA in ceramics (1995) from West Virginia University (and while she and her husband were raising their family) Brooke worked avidly in her home studio. In 2004, she began teaching at numerous craft schools in Upstate NY and served as an adjunct professor at Nazareth College. She is currently an ongoing Artist in Residence at Fairport High School where she mentors advanced students with artistic careers in mind.

Brooke’s work has appeared nationally in invitationals, including the Functional Ceramics Exhibition at Wayne Center for Craft, Worcester Pottery Invitational, and the Gallery Expo at NCECA (PA and MN). Recent selected group exhibitions include Charlie Cummings Gallery (FL), Companion Gallery (TN), Gandee Gallery (NY). Her solo exhibitions include Flower City Arts Center, in Rochester, NY, Plough Gallery in Tifton, GA, and Clayscapes, in Syracuse, NY.

Brooke has presented numerous workshops on surface design, hand building and brush making, in NY, WV, AL and PA. Brooke currently works in her studio in Fairport, NY. For those who wonder, her last name (Millecchia) is pronounced “Mill-EK-ee-ah.”