Bruce Breckenridge

Bruce Milton Breckenridge passed away at the age of 92 on Tuesday, January 17, 2022.  He was born to George Earl and Marjorie (Manassas) Breckenridge in Evanston, Illinois on October 29, 1929 (he loved telling everyone that it was the day the Stock Market crashed).  Bruce spent many of his formative years in Saugatuck, Michigan with his widowed mother and two brothers, George and Jack.  He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education from the Milwaukee State Teacher’s College (now University Wisconsin-Milwaukee) in 1952, continuing with a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting and Sculpture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1953.  He also studied at the Academy of the Grande Chaumiere in Paris and UC-Berkeley.  Before he embarked on a teaching career, he lived in Manhattan, working as an art installer at MOMA (he liked to recount how he had hand carried Picasso’s Guernica to be installed in the museum) and was the Assistant Director of the Museum of Contemporary Crafts.

Bruce taught at Hunter College, UC-Berkeley, and Arizona State before accepting a position at University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1967, becoming a full Professor in 1977. He worked alongside Don Reitz, building the Ceramics Department into a nationally renowned program. While at UW-Madison, he held every faculty post, either elected or appointed within the Department, including 3-D Area Chair, Undergraduate Chair and Department Chair. He was very active with NCECA, National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, serving on many panels and boards. Bruce retired from UW-Madison after 37 ½ years.  During that time, he introduced and nurtured a love of sculpture and ceramics to thousands of students, mentoring many of them both inside and outside the studio. Bruce kept in touch with former students for decades after they graduated, which was a real testament to the passion he brought to his teaching.

Bruce is survived by his wife of 52 years, Suzanne Breckenridge, children Sarah (Justin) Breckenridge O’Connor and Ethan Breckenridge and four beloved grandchildren: Morgan, Bianca, Innes and Giulia.