Community Connections
Shining a local light on:
Brookfield Craft Center
Proudly serving:
Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Fairfield, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, Wilton
Learn more about their charity:
Community Connections
Community Connections shines a light on local charities whose compassion, service, and dedication strengthen the fabric of our community. By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire others and help the spirit of giving spread throughout our towns.
Under the spotlight today: Brookfield Craft Center
An interview with Melissa Jones, Supervising Curator, Brookfield Craft Center
How do you brighten our community?
Located in Brookfield’s historic mill district, Brookfield Craft Center brightens the Fairfield County community by providing a beautiful and welcoming campus where people can gather to create, learn, and connect. Surrounded by historic buildings, gardens, and working studios, BCC offers an inspiring environment where individuals of all ages and backgrounds can explore creativity while building meaningful relationships with others who share similar interests.
Through classes, workshops, exhibitions, and public events, BCC gives students, artists, families, retirees, and visitors the opportunity to learn new skills in ceramics, blacksmithing, woodworking, weaving, jewelry making, glass arts, and emerging technologies such as 3D printing. The Center encourages lifelong learning by introducing new programs and instructors that make the arts accessible to both beginners and experienced makers.
BCC serves as more than an educational institution; it is a cultural gathering place where people come together to exchange ideas, support one another, and experience the joy of creating by hand. In a fast-paced digital world, the Center provides a space where community members can slow down, work creatively, and develop confidence through artistic expression.
By preserving traditional craftsmanship while embracing innovation, Brookfield Craft Center strengthens the cultural vitality of Fairfield County. Its welcoming atmosphere, educational opportunities, and collaborative spirit help foster connection, creativity, and personal growth, making BCC an important and uplifting resource for the entire community.
Who do you serve in our community?
Brookfield Craft Center currently serves approximately 3,500 people each year through classes, open studios, exhibitions, special events, the fine craft gallery and shop, and the annual holiday sale. The Center welcomes a wide range of community members including professional artisans, youth, adults, homeschool students, children with disabilities, and seniors. BCC also serves as a gathering place where artists, students, volunteers, faculty, and visitors can connect, share ideas, and build relationships through creativity and hands-on learning.
Audience experiences at BCC are shaped by the opportunity to learn and work alongside both mid-career and established artists and craftspeople in a welcoming and inclusive environment. The historic campus and active studio spaces give visitors a unique place to explore creativity, develop new skills, and become part of a supportive artistic community. Through advanced workshops, exhibitions, and expanded programming, students and visitors are encouraged to deepen their understanding of craft while growing personally and creatively.
BCC continues to strengthen its impact by expanding programs, improving facilities, and attracting respected instructors and artists from across the region.
These efforts help bring in new students, visitors, sponsors, and supporters while making the arts more accessible to a broader audience. As the organization continues to grow, Brookfield Craft Center is becoming an even stronger cultural resource for Fairfield County and a recognized leader in craft education throughout Connecticut.
What are you most proud of?
What we are most proud of is that, nearly 75 years after our founding, Brookfield Craft Center continues to fulfill Nancy DuBois Hagmeyer’s original vision: creating a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can experience personal growth, confidence, and connection through working with their hands. BCC has evolved from a small community craft school into a thriving regional arts center serving more than 3,000 students and visitors annually while remaining deeply rooted in craftsmanship, creativity, and community.
Through periods of growth and challenge, the Center has remained resilient and forward-looking, continually expanding opportunities for artistic exploration and education. Today, we celebrate not only our historic campus and diverse studio programs, but also the vibrant community that has formed around them. We are especially proud of our commitment to accessibility and inclusion—welcoming everyone to our creative spaces where lifelong learning and belonging are the cornerstone of who we are. Our exhibitions, gallery shop, and educational programs directly support working artists while inspiring the next generation of passionate creatives. Beyond the arts, BCC contributes to the preservation of local history, strengthens the regional economy, and enhances quality of life throughout the community. Most importantly, we are proud that the Center continues to be a place where creativity is shared across generations, meaningful connections are formed, and the value of handmade craft remains alive and relevant in today’s world.
What was the spark that started your organization?
Nancy DuBois Hagmeyer was the founder of Brookfield Craft Center and the visionary behind its mission of promoting creativity, craftsmanship, and personal growth through hands-on arts education. Hagmeyer is remembered primarily as an artist, educator, and community visionary who believed deeply in the importance of craft education and creative expression. In founding Brookfield Craft Center in 1952, she helped create a space where traditional handcrafts could be taught, preserved, and shared with the wider community at a time when many craft traditions were fading from everyday life. Her philosophy centered on the idea that working with one’s hands was not only artistic, but personally meaningful and transformative. Hagmeyer purchased the campus and established the Center. Her vision helped transform Brookfield Craft Center into a place where people of all ages and skill levels could learn traditional crafts, develop artistic skills, and experience the value of creative expression. Nearly 75 years later, her philosophy continues to guide the organization’s programs and community impact.
What is one of your future impact goals?
A future impact goal for Brookfield Craft Center is the transformation of the historic on-campus Miller House into a multi-purpose live-in artist residency program that welcomes artists from across the country and around the world to learn, create, and teach on our campus. This initiative would significantly expand the artistic scope and geographic reach of BCC, bringing new perspectives, techniques, and cultural influences into our community. Designed as both a residency and flexible gathering space, the Miller House would provide accommodations for visiting artists and instructors while also expanding opportunities for community lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, and educational programming.
The residency program would foster meaningful creative exchange, elevate the quality and diversity of programming, and strengthen BCC’s role as a regional and national destination for craft education. Visiting artists would contribute to the community through workshops, exhibitions, mentorship opportunities, and collaborative projects that enrich the experience for students, members, and visitors alike. The program would also support the continued growth of BCC’s ceramics department through the Elizabeth MacDonald Fund, helping expand access to advanced ceramic arts education and visiting artist instruction.
In addition to advancing artistic innovation, the Miller House initiative would preserve and activate another historic structure on campus while positioning Brookfield Craft Center for long-term sustainability, broader community engagement, and lasting artistic impact for generations to come.
How did you change a life?
For many young artists, BCC serves as more than a place to take classes—it becomes a creative home where talents are recognized, mentorship is available, and artistic passions can evolve into lifelong opportunities. Students and young adults gain hands-on experience working alongside professional artists and instructors while learning the value of collaboration, craftsmanship, and community engagement. Brookfield Craft Center has changed lives by providing meaningful artistic opportunities for young adults interested in pursuing creative careers. Through opportunities to exhibit artwork, volunteer at events, assist in studios, and gain employment within the organization, BCC has created pathways for emerging artists to build confidence, develop professional skills, and become active participants in the arts community. We have seen many students further their artistic journeys beyond BCC by continuing their education in graduate art programs and at respected arts institutions such as the New Britain Museum of American Art and other regional arts organizations and schools. These experiences help students expand their skills, pursue professional artistic careers, and deepen their engagement with the creative community. Brookfield Craft Center continues to empower the next generation of artists, makers, and creative professionals while ensuring that the arts remain vibrant and accessible in future years.
Who are your community partners?
Brookfield Craft Center is proud to partner with a wide range of community organizations, schools, businesses, artists, and cultural institutions that help strengthen our mission and expand access to the arts. Our community partners include, homeschool groups, libraries, civic organizations, arts councils, and nonprofit organizations throughout the region. We have collaborated with respected institutions such as Western Connecticut State University and high schools in Brookfield and surrounding regions that recognize talented young artists in the Artists on the Rise yearly exhibition. In addition, Brookfield Craft Center works closely with local businesses, volunteers, donors, and regional tourism and preservation organizations that contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of the community. These partnerships include the Department of Economic and Community Development, Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut, as well as other artist networks that support emerging and established artists alike.
Local-Insta thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Community Connections series possible!
Celebrating the charities that make our community stronger.
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