About Us

Founded by Dean Millsom in 2019, The Wheelhouse began in a boutique studio, with a vision of nurturing creativity and skill development through clay artistry. Since then, we have endeavoured to enrich our students' artistic growth.

In 2022, we transitioned into a breathtaking new creative space, doubling our capacity for classes and welcoming a team of highly skilled artisans. Our expanded studio spans two levels, offering ample room for creation and exploration. Additionally, we now boast a dedicated function space to accommodate the rising demand for group and corporate events.

In early 2024, we proudly introduced a new chapter to The Wheelhouse journey by launching our own range of Wheelhouse glazes, meticulously crafted in our South Melbourne Studio. This exciting endeavour coincided with the debut of our online store, further expanding accessibility to our products and services.

Our commitment to sustainability remains unwavering. For instance, we've implemented a clay and water recycling system, ensuring all materials are reused and minimising our environmental footprint.

Unwind, and experience the art of making!

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Meet the team.

Dean Millsom

FOUNDER & EDUCATION LEAD
Dean has over 25 years experience in ceramics and education. He has featured in Belle magazine and his work can be found in restaurants including Melbourne's modern dining destinations, Society, Oster Richmond, Henrietta’s Windsor & Domaine Chandon Yarra Valley.
He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in ceramics from RMIT and went on to complete a Graduate Diploma of Education at the University of Melbourne. Dean has taught in private studios and schools to adults & children throughout the UK & Australia.
Dean’s specialty lies in wheel thrown functional and sculptural objects using high fired stoneware and porcelaneous clay. For those who choose Dean as their teacher, you are in very capable hands.
deanmillsom.com
Fiona Lewis

TEACHER
Fiona is a multidisciplinary artist who has grown up in the Hampton / Bayside area. She is the proud parent of Bertram the bulldog and brings a positive and creative energy to The Wheelhouse Team.
She is a huge fan of 90’s tv and film and this influence can be seen throughout her work. Her ceramics celebrates this period of pop-culture and with free eyes, she takes us on a journey to moments that captured our hearts and imaginations. Fiona uses the medium of clay to reimagine these moments and characters in a tactile, three-dimensional form, that is designed to inspire joy and spark conversation.
Fiona is a perfect fit to our Wheelhouse Team and has built strong connections both within the team and with her students. She is fun, caring and has everyone’s best interests at heart.
Clare Stewart

TEACHER
Clare is one of our Advanced students who has joined the Teaching team.
She has worked as an ICU nurse for the last 10 years and recently completed her masters in traumatology. Like many working in healthcare during the pandemic Clare found herself burnt out and turned to pottery for therapy. Her four-week class soon rolled in to a dedicated two years developing her skills and techniques and exploring a variety of forms. She describes her journey as "a lesson in letting go, and being present”.
Clare is a new mother to a one year old, Summer, who will be a natural in pottery of course, as she spent her first nine months as close to the wheel as could be.
Mazz Sackson

TEACHER
Before joining the teaching team, Mazz started at The Wheelhouse as a student and loved the sense of tranquillity she gained from the creative process of working with clay.
Mazz has a masters of International Development focusing on youth participation and has worked in the design, delivery and management of youth participation programs, including 5 years running a small organisation dedicated to children’s arts and literacy in South America. She has extensive experience teaching Drama, Spanish and facilitating various workshops for both children and adults.
Mazz has never forgotten the teacher who discouraged her creativity as an imaginative child in her first ever pottery class! She’s committed to being a far more supportive teacher, helping others to enjoy and express themselves as they learn techniques and build their confidence and skills.
Manjula Walker

GLAZE TECHNICIAN
Manjula is a highly skilled Glaze Technician and joined the Wheelhouse team in October 2023.
She started her career in the hospitality industry as a Chef and with all the challenges of running a very busy kitchen, she started doing a pottery class to help relieve the stress. As a result she fell in love with clay and found her passion for pottery and soon was teaching hand building & wheel throwing classes. This lead her into a career of working with Clayworks Pottery Supplies, where she learned valuable knowledge about making glazes, casting slips & clay production.
Manjula is also a very proud mum of a little girl and brings her warmth, openness and immaculate attention to detail to The Wheelhouse Team.
Lucy Keatch

STUDIO HAND
As a practicing artist and emerging curator, Lucy's work spans performance, installation, sculpture, creative writing, and (of course) ceramics.
During her undergraduate studies, Lucy discovered a passion for ceramics, initially being drawn to wheel throwing before discovering a love of hand-carving. It wasn't long before she had found her niche and began developing a collection of intricately carved ceramic peach seeds.
Lucy holds a Bachelor of Contemporary Art from the University of South Australia and completed her Honours in Fine Art at RMIT. Currently, she is pursuing her Master of Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne.