Allison B. Cooke was born on October 20, 1954 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She passed away on March 22, 2024 at her home in Granger, Indiana. She spent most of her childhood living on the east coast before moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1970. Allison received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education from UW-Madison and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Drawing and Painting from UW-Milwaukee. In the summer of 2023, Allison, her fellow artist husband Robert M. Girsch, and beloved cat Stella relocated to Granger, Indiana. Allison was a professor of Fine Art for over 30 years. She taught at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) and was a tenured Senior Lecturer in the Department of Art and Design housed in the Peck School of the Arts at UW-Milwaukee. For twelve consecutive summers, in tandem with her teaching at UW-Milwaukee, Allison served as the Director and Adjunct Professor for a Study Abroad program at the Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy. While there, she taught drawing and painting classes on location throughout Florence and developed an intensive four-week summer course in Renaissance painting techniques. She loved Italy and much of her artwork was inspired by her travels and her love for nature. When not teaching, Allison spent all her time as a full-time artist in a studio she and her husband built at their home in Indiana. Allison was represented by eight galleries across the United States. These gallery locations included Florida, Illinois, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. She was an innovative creator, often using ancient techniques with modern presentations. She is best known for Painting, Printmaking and Mixed Media.