Brian Gillis examines sociocultural issues as consequent evidence of historic moments. His work uses a variety of production strategies and conceptual approaches, often drawing from specific sites and related institutions, and range from the production of objects and editions of multiples to site-specific installations and actions.

Gillis’s distinctions include fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council, Oregon Arts Commission, and MacDowell Colony, and residencies at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, International Ceramic Research Center (Denmark), and Arizona State University's School of Arts, Media, and Engineering. Gillis has exhibited nationally and internationally at institutions including the Mint Museum, CUE Art Foundation, Mildred's Lane, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Cluj Museum of Art (Romania).

Gillis received a Master of Fine Arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and is currently a Professor of Art and Director of the Center for Art Research at the University of Oregon.