After graduating from Vassar College with a B.A. in Art History, Alison Hildreth worked in New York and went to night school at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Art. She moved to Maine and continued her studies in Studio Art graduating from the Maine College of Art in 1976. Since that time Alison has had several studios in Portland and now is located at the Bakery Studios at 61 Pleasant Street. Her prolific practice includes mixed media drawing, painting, printmaking, and installation work. While she incorporates ideas from research in cartography, astronomy, environmental studies, history, and philosophy into her work—many of her ideas come from walking and daydreaming.

Alison taught as a non-resident studio instructor for MFA programs at MECA, Vermont College, and Lesley College in Boston and as part of the Continuing Studies Program at MECA. She has received honorary degrees from MECA and IDSVA.

She has been a member of Portland Public Art Committee and currently sits on the committee re-envisioning Congress Square Park with selected sculptures by artist Sarah Sze. She is the co-owner and operator of the Bakery studio building, which houses over a dozen individual artists and Peregrine Press.

Alison has exhibited in the United States and abroad. Her work is included in many permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Farnsworth Art Museum and the New York, Boston and Portland Public Libraries.