Kenisha D. Kelly

Kenisha Kelly joined the faculty of the Department of Drama at Vassar College as the Professor of Costume Design in 2010. Her areas of teaching include, costume design, costume technology and costume history. Ms. Kelly received her BFA in Fashion Design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Houston’s School of Drama and Dance. Kenisha has worked for companies such as the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Ballet Company and the Houston Shakespeare Festival. Additionally, she has designed costumes for various regional and fringe theatre companies throughout the country. Recent designs include; Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, Stockholm and Pool No Water for the One Year Lease Theatre Company in New York, NY, as well as Tribes for The Portland Stage Theatre Company in Portland, ME. She is a member of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology as well as the Costume Society of America and is presently conducting research in the area of Caribbean Costume History, focusing on dress as a means of accommodation, resistance and individual autonomy.