Kendall Reiss

Kendall Reiss is a Professor of the Practice at Tufts University's School of the Museum of Fine Arts, where she teaches in the Metals Area and Senior Thesis Program. Her work bridges contemporary jewelry design, material experimentation, and environmental art, often exploring themes of ecological degradation and transformation through metalsmithing, geology, and botany.

• Education: BS in Geology from Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA), MFA in Jewelry + Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Reiss's studio practice focuses on creating sculptural objects and time-based installations that use verdigris (oxidized copper) to visualize environmental change. Her installations often function as microcosms of planetary ecological shifts, combining alchemical processes with scientific observation. She has exhibited nationally at venues such as Clark Gallery, Bristol Art Museum, and Haskell Public Gardens, and curated collaborative projects across the U.S.

Community engagement is central to her practice. She initiated the Bristol Waterfront Story Project (funded by the Rhode Island Foundation) to archive local ecological memories and co-organized panel discussions on art's role in climate advocacy. She also runs the Kendall Reiss Gallery & Studio in Bristol, RI, hosting exhibitions like *SHiNY THiNGS* and Desire Paths.

Reiss offers online courses with Pocosin Arts on experimental wax techniques for jewelry casting, emphasizing tactile learning and innovation.