Kenisha D. Kelly

Kenisha D. Kelly is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Drama at Vassar College, where she has been affiliated since 2010. She specializes in Costume Design, Technology, and History, with a focus on Caribbean Costume History examining dress as a tool for accommodation, resistance, and individual autonomy. Her teaching spans costume design, draping, pattern development, and historical contexts.

Education: BFA in Fashion Design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Houston’s School of Drama and Dance.

Professional Experience: Worked with institutions like the Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet Company, and Houston Shakespeare Festival. Recent design credits include Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, Stockholm, Pool No Water (One Year Lease Theatre, NYC), and Tribes (Portland Stage Theatre, ME).

Affiliations: Member of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology and Costume Society of America. Active in the Vassar Costume Collection, a resource for studying 19th–20th century societal insights through garments.

Courses Taught: DRAM 200: The Experimental Theater and DRAM 208: Draping and Pattern-Development for Stage Production.