ABOUT

A native of Bristol, Rhode Island, Kendall Reiss grew up exploring the rocky shoreline of Narragansett Bay. She attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA where she received a BS in Geology, which provided the visual training and hands-on approach she now uses as an artist and educator. After studying at several prominent institutions including the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Kendall returned to school to combine her fascination of the natural world with the study of jewelry. In 2011, she received a MFA in Jewelry + Metalsmithing from the Rhode Island School of Design.

International presentations of her work include: Finnish jewelry triennial, KORU8 with exhibitions at The Finnish Forest Museum Lusto in Punkaharju and The Oulu Art Museum, Finland in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Her work was exhibited in Jewelry & Nature at Tincal Lab in Porto, Portugal, as well as nationally for New York City Jewelry Week, at the Baltimore Jewelry Center, Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Bristol Art Museum, and Haskell Public Gardens. Kendall will present her ongoing research project, BEING [with] TREES at the College Art Association annual conference in a panel led by curator Martina Tanga; Learning from Trees: Artists & Climate Solutions.

As a gallerist, Kendall has worked both independently and collaboratively on curatorial projects on the East and West Coasts at Brooklyn Metal Works, The Hotel Wilshire, Velvet da Vinci, and Alloy Gallery. She has taught across New England and nationally including at the Rhode Island School of Design, Fuller Craft Museum, and with Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft. Kendall is currently a Professor of the Practice in Metals at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston, MA, where she serves as Chair of the 3D & Performance Department.

Kendall lives in Bristol, Rhode Island where she owns and operates the local arts initiative, Kendall Reiss Gallery & Studio. Located at 469 Wood Street in Bristol, RI, the business focuses on exhibiting the work of contemporary artists and jewelers, offers private instruction and small group classes in jewelry making and metalworking, in addition to serving as Kendall’s studio.

Art activism and community focused projects have become an important aspect of Kendall’s practice. Notably, Research BIPOC History, a grassroots effort dedicated to researching, recognizing, and honoring the history, humanity, and contributions of the enslaved people who resided in Bristol, RI from the towns founding in 1680 to the Civil War.

For more information: kendallreiss@gmail.com