Kate Dannessa

Kate Dannessa is a Providence-based designer and educator. After spending her early career fabricating for high-end designers—honing her craft in furniture, lighting, and hardware—she started her own studio practice focused on sculptural objects and furniture. Her creative process is rooted in experimentation, and resulting works blend craft, art object, and functional simplicity. In addition, she regularly collaborates on projects with Altimeter Design Group, designing speculative tools and object-based workshops for clients such as the United Nations and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Whether it’s in her studio, in the classroom, or client-focused, each project she takes on centers materiality as a means to enhance experience. Kate received her BFA in Industrial Design from RISD and an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies at NYU, where she focused on the intersection of design education and embodied cognition.