Asa Benally

Asa Benally  was raised on the Navajo Reservation in northern Arizona.  His grandmother, a traditional Navajo weaver and his father, a silversmith, fostered his love and appreciation for art and design. He went to on to study at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City. In 2016 he completed his M.F.A. in costume design at Yale University. His design aesthetic is derived from an interest in history and strong individuals. He lives and works in New York City.

“have been working as a costume designer in the theater for the last twenty years and studied fashion design in undergrad. My medium spans from drawing to working with fabric and through using the stage and actors as my canvass. I’ve worked with many theater companies and have experienced creating various different worlds on the stage. The most creative projects I get to work on are ones that I’m able to create textiles and have costumes specially built.

As a costume designer I am a storyteller, sometimes costumes are created from the ground up, other times I am on the hunt for various pieces of clothing that will bring characters to life. I spend my time building what a world will ultimately look like onstage. The process starts with sketching and painting the designs and then taking those ideas and making them a reality. My medium has so many facets. Practices in artistic composition such as painting, drawing, as well as sewing and construction in 3-D. Another facet is being in collaboration with directors and actors to create the story. As a Costume Designer all of these things come under the umbrella of my art medium.”