The identical Curley-Clay twin sisters, Moriah Curley-Clay, MFA, and Isabel A. Curley-Clay, MFA, perform double duty as scenic and costume designers and theater instructors. They are also part of the College’s industry working professors who believe there’s value in staying current and involved in the industry.

“We firmly believe that in the arts, especially the performing arts, it’s important to stay current and involved. We can’t be effective guides for students who are about to enter the industry if we are out of the loop,” Isabel Curley-Clay said.

Balancing professional productions with full teaching loads requires careful planning, but the Curley-Clays say it's a vital part of modeling what it means to be a working artist. “Time management is a big part of being a working artist and it’s important that students see that as well. We often bring our professional work into the classroom as examples of how theoretical works or ideas and professional practice support or oppose each other. And we can talk about unexpected challenges that come up during the design process, how they get handled and how that applies to student projects in the classroom. It’s also fun when we meet former students in our professional lives a few years after they graduate,” Isabel Curley-Clay said.

Relationships and Connections

The theater industry is built on relationships and ongoing connections. Each project introduces new collaborators, and these connections often lead to opportunities for students and graduates, such as guest speakers, internships, or jobs.

“It’s not unusual for us as a group to think about how a certain student might benefit from being introduced to a theater or position. In Atlanta, our professional connections have helped former students get internships, graduate student placements, and in a couple of cases, paid employment. I know that is true of other Spelman theater department professionals as well,” Moriah Curley-Clay said.

Maximizing Your Creativity

The Curley-Clay twins believe creativity functions like a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger and more accessible it becomes. Still, they admit that beginning a new project with a blank page can be intimidating. They emphasize the importance of developing a personal process to fuel creativity and seek inspiration. For them, the design process always begins with thorough research, both visual and academic. It involves analyzing the script, digging into the details, forming original ideas, and considering the broader context.

“We think it’s important to experience as much outside your base knowledge and lived experience as possible. In this modern tech-driven world, it’s incredibly easy to live in a space where you form ideas about yourself and others and constantly have that perspective validated through your social media feeds or other tech, but you are almost never going to be designing just that. Experiences and discomfort lead to growth, creativity, and inspiration.” Isabel Curley-Clay said.

The Curley-Clay twins prefer driving to out-of-town jobs instead of flying for three main reasons: first, experiencing new places firsthand provides richer, more valuable inspiration than photos or videos; second, they take advantage of travel time to explore unique local sites and gather visual ideas for future projects; and third, driving is a more environmentally friendly choice in their industry, which tends to generate a lot of waste.

Their attention to detail has led them to success. Both Isabel and Moriah are Suzi Bass Award winners with at least 15 wins for scenic or costume design, also a 2020 AUDELCO for scenic design, and Critics Awards in cities from Colorado to Maine, among others. The Curley-Clay twins hold a bachelor of arts from New York University and an MFA in theatrical design from Brandeis University.

Empowering Future Artists, the Legacy of Artists-Educators

By seamlessly blending their professional work with their teaching, Kelley, Bolden and the Curley-Clay twins embody the dynamic spirit of the modern artist-educator. Their commitment to staying active in the industry enriches their creativity and it equips their students with the skills, connections, and real-world insight needed to thrive in the ever-evolving artistic world.