Marissa Shell was born in New York City where she lived and worked prior to moving to the Kansas City area to pursue her MFA at The University of Kansas. She is a former Studio Fellow at the Charlotte Street Foundation in Kansas City, MO, is a studio resident at InterUrban ArtHouse in Overland Park, KS, and teaches Foundations and Fibers at The University of Kansas, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, and Johnson County Community College.