Ivy Zipporah Wahome

Ivy Wahome is the costume shop manager for the School of Dance at the University of Arizona, where she has worked since 2014. In this role, she oversees costume production, maintenance, and management for dance performances, working closely with faculty, students, choreographers, and guest artists. As a mentor for students working in the costume shop, Wahome focuses on building students’ sewing skills and workshop instincts.

A first-generation college graduate, Wahome holds an MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Arizona (2024). She brings extensive industry experience to the School of Dance, having worked as a stagehand and as wardrobe crew on many Broadway productions in Tucson. Born in Kenya, Wahome is the first Black union member of IATSE Local 415.

Wahome maintains a personal studio, Gilded in Black, where she creates textile-based artworks that explore adornment, labor, and both Kenyan and African culture. She also produces functional pieces for settings including the Space Analog for the Moon and Mars at Biosphere 2. Her work has been featured on AZPM’s Arizona Illustrated and exhibited at the Tucson Museum of Art as part of the Tucson Biennial 2020. In 2024, she was a crew member for Imagination 1, a simulated lunar mission with an all-artist crew at Biosphere 2.