Vanessa graduated with a Bachelors of Art in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design , NYC, in 1992, and a Masters of Architecture from Sci-Arc, L.A., in 1997. She was a designer in several NYC based architecture and design firms, working on hospitality, retail and corporate architecture, interiors, furniture, and graphic design projects and assisted several artists and architects on independent intallations. As well, Vanessa worked on set productions, for VH-1 and independent film productions, assisted in teaching design studios at Parsons, Sci-Arc and Carnegie Mellon University, and curated several fine art exhibits.