Karen Frostig

Karen Frostig is an Associate Professor at Lesley University and a Resident Scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University. As an interdisciplinary artist, author, and cultural historian, she is deeply engaged in international activist projects exploring traumatic memory, inherited erasures, and innovative forms of testimony. Her work is exhibited widely across the US and Europe, and she is a frequent speaker at international conferences on heritage, memory, and citizenship.

Her research interests center on the intersections of art, memory, and identity. She investigates how traumatic histories are remembered and re-performed in public spaces, particularly through interdisciplinary and performative methods. Her work combines feminist theory, cultural history, and artistic practice to challenge dominant narratives of belonging and citizenship. She has contributed extensively to discourse on how art activism can materialize memory and create new forms of public engagement with historical trauma.

The trends in her publications reveal a consistent focus on memory, performance, and feminist interventions in public space. From digital memory projects to street performances in Vienna, her work spans media and geography, emphasizing embodied and participatory forms of remembrance. Her recent and forthcoming articles highlight the role of art in redefining citizenship and public spheres in post-genocide contexts.

• Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants
• National Fund grant
• Zukunftsfond grant
• Austrian Federal Ministry grants for Arts & Culture, and Education
• Puffin Foundation grant
• Shelley Tyre grant
• Numerous Lesley University grants and fellowships

Karen Frostig has secured significant research funding from national and international sources, supporting her innovative projects in art and memory. She mentors students through her academic position at Lesley University and leads major interdisciplinary initiatives such as The Vienna Project and the upcoming Staging Memory. While specific grant amounts and student names are not listed, her sustained funding and leadership roles indicate an active advising and research profile.

She is the Founding Director of The Vienna Project, a major public art and memorial initiative that was exhibited from 2013 to 2014. Her current project, Staging Memory, is an international endeavor spanning Europe and concluding in New York City in 2020, indicating ongoing leadership in transnational memory projects.