Maya Stiller

Maya Stiller is an Associate Professor of Korean Art History and Visual Culture at the University of Kansas, directing the undergraduate program in the Kress Foundation Department of Art History. She specializes in Buddhist art, pilgrimage, and material culture across premodern Korea. Her research bridges art history with religious studies, examining how Buddhist practices intersected with political, economic, and social structures. She previously taught at Harvard University, Kyushu University, and European institutions.

Her education includes a Ph.D. in Asian Languages & Cultures (UCLA, 2014) and East Asian Art History (Freie Universität Berlin, 2008), with earlier studies in Korean Art History at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. She has held prestigious fellowships, including the ACLS Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard (2016–2018) and the Pony Chung Senior Fellowship (2023).

Stiller’s research focuses on late Chosŏn and Koryŏ periods, exploring topics like monk portraits, Buddhist fundraising networks, and pilgrimage sites. Her work challenges assumptions about the decline of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, highlighting its enduring role in elite and popular culture. She has published widely in journals such as *The Journal of Asian Studies*, *Religions*, and *Artibus Asiae*, and curated digital projects like the *Autographic Atlas of Korea*.

Her awards include the 2021 Patricia Buckley Ebrey Prize for *Carving Status at Kŭmgangsan* and the 2020 J. Michael Young Advisor Award. Current projects include studies on premodern Buddhist patronage networks and gender dynamics in monastic portraits.