Melissa R. Kerin

Melissa R. Kerin is an associate professor of art history at Washington and Lee University, serving as director of the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics starting July 2024. She holds a BA from Trinity College, an MTS from Harvard Divinity School, and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research explores art's role in identity, cultural memory, and ethics, particularly in South Asian and Himalayan contexts.

Dr. Kerin has led initiatives like the Tibetan Shrine Project and co-curated 'Buddha’s Picnic' at W&L’s Staniar Gallery. She co-organized the 2017 'Ethics of Acquiring Cultural Heritage Objects' conference, bridging disciplines like archaeology, law, and ethics. Her grants include NEH fellowships and ACLS support for studies on Himalayan patron portraits.

Awarded the Edward C. Dimock Jr. Book Prize for 'Art and Devotion,' she is currently completing 'Bodies of Offerings,' examining Tibetan shrines. She has advised the Mudd Center’s lecture series and ethics programming, emphasizing community engagement with ethical dilemmas in art and society.