Michelle A. Erhardt

Michelle A. Erhardt serves as Professor and Associate Dean of the School of the Arts at Christopher Newport University, where she also directs the Museum Studies program within the Department of Fine Art and Art History in the College of Arts and Humanities.

Her doctoral training in Italian Renaissance Art History from Indiana University and graduate studies in Medieval Art History from George Washington University form the foundation of her expertise. She holds a BA in Medieval Art History from the University of Michigan.

Professor Erhardt specializes in visual culture across Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods with focused research on Early Italian Renaissance painting techniques and gender representation in Franciscan religious imagery. Her teaching integrates Museum Studies methodology with study abroad programming to examine art historical contexts through primary source analysis.

As Associate Dean and Museum Studies Director, she oversees academic programming while maintaining active scholarship in iconographic analysis and museum pedagogy within the university's arts infrastructure.