Karen McCluskey

Dr Karen McCluskey is an Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame Australia, School of Arts & Sciences, Sydney Campus. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney (2006), an MA from Queen’s University (Canada), and a BFA and BA from McMaster University (Canada). Her research focuses on European medieval art, particularly faith, hagiography, and lived religion. She leads projects such as 'Art and Lived Religion: 800-1800' and 'Experiencing Books of Hours: Manuscripts as Cognitive Environments.' Her 2020 monograph New Saints in Late-Mediaeval Venice, 1200-1500 and a 2022 chapter on disability in art highlight her contributions. She is a Fellow of the Research Council of Finland's Centre of Excellence in the History of Experiences.

Her work bridges art history with interdisciplinary methodologies, emphasizing manuscripts as cognitive environments and the intersection of art with disability studies. Teaching and research interests span medieval European art, hagiographic traditions, and the material culture of religious practices.