Leesa Rittelmann

Dr. Leesa Rittelmann serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Art History at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where she teaches courses spanning visual culture, modern/contemporary art, and specialized topics in resistance studies. Her academic journey includes prior appointments as Visiting Assistant Professor at Hartwick College and Whitman College, alongside curatorial experience at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Art.

Her educational foundation comprises:

• Ph.D. in Art History, The University of Pittsburgh
• M.A. in Art History, The University of Pittsburgh
• B.S. in Museum Education, The Pennsylvania State University

Rittelmann's research critically examines visual culture through lenses of resistance and identity, with particular focus on Global Contemporary Art, Art and Resistance movements, and the History of Photography. Her scholarship reveals how marginalized communities weaponize visual media—from 19th-century photobooks to contemporary textile activism—challenging dominant narratives around race, gender, and national identity. This interdisciplinary approach bridges historical analysis with urgent contemporary issues, especially visible in her examination of craftivism's political dimensions.

Recent publications (2010-2022) demonstrate consistent thematic evolution toward activist art practices, with photography serving as the throughline connecting historical studies (Social Darwinism in 'In the Lines of the Face') to current movements (textile-based resistance in 'Gone Viral'). Her work increasingly centers Black visual culture and street art's origins while maintaining rigorous historical methodology.

Major scholarly recognition includes:

• Andrew W. Mellon Pre-Doctoral Fellowship (1998)
• D.A.A.D. Dissertation Scholarship (1997)
• F.L.A.S. Dissertation Fellowship (1995)

She actively secures external funding through competitive grants including dual Carnahan Jackson Foundation awards (2012, 2007) and SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines support (2011). While specific student mentorship details aren't public, her extensive course offerings—including specialized seminars on Black Art & Visual Culture and Street Art—indicate robust undergraduate engagement. Her curatorial work with the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery directly translates research into public exhibitions, creating unique experiential learning opportunities.

Though not leading a traditional laboratory, Rittelmann's scholarly ecosystem includes exhibition curation, international collaborations (particularly with German institutions), and community-engaged projects like the 'Gone Viral' textile art exhibition that bridges academic research with public discourse on medical science and activism.