Lisa Ciresi

Lisa Ciresi is an Associate Professor of Art History in the Department of English, the Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB), affiliated with the School of Humanities & Social Sciences. She is based in Library Room 253 on the Bluffton campus and teaches a range of courses in Western art history.

Her research focuses on sacred and devotional art of the High Middle Ages, particularly the liturgical use and symbolic significance of medieval reliquaries and their architectural contexts. She has conducted extensive research in Germany, including a post-doctoral fellowship with DAAD and a research associate position at the University of Hamburg.

Her recent publication, 'Maria Ecclesia: The Aachen Marienschrein as an alternate body for the Virgin Mary,' explores the theological embodiment in medieval reliquaries. She is currently working on a manuscript titled 'Foundations of a sacred empire: the 13th Century Cerational site of Charlemagne in Aachen' under contract with Brill Academic Publishers.

Lisa Ciresi earned her PhD in Art History from Rutgers University in 2003, following an MA (1997) and BA (1989) from the same institution. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and a DAAD post-doctoral fellowship for her research in Germany.

Scientific Awards:

• Fulbright Scholar (Germany)
• Post-doctoral Fellowship from German Academic Exchange Program (DAAD)

She advises independent studies and mentors students through ARTH B299, and is actively involved in community outreach by delivering public lectures for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and local communities in Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head Island. She contributes to continuing education and public engagement in the arts.

Her teaching includes foundational and advanced courses such as:

• ARTH B105 - History of Western Art I
• ARTH B106 - History of Western Art II
• ARTH B315 - History of Medieval Art
• ARTH B320 - History of Italian Renaissance Art
• ARTH B335 - History of 20th Century Art
• ARTH B390a - Topics in Art History: Beaufort Three Centuries
• ARTH B299 - Independent Study