Melissa Ragona

Melissa Ragona is an Associate Professor of Art History & Theory at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), School of Art. She teaches courses in MFA Academic Seminar, Modern/Contemporary Visual Culture surveys, and advanced seminars on art history, film, sound, and critical theory. Her research interrogates intersections between sound design, film theory, and new media technologies, emphasizing their historical and aesthetic dimensions in time-based arts.

Her current book project, Readymade Sound: Andy Warhol’s Recording Aesthetics, examines Warhol’s mid-1960s to late-1970s audio experiments alongside contemporary data practices. Notable essays include analyses of Hollis Frampton’s sound montage strategies, Marie Menken’s cinematic transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art, and Paul Sharits’ sound-driven film techniques. She has contributed to publications like October and Art Papers, and co-organized exhibitions like Back Again at RISD.

Ragona’s academic engagements extend to symposia on the “Sonic Turn” in art history and guest lectures at institutions like Columbia University. Her work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary media practices, offering frameworks for understanding intersections between technology, art, and cultural narratives.