Sally J. Cornelison

Sally J. Cornelison is a Professor and Director of the Florence Graduate Program in Italian Renaissance Art at Syracuse University's Department of Art and Music Histories within the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from the Courtauld Institute of Art (1998), an M.A. from Syracuse University (1993), and a B.A. from the University of Missouri (1988). Her research focuses on late medieval and Renaissance religious art, particularly the cult of saints and relics, and the works of Giorgio Vasari. She has curated major exhibitions such as 'Giorgio Vasari and Court Culture in Late Renaissance Italy' (2012–2013) and authored influential books including Art and the Relic Cult of St. Antoninus in Renaissance Florence (2012) and Vasari and the Sacred Image (forthcoming).

Her recent articles explore Vasari's altarpieces, refectory art, and religious renovation projects in Arezzo. Cornelison has secured grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Getty Research Institute, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. She teaches courses on Italian Renaissance art, sacred architecture, and global Renaissance studies, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to art history and material culture.

Her academic contributions include co-editing Mendicant Cultures in the Medieval and Early Modern World (2016) and serving as a leading scholar on Vasari's artistic legacy. She actively participates in conferences and public lectures, bridging academic research with public engagement through initiatives like the Syracuse University Alumni Academy.