Sheila Dillon

Sheila Dillon is the Anne Murnick Cogan Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History at Duke University, affiliated with the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. She holds dual roles in the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies and the Classical Studies program. Her research focuses on Greek and Graeco-Roman portraiture, public sculpture, and ancient urban landscapes, particularly in Delos, Athens, and Samothrace. Dillon has held leadership roles, including Department Chair (2014–2021) and Director of Undergraduate Studies (2024–present). She earned a Ph.D. in Classical Art and Archaeology from New York University (1994) and has been honored with awards such as the James R. Wiseman Book Award (2008).

Her expertise spans digital humanities, women in art, and Hellenistic sculptural practices. Recent work includes studies on portrait statues in Roman Athens and Delos, emphasizing honorific practices and spatial contexts. She co-edited A Companion to Women in the Ancient World (2012) and authored The Female Portrait Statue in the Greek World (2010). Dillon’s global research engages sites in Greece and Turkey, and she has contributed to initiatives like the Digital Art History and Visual Culture Lab.

• Education: Ph.D. (1994), M.A. (1989) in Classical Art & Archaeology from NYU; B.A. (1987) in Art History from Rutgers University.
• Research Interests: Portraiture, public sculpture, ancient urban spaces, digital archaeology, gender representation in antiquity.

Awards include the NEH Fellowship for University Teachers (2005) and recognition for Ancient Greek Portrait Sculpture (2006). Her teaching includes advanced seminars on art historical methodology and grant writing. Dillon’s professional service includes editorships, conference organizing, and roles in the Archaeological Institute of America and American School of Classical Studies.