Laura McCloskey Wolfe

Laura McCloskey Wolfe

Laura McCloskey Wolfe

Graduate Lecturer

Art History: Irish history and art history

Laura is a PhD candidate in art history at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and the recipient of an Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship. She has been a lecturer of history and art history at George Mason University since 2008, specializing in Irish history from pre-Christian to contemporary periods, Celtic art and mythology, and medieval Scotland. She has presented at numerous international conferences on the art of the Book of Durrow, the Book of Kells, and early medieval Irish manuscript traditions. Additional research interests include art historical and psychoanalytical approaches to the work of William Butler Yeats. Laura holds an M.A. in Irish Studies from Catholic University and a M.Ed. in Multilingual and Multicultural Education from George Mason University.

Selected Publications

Articles

  • McCloskey, Laura E. (2018). "Exploring Meditatio and Memoria in Ireland through the Book of Durrow:Theological and Artistic Traditions Intersect in Manuscript Illumination." Eolas: The Journal of the American Society of Irish Medieval Studies, Vol. 11.
  • McCloskey, Laura E. (2015). “Mindfulness as an Intervention for Improving Academic Success among Students with Executive Functioning Disorders.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, International Conference on New Horizons in Education, INTE 2014, 25-27 June 2014, Paris, France, 174 (February): 221–26. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.650.

Book Chapters

  • McCloskey, Laura E. (2014). "Echoes of Byzantium: Artistic Exchange between Ireland and the Mediterranean in the 5th to 8th Centuries as Evidenced in the Christ Enthroned page of the Book of Kells." In A. Andrews (Ed.), Travel, Contact, Exchange. Proceedings from the 34th Annual Medieval and Renaissance Forum at Plymouth State University (April 19-20, 2013). MA: The Public Heritage Institute at Regis College, PHI Press.
  • McCloskey, Laura E. (2012). "Love is Blindness: Reflections of Ascetic Monasticism in Irish 7th-10th Century Manuscript Illumination." In A. Andrews & Florio, R. (Eds.). Love, Friendship, Marriage. Proceedings from the 32nd Annual Medieval and Renaissance Forum at Plymouth State University (April 15-16, 2011). MA: The Public Heritage Institute at Regis College, PHI Press.

Book Reviews

  • McCloskey, Laura E. (2018). Review of Graphic Devices and the Early Decorated Book, by Michelle Brown et al. Early Medieval Europe. (forthcoming)

Grants and Fellowships

(Selected)

  • Terence Barry Prize for Best Graduate Paper in Irish Medieval Studies. American Society for Irish Medieval Studies, presented at the International Conference on    Medieval Studies, 2018. 
  • School of Rare Books Travel Grant: University of London, England.
  • Postgraduate Scholarship: Irish Research Council, Dublin, Ireland.
  • 2013-2014 Student mentoring grant: Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, GMU

Courses Taught

ARTH 101: Introduction to Art
ARTH 102: Symbols and Stories in Art: Celtic and Irish Mythology
ARTH 200: History of Western Art I
ARTH 303/HIST 388: Medieval Scotland
ARTH 340: Italian Renaissance Art
ARTH 399/ARTH 303/HIST 388: Celtic Art
ARTH 399/HIST388: Visualizing Irish Nationalism
ARTH 399/HIST 388: Medieval Irish Art and Culture
ARTH 430: Advanced Studies in Medieval Art
ARTH 593: Graduate Seminar in Medieval Irish Art

Recent Presentations

  • "Early Medieval Irish Manuscripts: Understanding the Decoration in the Book of Kells." Dublin Festival of History, Dublin Castle, Ireland, October 6, 2018.
  • "Visual Exegesis in Early Medieval Ireland: The Book of Durrow and the Book of Kells as Sacred Objects." The Irish Conference of Medievalists, (University College Cork, Ireland). June 28, 2018.
  • "Roman Artistic Influence in Early Christian Irish Manuscript Illumination." International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, Michigan). May 2018.
  • "Conjuring the Spirit: Exploring the Relationship between the Conscious and Unconscious Worlds in the Work of William Butler Yeats." International Yeats Society Symposium (New York City, NY), October 20-22, 2017.
  • "Exploring Meditatio and Memoria in Ireland through the Book of Durrow and the Book of Kells: Theological and Artistic Traditions Intersect in Manuscript Illumination." The American Society of Irish Medieval Studies, (Glenstal Abbey, Ireland). September 2017.
  • "The Book of Durrow and the Book of Kells: Mimesis, Synthesis, and Innovation in Irish Manuscript Illumination, 700-900 A.D.," 8th International Insular Art Conference (University of Glasgow, Scotland). July 2017.