Melody Rod-ari
Associate Professor of Art History Loyola Marymount University
Media
Biography
Education
Boston University
B.A.
Art History & Museum Studies
Boston University
M.A.
Art History & Museum Studies
2004
University of California, Los Angeles
Ph.D.
Art History
2010
Social
Areas of Expertise
Industry Expertise
Affiliations
- Association for Asian Studies
- American Council for Southern Asian Art
- College Art Association
Links
- Angkor Wat (a Smarthistory essay)
- Bamiyan Buddhas (a Smarthistory essay)
- Jowo Rinpoche, Jokhang Temple (a Smarthistory essay)
- Hinduism and Buddhism: An Introduction (a Smarthistory essay)
- The Emerald Buddha and Pandemics (a Smarthistory essay)
- Angkor Thom, the Great City (a Smarthistory essay)
- The Bayon: A Temple with Many Faces (a Smarthistory essay)
- Ban Chiang, a pre-historic archaeological site (a Smarthistory essay)
- The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand (a Smarthistory essay)
- Wat Phra Kaew (a Smarthistory essay)
- Thailand: The Symbolic Center of the Theravada Buddhist World
Languages
- Thai
- English
Media Appearances
Whose Art is it Anyway?
LAist: Airtalk with Larry Mantle radio
2024-05-20
In recent years, the topic of restitution has become a focal point in the art world, with a growing number of initiatives to return art to its country of origin. This process aims to address historical injustices, often linked to colonialism, war, and illicit trade, where many pieces were acquired without consent. However, repatriating also brings up complex legal, ethical and logistical issues, like establishing provenance and ensuring the proper care and display of returned items. “Objects of interest” have been identified at the Norton Simon Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and 90 in other California institutions, including 81 at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, according to a recent LA Times article published last month. What are the downsides and upsides of repatriating art? Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss repatriation is associate professor and chair of art history at Loyola Marymount University, Melody Rod-ari.
Why are hundreds of ancient Thai relics locked in legal limbo?
ABC Radio National: The Art Show with Daniel Browning radio
2023-11-07
A culture that flourished 3,500 years ago in Thailand. They made jewelry and ceramics, not war. You may never have heard of Ban Chiang —That’s possibly because the objects that tell the story of this fascinating archaeological site are in limbo, caught between voracious collectors, tomb-raiding locals and undercover federal agents. Art historian Dr Melody Rod-ari tells Daniel Browning of the Art Show.
Courses
Arts of Southeast Asia
This course is intended to familiarize students with the arts and architecture of Southeast Asia, focusing on the development of intercultural and interfaith relations in the region from pre-history to the present. While the Southeast Asian region encompasses fourteen sovereign states and dependent territories, this course will focus on the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam representing the mainland, and Indonesia and the Philippines representing the islands. The main point of this course is to show that although style, historical context and subject matter of the visual arts in each country was unique, artists producing these materials and their patrons were often driven by the same needs and interests as those of their neighboring nations.
This course fulfills the Interdisciplinary Connections part of the Core requirement.
Arts of Japan
This course is intended to familiarize students with the arts and architecture of Japan, beginning with the Neo-lithic period through to the present. The course will examine works of art and architectural monuments as well as include close readings of translated historical, religious and secular literature in addition to exploring the reception of particular art movements both at home and abroad.
The main point of this course is to explore the development and evolution of Japanese art through the centuries, while also examining how interactions with neighboring countries such as China and Korea influenced art making in the early periods and later interactions with Europe and America on the art of modern Japan.
Arts of India
This course is intended to familiarize students with the arts and architecture of India, focusing on the periods of art making from the prehistoric periods to the present. Specifically, the course will examine the artistic traditions of the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, Rajput Courts, art under British colonial-rule, art after Independence as well as examine the works of select contemporary Indian artists. The goal of this course is to provide you with a solid foundation in the arts and architecture of India and the major historical, social and religious movements that affected the production of art the Indian subcontinent.
Arts of Asia
The Arts of Asia is intended to familiarize students with the arts and architecture of Asia, focusing on the development and spread of Buddhism, which was adopted throughout the continent. The countries of India, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines will be examined. The course will begin in pre-historic Asia through modern Asia. The main point of this course is to show that although style, historical context and subject matter of the visual arts in each country was unique, artists producing these materials and their patrons were often driven by the same needs and interests as those of their neighboring nations.
This course fulfills the Interdisciplinary Connections part of the Core requirement.
History of Museums
This course examines the history of the museum from its beginnings in the ancient world as a space where ideas could be exchanged to its present incarnation as an institution of culture, education and community building. Beginning with the concept of collecting, the course will examine the role of merchants, missionaries and crusaders from both the East and the West as early “collectors” and the perception of the objects that were brought back from their travels. The class will also examine how the organization of newly discovered species and acquired curiosities into taxonomic categories later influenced science in the age of the Enlightenment and the development of the fields of natural history, anthropology and art history. The course will not only examine the different types of museums that emerged by the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (anthropological, encyclopedic, natural history), but also make use of the vibrant museum culture in Los Angeles by visiting select museums.
First Year Seminar: Who Owns Art?
Who Owns Art? examines the history of collecting in Europe and America during late 19th and early 20th centuries. The course will examine specific cultural patrimony cases such as the ongoing debate over the return of the Parthenon sculptures currently in the collection of the British Museum. Specifically, the class will explore questions such as: should the sculptures be returned to Greece where they once adorned the Parthenon temple, or should they remain in the British Museum where greater numbers of visitors have access to them? This seminar is for students who are interested in learning about cultural patrimony, art law, and the world of collecting and museums. Students will have opportunities to visit local museum collections such as the Norton Simon Museum, LACMA and the Getty Villa.
