Kelley Thomas Helmstutler, PhD

The University of Vermont (UVM) Alumni Association has named Kelley Thomas Helmstutler the 2023 recipient of the George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award. Dr. Di Dio is Rush C. Hawkins Professor of Art History, Executive Director of the School of the Arts, and Associate Dean in the UVM College of Arts and Sciences.

Each year, the Kidder Award honors one full-time University of Vermont faculty member for excellence in teaching and extraordinary contributions to the enrichment of campus life. Established in memory of Dr. George V. Kidder, UVM Class of 1922, this prestigious award has been presented annually since 1974. The late George Kidder served the University for more than 70 years, including as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

"Professor [Helmstutler] is the quintessential faculty member. She is known among her students and her peers as an outstanding teacher. Her passion for teaching is evident in the fact that even as an Associate Dean, she is compelled to teach because to not teach would leave her 'feeling empty' ... not only is Kelley an excellent teacher, in her role as Associate Dean she promoted the Arts leading to the dedication of the Michele and Martin Cohen Hall for the Integrative Creative Arts and the creation of the School of the Arts," said Bill Falls, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "Just as she motivates students to learn beyond the classroom walls, Kelley continually presses beyond her own."

Some of the comments received from students and faculty colleagues about Kelley during the nomination process include:

"Kelley values creativity and is understanding of students having different strengths and areas of growth academically. At the same time, she holds her students to a high standard so they challenge themselves...I appreciate that as someone who needed to be challenged." (Student)

"In teaching, Professor Helmstutler's classes are dynamic and relevant. She is the kind of instructor that engages and excites students about course material and its connections to the real world. Helmstutler is a changemaker, a mentor and a champion of her students and colleagues alike." (Colleague)

"Since graduating, there are few days I'm not reminded of Professor Helmstutler's classes. Her beautiful, rabid curiosity about all things art cemented her lessons to memory as did her high bar of excellence, making her classes some of the hardest. She held us to an exacting standard. The training helped make possible my current job in the arts." (Alumni)

Kelley specializes in Italian and Spanish sculpture of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. She has published six books (with three more forthcoming in 2023-24), twenty articles and essays, and many reviews. Her research has been supported by fellowships from the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Spain, the Ministry of Science and Innovation in Spain, the Kress Foundation, the Medici Archive Project, and Harvard's Center for Renaissance Studies "Villa I Tatti." Prof. Helmstutler has lectured at the Museo del Prado, Madrid; the Courtlauld Institute, London; the Instytut Stzuki PAN, Warsaw; the European Union Institute, Florence; the Biblioteca Hertziana, Rome; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Wallace Collection, London; the National Gallery of Art, Washington; the Istituto di Studi Rinascimentali, Ferrara; as well as at numerous universities and at conferences across Europe and North America. Kelley is also a well-respected campus leader, serving in a variety of roles at the School, College, and University levels.

Kelley earned a B.A. with honors in art history from Mary Washington College in 1993 a Master of Arts in Art History and Museum Studies in 1997 and a Doctor of Philosophy from Rutgers University in 2000. She has taught at the University of Vermont for 20 years. The UVM Alumni Association and previous Kidder Award recipients honored Dr. Helmstutler in a special ceremony in early November 2023.