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About Me

I am a queer, disabled, and neurodivergent public historian, religious researcher, and museum worker based in the Washington, DC area. I am interested in religious material cultures with a focus on the intersections of gender, sexuality, and identity, specifically queer religious identity, community, and art. I love researching and writing these topics, and collecting and preserving the histories of marginalized and underrepresented communities.

I am also passionate about fighting ableism inside and outside of museums. I am a trained accessibility service coordinator and audio describer, previously providing these services for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and private events including weddings. I have also written about sensory maps as a key resource for disabled museum workers and historians, like myself.

Recent Publications

ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS 

Guzek, Damian, Jan Słomka, and Emma Cieslik. “Digital, Hybrid and Traditional Media Consumption and Religious Reflection.” Central European Journal of Communication 17, no. 3 (2024): p. 349.

Cieslik, Emma. “A Space to Offer: Challenging Normative Museum Behavior and Welcoming Diverse Religious Experiences in Cultural Heritage Institutions,” Exhibition (Fall 2024), Vol. 43, No. 2.

Cieslik, Emma. “Documenting the Divine: The Future of Sacred Objects in Museum Databases.” Collections (2024): 15501906241232426.

Cieslik, Emma. “Accessibility and Exhibit Safety: The Importance of Sensory Maps.” Collections (2024): 15501906241232310.

Cieslik, Emma. “Disrupting Individualism Through the Intimate: A Review of ‘The Efficacy of Intimacy and Belief in Worldmaking Practices’ (Routledge, 2024).” The Jugaad Project, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2023, www.thejugaadproject.pub/disrupting-individualism 

Guzek, Damian, Jan Słomka, and Emma Cieslik. “Exploring Twenty-First-Century Catholic Traditionalist Resistance Movement through Digital Cartoons of Pope Francis.” Open Theology 9, no. 1 (2023): 20220231.

Cieslik, Emma. “Caring for the Body and Spirit of Altars: An Ethical Exploration.” The Jugaad Project 5, no. 1 (2023): 223-228.

Cieslik, Emma and Robert Phillips. “Veiled Heads, Venerating Hearts: The Return of Veiling among US Catholics Post Vatican II.” International Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Society 12, no. 2 (2022).

Cieslik, Emma and Robert Phillips. ““You’re My First Jew:” University Student and Professor Experiences of Judaism in a Small Indiana City.” Contemporary Jewry 41, no. 2 (2021): 325-348.

PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP

“Why Are People Worshipping the Virgin Mary as a Goddess?,” SAPIENS, April 30, 2025

“Radical Queer Intimacy: An Interview with Gay Curator Jon Horrocks about ‘Queer Love,’” WhiteHot Magazine, April 26, 2025. 

“Legalizing Conversion Therapy Sets a Dangerous Precedent for Medical Violence,” Ms. Magazine, April 24 2025. 

“Labours of Love: A Celebration of Queerness,” Metal Magazine, April 10, 2025. 

“Zine Archives Preserve Trans Survival and Storytelling,” Atlas Obscura, March 31, 2025. 

“Portraits of Angels: An Interview with Queer Artist Leonard Baby about ‘The Babys,’” WhiteHot Magazine, March 22, 2025. 

“Controversial Mexico City Exhibit Raises Questions about Art, Faith, and Censorship,” National Catholic Reporter, March 15, 2025. 

“Trump Attacks Queer Communities Using Nazi Symbolism,” Ms. Magazine, March 14, 2025. 

“10 of Our Favorite Artifacts from the Museum of Transology,” them, March 13, 2025. 

“Which of Your Possessions Belongs in a Trans Museum?” Autostraddle, March 11, 2025. 

“‘I came to minister to everyone:’ RHP commemorates Women’s History Month with profile of Rev. Dr. Candace Shultis,” Rainbow History Project, March 8, 2025. 

“In Appalachia, Women Carry Traditions in Folk Magic and ‘Granny Witchcraft,’” Smithsonian Magazine, March 7, 2025. 

“Montana’s Latest Anti-Trans Bill Has Disturbing Parallels With 19th Century Eugenics Laws,” Ms. Magazine, March 3, 2025. 

“Culture of Kurenti: Cleveland’s Fearsome Monsters of Slovenian Winter,” Folklife Magazine, February 28, 2025. 

“‘This pamphlet is my stigmata:’ An Interview with Lesbian Poet and Artist Danielle Wilde about ‘Saint Joan of BFD,’” WhiteHot Magazine, February 18, 2025. 

“Marc Vallée: Portraits of Queer Friendship,” Metal Magazine, February 18, 2025. 

“How Queer Quilts Can Act as Archives of Trans Joy,” Diva Magazine, February 12, 2025. 

“Rebranded as ‘Biblical Counseling,’ Conversion Therapy is ‘A Colonizing Effort’ — A Q&A with the Author of ‘Shame-Sex Attraction,” Religion Dispatches, February 7, 2025. 

“‘I see God in you:’ RHP Commemorates Black History Month with Profile of Rev. Dr. Rainey Cheeks,” Rainbow History Project, February 5, 2025. 

“Our Lady of Champion: America’s own Marian miracle is a story of immigrants, service and survival,” America, November 27, 2024. 

“How Trans Covens and Nonbinary Witches Are Reshaping Tradition for the Future of the Craft,” them, November 1, 2024. 

“Inside the fight to make Audio Description a non-negotiable part of the film industry,” Little White Lies, November 1, 2024. 

“There’s a New Paranormal Museum in Town,” Hyperallergic, October 30, 2024. 

“Death as a Child: The Modern Legend of the Black-Eyed Children,” Atlas Obscura, October 16, 2024. 

“The Troubling History Behind JD Vance’s Natalism,” National Catholic Reporter, October 15, 2024. 

“Death as a Dog: The Cù Sith of Scotland,” Atlas Obscura, October 9, 2024. 

“Death as a Woman: The Accabadora of Sardinia,” Atlas Obscura, October 2, 2024. 

“The Afterlives of Buttons and the Visionary Fashion of Beau McCall,” Smithsonian Folklife Magazine, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, September 6, 2024. 

“Why Swiss Christians once nibbled on the Mother of the Christ,” Gastro Obscura, September 4, 2024. 

“Eyes, skulls and compasses: Freemasonry symbolism,” ArtUK, August 6 2024. 

“Saint Sylvia’s Feast Day: A Reflection on MCCNY’s Tribute to a Trans Icon,” WhiteHot Magazine, August 4, 2024. 

“The Olympics Drag Scene Got Christian Art History Right,” Hyperallergic, July 30, 2024. 

“Setting the table: depictions of Christ’s Last Supper,” ArtUK, July 9, 2024. 

“Wilgefortis, patron saint for the LGBTQ+ community,” U.S. Catholic, June 21, 2024. 

“Gender diversity has always been part of the church,” U.S. Catholic, June 3, 2024. 

“Catholic trad wives pose a formidable political and religious force,” National Catholic Reporter, May 17, 2024. 

“What is Blewish Cooking? Imani Jackson Blends Black and Jewish Cuisine.” Smithsonian Folklife Magazine, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, May 6, 2024. 

“Lavendar Mass and the art of serious parody in protest, Part 3 of our series on the history of LGBTQ religion in D.C.” Washington Blade, April 6, 2024. 

“Conflict and profound loss: The AIDS epidemic and religoius protest. Part 2 of our series on the history of LGBTQ religion in D.C.” Washington Blade, April 5, 2024. 

“A brief history of LGBTQ religion in DC: Road to inclusion gained momentum in the 1960s,” Washington Blade, April 4, 2024. 

“Why Swedish children celebrate Easter by dressing up as witches,” National Geographic, March 29, 2024. 

“A Prayer for Queer Futures, A Review of Frances Marshall’s Queer Religion (2023-2024),” WhiteHot Magazine, March 6, 2024. 

“‘Our true Mother’ – interpreting a genderqueer Jesus.” ArtUK, January 24, 2023. 

“The Medieval Cult of Mary’s Hair.” Medievalist.net, December 25, 2023.

“‘Pure White’ Examines the White Supremacist Origins of Evangelical Purity Culture.” Religion Dispatches, December 18, 2023. 

“Meet Turoń, Poland’s Dancing Bull-Beast of Winter.” Atlas Obscura, December 15, 2023. 

“The Madonna di Montevergine, mother of LGBTQ Catholics,” U.S. Catholic, November 9, 2023. 

“Soap Sally, a Villain of Appalachia and the American South, Echoes Old World Evil,” Atlas Obscura, October 30, 2023. 

“The Queer Witches of Appalachia,” Belt Magazine, October 30, 2023. 

“How Slavic Witches Are Reclaiming Their Culture and Native Religion,” Smithsonian Folklife Magazine, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, October 25, 2023. 

“Disrupting Museum Behavior: An Exploration of the Art Institute of Chicago’s ‘Cripping the Galleries,’” Alliance Blog, American Alliance of Museums, October 6, 2023. 

“In the footsteps of Queer Folk Magic and Ancestor Worship,” Auxiliary Magazine, Fall 2023 Issue, October 4, 2023. 

“Queer Homecoming at the Leslie-Lohman Museum in NYC,” WhiteHot Magazine, September 12, 2023. 

“The Virgin and the vulva: sexual imagery and the Mother of God,” ArtUK, August 31, 2023. 

“Appalachian Folk Magic: Generations of ‘Granny Witchcraft’ and Spiritual Work,” Smithsonian Folklife Magazine, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, August 15, 2023. (#1 read article in 2023)

“In Altar Installations, Loni Johnson Cultivates Space for Ancestral Spiritual Memory,” Smithsonian Folklife Magazine, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, July 17, 2023. 

“What Happens When Catholic Medals Become Mainstream Jewelry,” SAPIENS, July 11, 2023. 

“Coptic Women Sing Too: The Power of Raising Coptic Orthodox Women’s Voices,” Smithsonian Folklife Magazine, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, June 27, 2023. 

“Natural Wonder, Beaten Artistry: Tapa Cloths produced in Hawai’i.” The GW Museum and The Textile Museum Collection Stories Blog, March 19, 2022.

“Digital shadows: what happens to an artefact’s data after it is restituted?” The Art Newspaper, March 8, 2023. 

“Easter Egg Roll at the White House: A Time Capsule of America’s Racial and Religious History.” Evolution D.C. from the Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies, December 14, 2022. 

With Bernard Schlager. “The need to chronicle and preserve queer Catholic history.” Outreach, December 9, 2022.

“The Lesser of Two Evils: The Ethical Conundrum of Deaccessioning.” MuseumNext, October 26, 2021. 

OUTREACH AND ONLINE EXHIBITS

“Writing a disabled peoples’ bill of rights,” National Museum of American History Blog, September 11, 2024.

“Looking past the scandalous covers of lesbian pulp novels,” National Museum of American History Blog, June 3, 2024.

 “What Beekman Place means to me.” National Museum of American History Blog, February 22, 2024.

“LGBTQ+ Religion in the Capital,” online exhibition and collecting initiative for the Rainbow History Project. Developed with materials held by the Rainbow History Project, this initiative works in partnership with DC Center Faith.

“Beads of faith: Exploring the diversity of American rosaries in the museum’s collection.” National Museum of American History blog, September 28, 2022.

“How a Jewish female textile artist folded her identities into a challah cover.” National Museum of American History blog, June 30, 2022.

“Servant of God: How a 1960s magazine addressed gay men’s spiritual needs.” National Museum of American History blog, May 6, 2022.

“Docent’s Choice Tour: Preserving Stories,” virtual tour developed by Emma Cieslik, Jean Gadziola, and Richard Ruh. Published in Vimeo by the David Owsley Museum of Art.

“Queer Spaces.” Digital exhibit panel featured in Midwestern Stories online exhibition, April 2021.

“Docent’s Choice Tour: Pushing Boundaries,” virtual tour developed by Emma Cieslik, Bea Sousa, and Brenda Kogiones. Published in Vimeo by the David Owsley Museum of Art.

Media Coverage

Social Media

Country Focus

United States, Poland

Expertise by Geography

Expertise by Chronology

Expertise by Topic

Disability, Gender, Libraries & Archives, Material Culture, Museums, Public History, Religion, Science, Sexuality, Women