UJ FADA Faculty Brochure 2022

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Prof Brenda Schmahmann is the SARChI Research Chair in South African Art and Visual
Culture. Hosted by the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture and integrated with the work
of the faculty, this prestigious position is funded by the Department of Science and Innovation
(DSI) and administered by the National Research Foundation (NRF). The SARChI Research
Chair serves as a forum for initiatives in research by not only Prof Schmahmann but also
postdoctoral research fellows, postgraduate students and others working with her.
Research falling under the ambit of the SARChI Research Chair in South African Art and Visual Culture is in art
history as well as disciplines and fields which are cognate to it, such as design history and fashion theory. With
particular expertise in gender, public art and the deployment of art and design in the context of community projects
in South Africa, those working under the ambit of the SARChI Chair produce research and acquire postgraduate
qualifications that have immediate social relevance and value. In a context where there is an imperative to re-write
histories and develop a richer understanding of South African identities, and where art museums are redefining
their collecting policies as well as seeking curatorial methods for visualising the past and present, there is a high
demand for the research and capacities of qualified visual theorists. Art historians and visual theorists are also vital
to the art gallery sector, where they play an immediate role in enabling markets for artists, as well as in aspects of
arts management. Programmes in art and design at South African secondary and tertiary institutions depend on
appropriately qualified and capable theorists who are able to offer instruction in histories about art, design and visual
culture, and the ways in which these potentially inform contemporary art and design practices.
In summary, then, the SARChI Research Chair in South African Art and Visual Culture provides a forum for
producing significant research with immediate social relevance and impact for the heritage, museum, gallery and
education sectors, while also developing a new generation of postgraduates with qualifications and capacities to
continue and expand this work.
DSI-NRF South African Research Chair in
South African Art and Visual Culture (SARChI)
Contact Details
Professor
Brenda Schmahmann
Email:
1
Physical Address
33 Twickenham Avenue
Auckland Park
Johannesburg
Intsikizi Tapestries by The Keiskamma Art Project