About
Who We Are
Prof Brenda Schmahmann is the South African Research Chair in South African Art and Visual Culture (or the SARChI Chair in South African Art and Visual Culture). Hosted by the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) and integrated with its work, 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 fellows, postgraduate students and others working with her.
The spacious facilities of the SARChI Chair, including a small art gallery, are located at 33 Twickenham Avenue, Auckland Park, 2092 (opposite UJ Kingsway Campus).
The SARChI Chair hosts annual conferences as well as exhibitions and events.
What We Do
Research falling under the ambit of the SARChI Research Chair in South African Art and Visual Culture is primarily in art history. Work included here is also, however, in disciplines and fields which are cognate to it, such as design history, fashion theory and visual communication. Some postgraduates associated with the SARChI Chair are pursuing postgraduate qualifications in only theory while others involve art or design practice as well as theory.
The SARChI Research Chair in South African Art and Visual Culture is particularly interested in research and projects within the following three rubrics:
Gender and Visual Culture
Public Art, Curation and the Political of Representation in the Public Domain
Art and Design in the Context of Community Projects