Profiles
Mathieu Viau-Courville, Researcher, Musée de la civilisation, Québec
I was immediately attracted to the Sainsbury Centre as a unique research institution where, as a SRU research student, I could combine my art historical background with my interests in anthropology and archaeology. The time spent there was most pivotal. Throughout my doctoral years, the Centre fostered learning and exchange opportunities with a very supportive and accessible world-class interdisciplinary faculty and fellow postgraduate students alike – many of us still in touch today! Dr George Lau, my thesis advisor, provided me with both solid support and offered the flexibility to pursue my ideas in an original and independent manner. That this research was conducted in a stunning building, surrounded daily by objects from around the world, certainly proved inspirational. Generous SRU funding enabled me to spend much time in the field, gathering crucial new materials for my research, but also building strong ties with international communities, in South America especially. This complemented and enriched my training, and led to my job at the Musée de la civilisation right after the completion of my PhD.
Boris Wastiau, Director of the Museum of Ethnography, Geneva
I
moved to Norwich in 1992 for an MA in Advanced Studies in Non-Western Art at the
Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. It was
then a big move for me and the discovery of a new study and research culture.
Bridging anthropology and art history, this training proved very valuable and I
particularly appreciated the international background of both staff and
students. Continuous support is what I appreciated most!
I had my first
successful job application and left in 1996, when I was only beginning to write
up my Ph.D. dissertation. After eleven years as curator of central African
ethnography at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Belgium), I moved to the
Museum of Ethnography in Geneva, first as curator for Africa and the Americas,
and since February 2009 as director of the institution. I am alway impressed to
find so many alumni of the SRU and of the School in the museums that I visit!
Fiona Sheales, Curator of West African Collections, British Museum, London
I spent three years studying for my undergraduate degree at the School of World Art and Museology (WAM) and a further four years at the Sainsbury Research Unit (SRU) studying for my Masters and Doctoral degrees. The School provided me with a very friendly and supportive environment in which to study and the collections of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (SCVA) were very inspirational.
The unique interdisciplinary approach to the study of non-western art and the practical skills that I learned during this period continue to be used by me every day in my job as Curator of the West African collections at the British Museum. In this role I continue to have contact with existing SRU students and alumni who now work within the museums and heritage sector in the UK and internationally.
Mathieu Viau-Courville, Researcher, Musée de la civilisation, Québec (SRU PhD).
Boris Wastiau, Director of the Museum of Ethnography, Geneva (SRU MA and PhD).
Fiona Sheales, Curator of West African Collections, British Museum, London
(SRU MA and PhD).