The USC Center for Visual Anthropology (CVA) is a center located at the University of Southern California. It is dedicated to the field of visual anthropology, incorporating visual modes of expression in the academic discipline of anthropology. It does so in conjunction with faculty in the anthropology department through five types of activities: training, research and analysis of visual culture, production of visual projects, archiving and collecting, and the sponsorship of conferences and film festivals.
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The CVA was founded and directed by Ira Abrams[1][2] in collaboration with Barbara Myerhoff. [3] Tim Asch took over as director of the CVA in 1983. In 1984, he collaborated with the USC School of Cinematic Arts to create the MAVA degree (Master of Arts in Visual Anthropology), a 2-3 year terminal Masters program unique in its emphasis on both textual and visual media (film and photography) as components of an academically grounded research project. [3] Asch served as director of the CVA until his death in 1994. In 2001, the MAVA program was merged into a Certificate in Visual Anthropology given alongside the Ph.D. in Anthropology. For a number of years, the CVA served as the west coast venue for the Margaret Mead Film Festival. [4][5]
In the fall of 2009, a new digitally based program was created as a one year MA program in Visual Anthropology that moved the older program's emphasis on analog technologies to the digital age. [3] This program is again based on a collaboration with the USC School of Cinematic Arts, through the Institute for Multimedia Literacy. [3]