Dr Sheila K. Hoffman, Art Historian & Iconologist

A native of New Mexico, Sheila K. Hoffman has lived in 5 different countries and wandered through more than a dozen others as a trained art historian, museologist, iconologist. A former museum curator. She refers to herself as, “A female Robert Langdon (minus the tweed) with a museum fetish and a passion for all things archeo-religious. A curatorial-jedi and tech padawan. A sci-fi geek and an incurable explorer. A culinary crusader, foodie adventurer and mediocre cook.” But her quirky disposition is paired with an excellent academic background.

Sheila has not one, but two Ph.Ds. On from the Université de Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne in art history and the other fromUniversité du Québec à Montréal in Museology, Heritage and Cultural Mediation. Her research is on how digital technologies can be used to capture, preserve and disseminate world heritage. In 2013, she was named as one of Canada’s prestigious Vanier Graduate Scholars for her proposed dissertation. She has also authored several books and articles, including an acclaimed examination of indigenous pottery of the Southwestern United States. She currently serves as a Regional Representative on the Board of Directors and chairs the subcommittee on Ethics for CurCom, the National (US) Curators Committee. From ancient symbols to digital culture, Sheila believes fiercely in the power of cultural images and objects to transform our understanding of the world we share.