Spotlight on Keith Sarver, BFA’93, BA’94, MA’97

Story by Jenny Drastura

Keith Sarver took an active role in art projects and student activities during his years at Marshall. As a graduate student, he helped create the art association, Artatak, to encourage communication and cooperation between art students and the community. He also worked as an instructor and computer lab assistant, and helped with exhibition installation in the Birke Art Gallery.

“All of these activities gave me invaluable experience and helped me develop skills for living abroad,” said Keith. “The most important skills were learning to communicate and work with people of diverse backgrounds, and also, ingenuity, creativity and patience!”

After graduating from Marshall, Keith was awarded a Fulbright Grant as a teaching assistant. He taught conversational English at two high schools in Paris, Lycée Arago and Lycée Technique Boulle.

He currently lives in Maisons-Alfort, a suburb of Paris. “I have been here for seven years now, doing many things, as is usual for those who know me,” Keith said. “I work part-time for Paris International, a company that provides tours and interpreters for an international clientele. For them, I am maintaining web sites, as well as doing some graphic design. I am also an Internet rater for LionBridge Technologies Inc., a job I perform online from home. And last, I am a group leader of English conversations for a small private company called Konversando, where I work about 12 hours per week with participants of various levels.” He has also had the opportunity to participate in a couple of group art exhibitions, and recently won second prize in an emblem design contest for LG Electronics Inc.

“Unfortunately I have been unable to continue much drawing and painting, though it's my continuing dream to find time and a studio to do so,” Keith added. A selection of his photos from travels around Europe and Africa can be seen on his website (www.keithsarver.com).

“One of my activities is my non-profit cultural association I created with a French friend about three years ago, Paris Terra Cultures. We decided to create an online catalogue/directory of the cultural heritage for every country of the world, and an arena for cultural exchange and support for expatriates of all nationalities. This keeps me busy in my ‘free time’ as I am the webmaster, graphic designer and treasurer.”

For Keith, living and working in a foreign country can be difficult. For the first couple of years, the language barrier was his biggest challenge, although he always had colleagues who could speak English. “When you don’t speak the local language so well, and you’re trying, it’s very fatiguing mentally,” Keith said. “You’re constantly making the effort to understand and be understood and attempting to concentrate at more than 100 percent. And, although France is a Western culture, many things are so different from the U.S. that even speaking the language fluently is not enough.” Keith added that finding common items can be very difficult. “Pop Tarts and corn bread mix are almost impossible to find, and when found, exorbitantly priced!”

Keith enjoys his life in France, visiting museums and galleries, wandering around and finding hidden corners in Paris and going frequently to concerts. He often takes trips to the countryside to discover more about the French, their country and their culture. The Lewisburg, W.Va., native finds time to come back to the states and visit.