Assistant Professor—Painting and Drawing

Assistant Professor—Painting and Drawing

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts)

Department of Painting + Printmaking

Position F10310

Full-time, 9-month tenure eligible position beginning August 2021

Application Deadline: Friday, January 22, 2021

The Opportunity:

The VCUarts Department of Painting + Printmaking (https://arts.vcu.edu/paintingprintmaking/) seeks a colleague for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor. The ideal candidate will be an artist, dynamic teacher, and broad thinker who is deeply connected to the practices and discourses of contemporary painting and drawing. We are seeking someone who wants to thoughtfully contribute to the progressive spirit of an established fine arts program. The successful candidate will be well versed in contemporary issues in painting and drawing and will offer students a framework through which these discourses and practices can be addressed. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a commitment to pedagogical projects and coursework that supports an inclusive, diverse, and accessible experience for all students. Additional interdisciplinary opportunities are available for an engaged colleague.

VCU and VCUarts:

As a preeminent national, urban, public research university and academic health center, Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to organizational diversity, equity and inclusion - an environment where all can thrive in their pursuit of excellence. As a top-ranked public university arts and design graduate school in the country by US News and World Report, VCUarts is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural and open environment. Those who have experiential learning through lived experiences and/or professional services that inform worldviews and/or perspectives about minority group status, to include race, age, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability are encouraged to apply.

VCUarts (https://arts.vcu.edu/) in Richmond, Virginia offers a variety of graduate and undergraduate degrees in design, fine and performing arts, art history, and art education, with a unique emphasis on creative immersion. Far more than receiving simply an education or preparation for a career; students leave VCUarts with the practical, professional and personal skills needed to make a life in the arts, no matter how they define it. That is why VCUarts’ programs emphasize both doing and knowing: why the majority of its faculty are working artists, designers, scholars, and performers and why they encourage students to take advantage of the many academic and intellectual opportunities that come with being part of a research university. Today, VCUarts graduates can be found throughout the academic and professional fields and have been recognized with everything from Emmys to MacArthur Fellowships.

VCUarts is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the National Association of Schools of Dance, the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of Schools of Theatre, the Virginia Department of Education, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education.

The school includes more than 3,000 students, and has become known as a pillar of artistic creation and expression. Its emerging artists explore their potential and strive for high standards set by faculty members acknowledged for their inspiration and achievement.

Major Responsibilities:

This position is a 9-month tenure-eligible faculty position in the Department of Painting + Printmaking, with an academic rank of Assistant Professor. Candidates should be able to teach painting and drawing at multiple levels, and will be expected to develop curriculum within a Painting + Printmaking department and engage in interdisciplinary avenues of collaboration.

Candidates should demonstrate a practice, and a teaching methodology, that addresses painting in the expanded field, overlapping with other media such as sculpture, installation, lens-based practices, digital technologies, design, or craft and material studies. Candidates should be equally fluent in contemporary painting discourse and multiple forms of studio practice. Candidates should be able to balance the conceptual, aesthetic and technical potential of the discipline, including the politics of representation.

The faculty member must have demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment and will have experience in developing or the potential to develop initiatives, mentoring, and teaching that makes a meaningful fine arts education accessible to underrepresented or disadvantaged groups. The successful colleague will demonstrate through research, teaching, and/or public engagement the richness of diversity in the learning experience and integrate multiple approaches and perspectives into instructional methods and research tools.

The preferred candidate will have an active artistic research practice and a substantial exhibition record. In addition, the ideal candidate will have an established career profile and be active in national and/or international contexts. The faculty member’s creative and research activity should make a significant contribution to a body of knowledge within an expanded definition of the discipline of fine as well as reflect a high standard of quality. Creative activities should be related to the program’s wider curriculum, be consistent with and support the broader mission and initiatives of the department, School, and University, and exhibit potential for or evidence of securing external funding for scholarship or creative expression.

As a member of a community-oriented, tight-knit department and School, the faculty member will provide service, including graduate student supervision; coordination of student activities and student exhibitions; serving on School/University committees; participating in open houses, portfolio reviews, and attending exhibition openings; and contributing to recruitment efforts for the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs. The faculty member will mentor student artists and foster collaborative curriculum and research across the arts and broader campus.

Qualifications:

Required

  • MFA or equivalent professional experience and/or training that equates to an MFA.
  • Active artistic practice.
  • Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.
  • Significant reputation in the field.
  • Demonstrated effectiveness in studio critique.
  • Minimum of one year of teaching experience beyond graduate school.


Preferred

  • Significant evidence of active engagement with contemporary art discourse.
  • Ability to attract high-caliber graduate students.
  • Record of community-engagement or social justice work.


Application Instructions:

To apply, please submit application materials via VCU eJobs at www.vcujobs.com. Only electronic applications submitted via eJobs will be accepted.

The following documents should be included:

As a preeminent national, urban, public research university and academic health center, Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to organizational diversity, equity and inclusion – an environment where all can thrive in their pursuit of excellence.

Applicants are requested to submit a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (typically between 150-300 words) providing your career aspirations and contributions toward promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through this statement, you can share how your lived experiences, and academic and professional activities will impact your contribute to VCU’s mission of promoting equity and inclusion.

Note: Examples include working with others to further the goals of equity and inclusion; leading in any capacity that tangibly promotes an environment where diversity is welcomed, fostered, and celebrated; creative activity, research and scholarship that promotes equity and parity; teaching and mentoring students, and/or engaging with faculty and/or staff from traditionally underrepresented groups to create a positive and successful organizational experience.

In addition, the following documents should also be included:

• A Letter of Interest that conveys relevant academic and professional experience;
• Current CV;
• A list of three current references including names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses (references will not be contacted prior to applicant’s approval);
• Portfolio of work— visual documentation conceptualizing research (20-30) and teaching, including examples of student work (20).

Application Instructions:

Application Instructions:
1. Statement of Contributions to Diversity should be submitted as a PDF in the “Diversity Statement” section of eJobs.
2. Letter of Interest should be submitted as a PDF in the “Cover Letter/Letter of Application” section in eJobs.
3. CV + list of three (3) references should be submitted as one PDF in the “Curriculum Vitae (CV)” section of eJobs.
4. Due to file size limitations, the portfolio of work should be submitted in the “Other Document” section of eJobs as an accessible link in a PDF that points to a website or cloud storage (with access instructions) to view all visual work.

Applications are due on Friday, January 22, 2021

To read more about VCUarts: http://arts.vcu.edu

Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing accessible and equitable living, learning and working environments free from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or disability.