Texas Tech University

J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts

School of Art

Position Announcement

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN ART FOUNDATIONS

Position Number: T96608

Appointment: Tenure track, beginning fall 2020

Application Deadline: Review of applicants will begin October 15 and will continue until the position is filled

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Major/Essential Functions:

The Texas Tech University J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts, in collaboration with the School of Art, is accepting applications for a tenure track faculty position as Assistant Professor of Art Foundations. This position is tenure track for a nationally or internationally prominent artist with a commitment to helping to guide the foundations program to national distinction and nurturing the next generation of artists/educators/scholars enrolled in the School of Art. The successful candidate will begin service in this tenure track full-time position at the beginning of the 2020 fall semester.

Position Requirements:

MFA or equivalent professional experience or substantial experience in related fields. Experience teaching at the university level. Record of professional activity and or research that demonstrates emerging or established national/international recognition in the field of art is paramount. Candidate will continue professional research that is relevant to their current and future practice in art. Working knowledge of current practice and theory in foundations/first-year students with a vision towards future developments. Commitment to quality, student-centered education and working as a team member. A demonstrated and ongoing commitment to serving diverse student populations, and strong evidence of the ability and desire to perform service: duties include, but are not limited to, recruiting, program-building, and commitment to extra-curricular activities in the department, college, the university, and the community.

Responsibilities include teaching a course load spanning 2D Design and 3D Design, training graduate students to teach course sections and participation in organizing School of Art outreach activities to high schools. Additional duties include consulting with the faculty on programs, curriculum, managing studio classrooms, and attending university-wide meetings.

The TTU SOA Art Foundations program values critical thinking, technical dexterity, and interdisciplinary approaches. We promote both depth and breadth: students are encouraged to investigate ideas and materials thoroughly. We provide academic mentorship and resources to fortify students’ creative practice.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience working with diverse student populations and first-generation students. The ability to form partnerships within and outside of the university, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The ideal candidate will have superior technical and conceptual skills, facility with contemporary theory and an active record of creative practice that includes community engagement and/or collaboration. Familiarity with current and cutting edge practices and practitioners across disciplines.

Position Description:

The successful candidate will be well versed in, and able to work with students on conceptual development, ideation, craft and theoretical thinking consistent with the program's curriculum. With regard to artistic research, the ideal candidate’s work will demonstrate conceptual, material sensitivity and formal strengths. We are interested in contemporary art and design practices that consider technology, social practice and interdisciplinary collaboration. Expertise and skills in physical computing, 3d modeling, video, robotics, fine art animation is a plus. A minimum of 3 years’ teaching experience at the university or college level is preferred. 

• Demonstrate the ability to teach 2d and 3d Design and continue to engage in nationally/internationally recognized creative/professional practice, exhibiting and/or scholarship.
• Embrace new forms of critically engaged disciplinary practice/scholarship in the evolving field of foundations and the first-year experience.
• As a collaborative departmental citizen, actively participate in departmental, college and university service, including committee work and academic support services such as portfolio reviews, high school outreach, recruitment of students into the program; program review (including implementation and assessment of outcomes); maintaining the foundation’s accreditation with NASAD and student advising, supervision of student organizations, and participation in sponsored off-campus activities.
• Work well with colleagues within and outside the School, particularly in building interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Where appropriate, demonstrate the potential to bring external funding to the School/College
• Be aware of and follow all university policies

The School of Art is NASAD accredited and offers the BA in Art History, BA in Art, the BFA in Studio Art, Graphic Design, and Visual Studies (teacher certification), the MAE, the MFA in Studio Art, MA in Art History, and the Ph.D. in Fine Arts with a major in Art termed “Critical Studies and Artistic Practice.” A faculty of 31 full-time professors serves approximately 250 undergraduate students and 60 students involved in graduate study. The School has many prominent alumni, including Caleb Bennett, John Hitchcock, Rob Wilson, Ken Little, Real Musgrave, Lana Rigsby, and Cole Welter. Technical and administrative support includes a total of 13 staff positions. The School’s Visual Resource Center maintains art reference books, current art periodicals, instructional media, digital classrooms, and a legacy slide collection, as well as an expanding collection of digital images for teaching and research. Additional images are available through ARTStor and online at the university library. The program also supports the Landmark Arts Galleries and the Standing Room Only Photography Gallery (SRO). For more information, visit www.art.ttu.edu.

The J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts comprises the School of Art, the School of Music, and the School of Theatre & Dance, accredited by NASAD, NASM, NAST, and NASD, respectively. TTU is the only public university in the state accredited in all four arts areas, and boasts many acclaimed alumni, including Susan Graham, Terry Cook, Ann Sanders, G.W. Bailey, Barry Corbin, Jennifer Smith, Scott Dadich, Susanne Klotz and D.J. Stout. With more than 120 faculty members and approximately 1,100 students, the College offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including the terminal M.F.A., D.M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Our unique Ph.D. program in Fine Arts provides interdisciplinary education in the visual & performing arts combined with philosophical aesthetics. For more information, visit www.vpa.ttu.edu.

Texas Tech University, established in 1923, is a Carnegie Highest Research Activity university and the largest comprehensive institution of higher education in the western two thirds of the state (a region larger than 46 of the nation’s 50 states). The university’s 1,839-acre Spanish Renaissance style campus, which serves approximately 36,000 students, is the only one in Texas that is home to a major university, law school and medical school. Lubbock, the hub of the South Plains, has a multicultural area population of almost 300,000 and offers a quality living experience with a semi-arid climate and housing costs below the national average. Texas Tech University recently surpassed the Hispanic student population threshold necessary for designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The city supports a symphony orchestra; several museums; the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts; numerous galleries; and a variety of music, dance, and theatre performances. Lubbock’s airport offers direct flights to Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Denver, and Las Vegas.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy:

As an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, Texas Tech University is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. We actively encourage applications from all those who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community at Texas Tech University. The university welcomes applications from minorities, women, protected veterans, persons with disabilities, dual-career couples.

Apply online at http://www.texastech.edu/careers/

Refer to TTU Faculty job postings, requisition number 19179BR (a two-step procedure).

Submit separate PDFs for this job application in the following list. A complete application will include:

1. A letter of application addressing the essential and preferred qualifications
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. One-page Research Statement
4. One-page Teaching Philosophy
5. Transcripts (unofficial) of all university and college coursework
6. List of three references (name, title, relationship to applicant, email address, and phone number)
7. A single PDF: 15 images or 5 external video links of your creative and/or professional work that are clearly labeled and described (Title, Medium, Dimensions, Year Completed)
8. A single PDF: 15 images or 5 external video links of student work that are clearly labeled and described with relevant assignment and course information (Title, Medium, Dimensions, Year Completed) In case of professional candidates without teaching experience, demo reels and sample work for clients would be accepted.
9. Other Documents: sample syllabi and/or evaluations of teaching, if available

Complete job description:

https://www.depts.ttu.edu/art/About/SOA-Jobs/SOA-jobs-info/Assistant-Professor_Art-Foundations_position_2020.pdf