Position Number:   22585BR

Appointment: Assistant Professor of Practice Position, beginning Fall 2021

Application Deadline: Review of applicants will begin February 15, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

The Texas Tech University School of Art (TTU SOA) is accepting applications for an Assistant Professor of Practice in Life Drawing with a specialty in Illustration starting fall 2021. This is a continuing appointment position renewable upon successful periodic performance evaluations. To meet the ever-changing demands for visual artists in this field, it is critical for our students to be equipped with both mature life drawing skills and expertise in applicable digital technology.

We are looking for a visual artist with forward thinking ideas about drawing and illustration and their application to a broad spectrum of employment outcomes, including industry, entertainment, non-profit, or government sectors. The TTU SOA Drawing program is moving towards the development of an Illustration minor to expand professional career options for our students, while also offering in demand courses in areas of concept art and character design for our growing Transmedia program.

Diversity and Equity in education are broad concepts that encompass all the unique characteristics that students, staff, and faculty can bring to an institution.  At the School of Art, we are committed to inclusive excellence. Within your cover letter, we highly encourage applicants to explain how your previous and potential contributions enhance a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion through teaching, research, creative activity and/or service. 

Qualifications: 

At least ONE of these degrees or professional experiences is required:

• MFA in Illustration/Animation/Digital Media/Graphic Design/Studio Art
• Master’s degree in Medical Illustration/Biomedical Visualization/Biomedical Communications
• Candidates who hold equivalent professional degrees or have a substantial professional experience in one of the following.
• Active client-based work or other significant evidence of creative/professional practice with a specialty in illustration, with preference for science illustration
• Proficiency in life drawing and both traditional and digital drawing/illustration skills.

The successful candidate's portfolio will clearly demonstrate advanced ability in drawing the human figure from observation. Sound draftsmanship in rendering from direct observation is essential, including expression of gesture, contour, anatomical structure, proportion, perspective, form, light and shadow, tonal values, and surface textural detail. Our ideal candidate will possess a skillset balancing figurative drawing and digital technology that is essential for illustration in such fields as Science Illustration, Biomedical Illustration, Concept Art and Character Design.

Preferred Qualifications:  

Following are preferred qualifications but not required:

• One or more years of teaching experience at the university or college level
• Professional experience in illustration fields, including the biomedical industry
• Affiliation with professional organizations, such as Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) and Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI)

Position Description:

Duties include teaching courses in undergraduate Drawing III: Life Drawing courses, developing a new illustration course (ex: Character Design, Scientific Illustration, etc), and introductory drawing courses as needed. Currently, Drawing III: Life Drawing courses serve as a requirement for many art majors/minors/apparel design majors and also an elective for the other art majors who are interested in studying the human form.

Major teaching duties include providing our undergraduate students with mature drawing and illustration skills in human forms including anatomy, gesture, realistic and stylized renderings, as well as introducing current digital technology applicable to illustration fields.

Responsibilities include, but are not be limited to:

• Curriculum development in existing and new courses and overseeing the life drawing studio and technology equipment.
• Engaging in appropriate professional development to enhance performance as faculty member.
• Maintaining a track record of creative/professional/client-based work.
• Serving on SOA committees and attending meetings. 
• Service duties include program-building, as well as commitment to extra-curricular activities.  Service to the department, college, and university is expected.
• Additional duties may include participation in School of Art high school recruitment events and community outreach activities. Opportunities to train Graduate Teaching Assistants may also be available and are dependent upon the applicant’s qualifications.

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. 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. Technical and administrative support includes a total of 10 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 40,000 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, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.

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, and dual-career couples.

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

Please provide the following with your application:

1. Letter of Application. Please briefly address all qualifications related to research, teaching, and service for the position as well as your previous and potential contributions to enhance a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in these areas.
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. One-page Teaching Philosophy
4. One-page Research/Professional Statement
5. College Transcripts
6. List of Three References with contact information (Name, Title, Relationship, Address, Email and Phone number)
7. Portfolio of Creative/Professional work (a single PDF file with 20 images and/or video links.) Portfolio of Student Work (a single PDF file with 20 images and/or video links.) if available Sample Syllabi and Lesson Plan if available

Complete job description: http://www.art.ttu.edu

Contact Professor Sangmi Yoo, Chair of the Professor of Practice in Life Drawing/Illustration search committee for more information.