Texas Tech University 

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

School of Art 

Position Announcement 

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ILLUSTRATION (TENURE TRACK) 

  
Position Number:    26183BR 

Appointment: Assistant Professor of Illustration, beginning Fall 2022  

Application Deadline: Review of applicants will begin January 15, 2022  

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience  

The Texas Tech University School of Art (TTU SOA) is accepting applications for a full time, Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Illustration starting fall 2022. To meet the ever-changing demands for visual artists, it is critical that our students be equipped with both digital and traditional illustration skills.  

We are seeking a successful professional illustrator with forward-thinking ideas about the practice of illustration as anchored in traditional media (drawing, painting, printmaking) while rapidly evolving in new digital forms, and its application to a broad spectrum of employment outcomes, including industry, entertainment, non-profit, or government sectors. The TTU SOA Studio Art program is moving towards the development of an Illustration minor to expand professional career options for our students. Our program seeks to balance existing strengths in traditional studio media with expanded offerings in industry-driven fields and envisions this position to meld professional expertise in illustration with a fine arts studio context.

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 letter of application, we highly encourage applicants to explain how your previous and potential contributions will enhance a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion through teaching, research, creative activity and/or service.  

Required Qualifications:   

MFA in Illustration/Digital Media/Graphic Design/Studio Art, or BFA with substantial professional experience in active client-based work or other significant evidence of creative/professional practice with a specialty in illustration  

Candidate must be able to teach some printmaking processes integrated with an illustration curriculum, preferably utilizing digital processes. 

Our ideal candidate will possess a skillset balancing comprehensive illustration techniques and application of digital technology that is essential for success in such fields as comics, graphic novels, children's books, book covers, posters, and editorial illustration. The successful candidate will clearly demonstrate advanced ability and proven success in professional illustration.  

Preferred Qualifications:    

• One or more years of teaching experience at the university or college level  
• Ability to teach screen printing and/or relief 

Position Description:  

Duties include developing new Illustration courses in the candidate’s field (e.g. illustration techniques, digital painting, printmaking) as well as other School of Art courses as needed. Major teaching duties include providing our undergraduate students with mature illustration skills, as well as introducing current digital technology applicable to illustration fields.  

Major/Essential Functions:  

• Maintaining an excellent track record of creative/professional/client-based work, strong teaching performance, and service as expected of all tenure-track appointments.    
• Curriculum development in existing and new courses and overseeing relevant studio and technology equipment.   
• Service to the department, college, and university is expected, including participating in School of Art committee work, recruitment events and community outreach activities. 
• Service duties include program-building, as well as commitment to extra-curricular activities, collaboration within/outside of the university and building industry partnerships for students.   
• Opportunities to train Graduate Teaching Assistants may also be available and are dependent upon the applicant’s qualifications. 
• Pursuit of external grants in support of research or creative activity, when appropriate and available in the faculty member’s field, is encouraged. 

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). The Printmaking program at Texas Tech School of Art is well-known for its historical contribution to waterbased screenprinting in higher education. Decades of Beyond Printmaking and Colorprint USA exhibitions have been hosted by faculty active in the printmaking world.

The area is currently leading innovative digital technologies, such as lasercutting, Risography and other digital media creating a synergetic space between printmaking, painting, illustration, and beyond. 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). Texas Tech University is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). 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 minoritized candidates, 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) Please include Title, Date, Mediums & Dimensions/Duration of each work.  
8. Portfolio of Student Work (a single PDF file with 20 images and images ids/or video links.) if available. Please include Title, Date, Medium and Dimensions/Duration of each work.  
9. Sample Syllabi and Lesson Plans if available.

Contact Professor Sangmi Yoo, Co-Chair of the Assistant Professor of Illustration search committee for more information: sangmi.yoo@ttu.edu  

www.art.ttu.edu