Assistant Professor of the Practice in Costume Design

Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, is a diverse, energetic liberal arts community where critical thinking and practical idealism go hand in hand.

Position Details

Wesleyan University’s Department of Theater invites applications for a three-year appointment, Assistant Professor of the Practice position in Costume Design beginning July 1, 2021.

The Theater Department is recruiting designers for its three-year appointment of Assistant Professor of the Practice in Costume Design. Candidates whose professional engagement as designers inform their teaching and creative practice are strongly encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will be a highly creative, intellectually curious, artist-educator who emphasizes teaching at every step of the creative process within an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to their design practice and teaching philosophy. The Theater Department situates artistic practice, pedagogy and research in an undergraduate, liberal-arts context and explores theater from an intersectional perspective in which both scholarship and applied creative practice are emphasized by a collaborative exchange.

The Theater Department produces contemporary and classical plays, and adaptations of literary works for the stage, as well as movement and visually-based performances. The department’s faculty encourages and values diversity within their teaching and artistic/scholarly practices, and is committed to ongoing curricular and programmatic development in intercultural, interdisciplinary and collaborative theatrical innovation. For this position, we seek candidates whose pursuit of artistic goals, innovative vision and creative energy will enable effective involvement within a highly committed and vibrant community of students, teachers, artists and scholars in Wesleyan’s Theater Department, and across the university.

The Assistant Professor of the Practice position has an annual load of 5, which includes teaching three design courses and designing two productions for the Theater Department each year. Other responsibilities include supervising tutorials, mentoring student creative work, advising majors and pre-majors, and initiating and evaluating student internships and residencies. Costume design faculty is supported by the costume shop manager, and enjoys a fully equipped, costume shop and costume collection. In addition, Wesleyan’s arts departments have access to the Digital Design Studio maker-space.

Minimum Qualifications

The minimum degree requirement is an MFA in theater design or a related discipline. Candidates should also have teaching experience at the undergraduate level.

Special Instructions To Applicants

You will be asked to upload electronic versions of the items we require, which are a 1) a cover letter indicating design expertise and potential course offerings; 2) a portfolio; 3) curriculum vita; 4) two-page statement of teaching philosophy (600 words maximum) in which you address teaching students from diverse backgrounds; 5) an annotated summary of creative work; and 6) one sample syllabus for an introduction clothing/costume design course and a second syllabus for an advanced course in the candidate’s area of expertise. In the cover letter, applicants should describe how they will embrace the college’s commitment to fostering an inclusive community, as well as their experience working with individuals from historically marginalized or underserved groups.

You will also be asked to provide the email addresses of three referees from whom we may obtain confidential letters of recommendation (please double-check the accuracy of the email addresses of the referees you name to insure that you have the most up-to-date email addresses for each one).

After you have submitted all of the required documents, you will see a confirmation number. At that point, each of your referees whose email address you have provided will receive an automatically-generated email requesting that he or she submit a letter of reference for you.

Additional Information

Applications completed by January 15, 2021 will receive full consideration.

Please contact Dawn Alger at dalger@wesleyan.edu if you have questions about the application process.

Note for Interfolio users:
We gladly accept letters of recommendation from Interfolio. From your Interfolio account, please use the “web delivery” method to upload your letters directly to our online application.

For further instructions, look here: http://product-help.interfolio.com/m/27438/l/266289-confidential-letter-uploads-to-online-application-systems

Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or non-position-related criminal record. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented minority groups. Inquiries regarding Title IX, Section 504, or any other non-discrimination policies should be directed to: Alison Williams, Vice President for Equity & Inclusion/ Title IX Officer, 860-685-3927, awilliams@wesleyan.edu.