Visiting Assistant Professor, Global Art Histories and Curatorial Studies

Spelman College seeks teacher/scholars dedicated to excellence in teaching and to the continued enhancement of the academic environment for students and colleagues. Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a private four-year liberal arts college located in Atlanta, GA. The oldest historically Black college for women in the United States, Spelman is a member of the Atlanta University Center Consortium and Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education.

The Department of Art & Visual Culture at Spelman College invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor specializing in global art histories and curatorial studies to start August 12, 2021. The position is for one year.

The department seeks an innovative scholar whose pedagogical approach to art history employs interdisciplinary methods to interrogate the changing landscape of museums and curatorial studies in the global art and museum industry. The ideal candidate brings ideas, both historical and contemporary, into dialogue with art histories of the global south and African Diaspora art history. Preference will be given to applicants who have a research program that engages with global migration studies and/or decolonial theory.

Applicants are expected to be well versed in teaching intersectional theories and research methodologies in art history, such as critical race theory, gender and sexuality studies, and social justice praxis. Object-based pedagogies utilizing the permanent collections and special exhibitions of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, the Robert W. Woodruff Library, and neighboring arts institutions are preferred as is research that intersects with the Spelman Innovation Lab. The appointment requires a 3/3 teaching load, including introductory and advanced level art history or curatorial studies courses. Responsibilities include teaching and mentoring undergraduate students in art history, maintaining a well-articulated research and publication agenda, service to the department and the college, and contributions to the overall mission of the Atlanta University Center. The application deadline is midnight (EST) on April 9, 2021.

The Department of Art & Visual Culture offers majors and minors in art history, art, documentary filmmaking and photography, and a minor in curatorial studies. The successful candidate will join the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective, now in its second year, as part a groundbreaking initiative established with a $5.4 million dollar grant from the Walton Family Foundation to position the Atlanta University Center as the leading incubator of African American museum and visual arts professionals in the United States.

The Department of Art & Visual Culture is part of ARTS@Spelman, which also includes the departments of Theater & Performance, Dance Performance & Choreography, Music, the Digital Moving Image Salon, the Museum of Fine Art and the Spelman College Innovation Lab. The College is planning a new Center for Innovation & the Arts, which will be an interdisciplinary environment that supports and advances experimentation, collaboration, active play, research and the imaginative use of digital technologies.

Preference is given to candidates with a Ph.D. in art history and a minimum of three to five years teaching experience. Advanced Ph.D. candidates will also be considered. Candidates must have a proven track record of scholarship and be able to demonstrate interdisciplinary and creative approaches in teaching art history. Candidates also should have curatorial experience and be prepared to incorporate object-based learning from the Spelman College permanent collection, special exhibitions, and neighboring arts institutions.