Assistant Professor - Illustration

Illustration Faculty – Non-Tenure Track

Full-Time

The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), a national leader in visual arts and design education, is seeking applications for a full-time position in the Department of Illustration. Our tight-knit community of faculty, staff, and students are excited to welcome a new voice to our tree-shaded campus, which lies within Kansas City’s arts corridor directly between the Nelson–Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Students often refer to the special feeling of community they experience on the central green, around which campus life revolves and where ideas and creativity take root.

The successful candidate will be contracted to hold a full-time faculty position in the Illustration department teaching a full load of 18 contact hours or 9 credit hours per semester. Teaching responsibilities may include sophomore, junior and/ or senior level major studio classes/electives. In addition to teaching responsibilities, full-time faculty expectations include service to the department, a commitment to cultural competency and equity, and maintaining an ongoing creative professional practice.

The Department of Illustration

Our Mission: The illustration program emphasizes the development of creative and effective image-making skills, a contemporary approach to unique (visual essay) solutions and the professional practice necessary to help promote living life as a productive artist and as a contributor to the ever-changing culture.

Here at KCAI, we value and help deliver to the external community, young artists that mirror the unique interpretation of various cultural narratives and help celebrate them as the visual essay. The work they develop and form is for print, the screen or beyond and is individually or collaboratively thoughtful, innovative, and communicative.

Illustration students work with traditional and digital media to develop the conceptual, technical and aesthetic skills necessary for success in the diverse range of practices in this continually evolving field. Courses such as Analytical Drawing Systems, Exploring the Narrative, Visual/Sequential Storytelling and Thesis are geared toward enabling students to simultaneously express themselves as artists while learning how to communicate substantive visual messages. The Illustration department has a history of working with the external community in and around Kansas City. Within the US: Collaboration class, students collect input from area residents in underrepresented communities and create imagery that celebrates the cultural diversity of these communities. A clear understanding of the program’s courses can be found on KCAI’s website within the Illustration major page.

Students work on collaborative assignments and are required to participate in an internship or mentorship that provides real-world exposure to creative issues in professional work settings. The department features studio and classroom technology to help prepare students for diverse areas of professional practice. Work in a digital and an analog environment is designed to facilitate creativity and interdisciplinary approaches to image making. The results of which are expected at times to work across disciplines and in collaboration with other studio majors. Their work is also measured at the end of every academic year by our well-established illustration-specific Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).

Department faculty members are all practicing professionals working in the four corners of the illustration field. The faculty’s combined experience is passed on to students in preparation for the students’ future careers. See more athttp://kcai.edu/academics/majors/illustration/ target= _blank > http://kcai.edu/academics/majors/illustration/ target= _blank >http://kcai.edu/academics/majors/illustration/ andhttp://www.kcai-illustration.com target= _blank > http://www.kcai-illustration.com target= _blank >www.kcai-illustration.com.

Education and Experience Qualifications

• MFA in illustration or a related field
• Quality experience in teaching and professional practice/achievements in illustration
• A commitment to teamwork, curiosity, problem-solving, understanding, openness and creative processes
• Knowledge of software programs including Adobe Creative Suite
• A demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and sustainability

About KCAI

The Kansas City Art Institute is a private, independent and accredited college of art and design founded in 1885 and located in the cultural heart of metropolitan Kansas City, Missouri. The college enrolls nearly 700 undergraduate students regionally, nationally, and internationally.

KCAI offers an exceptional benefits package for full-time faculty including 100% employer paid insurance and a 5% retirement match for eligible participants.

Application Deadlines and Procedures

Although the position is open until filled, fullest attention will be given to those applications received by January 15, 2023.

Applications received during the on-campus finalist stage of the search are not guaranteed consideration.

• attach the following in one document in PDF format only
  • letter of application
  • curriculum vitae
  • statement of teaching experience and teaching philosophy
  • applicants should comment on their ability to contribute meaningfully to our on-going commitment to be informed and competent with regard to issues of diversity, equity, and individual differences
  • list of active and workable web link(s) to personal and/or commercial work as well as student work with project descriptions where applicable
  • list of 3 professional references we may contact

Applications with accessible PDF files and workable web links will normally be acknowledged by return email within one week of submission.

Questions may be directed to:

KCAI Director of Human Resources

HR@kcai.edu

Kansas City Art Institute is fully committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting, retaining, developing and promoting the most qualified employees without regard to their race, gender, gender identity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by federal, state or local law. We welcome a diverse pool of applicants and strive to represent every member of the community. Veterans and their families are also encouraged to apply. KCAI is interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.

Our vision is to dismantle racism and discriminatory practices within ourselves, our community and our institution through listening, dialogue, education and action, and to shift KCAI culture toward genuine, meaningful, and continuous Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Sustainability across all facets of our Institution.

KCAI provides reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in the job application process. If you have any difficulty using our online system and you need accommodation due to a disability, you may contact the Human Resources Department about your interest in employment.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to Kansas City Art Institute’s Human Resource Administrator at hr@kcai.edu.

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