Assistant Professor of Time-Based Art/Cinema Studies

Description
The University of Tennessee School of Art seeks candidates for a full-time, tenure-track position in Time-based Art and Cinema Studies at the rank of Assistant Professor. Primary responsibilities include instruction of two courses each semester, an active creative research agenda, student mentorship, and service on area and departmental committees.  

The successful applicant will join the School’s internationally-recognized Time-based Art and Cinema Studies faculty and be expected to maintain an active professional creative practice informed by one or more of the following: animation; cinematography; narrative, non-fiction, or experimental video or film; performance art; interactive art; participatory or episodic storytelling; post-production; sound art; or other time-based art.  

The position will instruct School of Art undergraduate majors with a focus on our Time-based Art BFA and Cinema Studies BA. At the graduate level, the position will provide important contributions to and support for our Time-based Art MFA program through recruiting, mentoring, teaching area seminars, and serving on thesis committees.   

The School of Art is committed to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access that inform academic excellence. We affirm the immeasurable contributions of diversity to the arts, recognize that exposure to all forms of diversity is essential to facilitating a creative artistic and academic environment, and seek to incorporate diverse perspectives into all aspects of our program. We are committed to critically examining our structures, policies, and practices to ensure a welcoming and conscientious environment for everyone.  

The Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee seeks candidates with the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the diversity and intercultural goals of the University. The School of Art seeks to identify individuals whose research, teaching, and community engagement will contribute to diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning and working environments for its students, staff, and faculty. Women and people with diverse identities are encouraged to apply.  

Salary and benefits are competitive. The University of Tennessee offers an extensive benefits package that includes comprehensive health insurance, retirement, along with dozens more services. The successful candidate will be provided with an on-campus studio and research startup. The appointment will begin August 1, 2023.

The successful candidate will join the dynamic, internationally recognized faculty of artists, filmmakers, scholars, and historians in the School of Art’s and Cinema Studies’ programs. The School of Art offers BFA and BA degrees in Studio Art, a BA in Art History, and a BA in Cinema Studies. The School’s MFA program is consistently been ranked among the best in the nation. The recently-launched Cinema Studies major is one of the College of Arts and Sciences’ fastest-growing interdisciplinary programs. To learn more about the School of Art and Cinema Studies, please visit: http://art.utk.edu 

UT Knoxville is the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system and a Carnegie doctoral research intensive university with over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students from over 100 countries. Knoxville has a vibrant arts scene, a lively downtown, and is home to significant companies in the film and television industry. Less than an hour’s drive to the Great Smoky Mountains, the city is also home to 1,000 forested acres of urban wilderness, the Knoxville Museum of Art, Tri-Star Arts, and Big Ears, the acclaimed avant-garde festival of music, film, and art. For more information on academic and personal support, and living in Knoxville, please see UT’s Prospective Faculty Viewbook: https://provost.utk.edu/working-here/ 

Qualifications

Required qualifications

• MFA or other terminal degree at time of appointment hire date: 8/1/2023.
• Applicants must demonstrate an active creative practice through a record of exhibitions, performances, commercial distribution, adjudicated screenings, curated venues (e.g., museums, galleries, film festivals, cinematheques, etc.), or other research/creative activities.
• Applicants must have excellent communication skills.

Preferred qualifications

Applicants should be conversant with the aesthetic and theoretical issues in their field and have a demonstrated commitment to excellence in mentoring and teaching at the college level. 

Application Instructions

Review of applications will begin December 1, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. Application materials will be submitted online through the University’s Interfolio system (http://apply.interfolio.com/114265). Emailed or mailed applications will not be accepted.

Required materials include:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Single weblink to a portfolio of recent work.
• Statement of teaching philosophy 
• Names, email addresses, and phone numbers of 3 professional references

Applicants are also invited to submit a statement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom.

Following the initial screening of applications, letters of reference will be requested for candidates that advance. Short-listed candidates will be scheduled for preliminary interviews via video conference.

Questions may be directed to Stephanie Phillips, sphill36@utk.edu, (865) 974-3407.