Endowed Assistant/Associate Professor in Art History

The Art History Program in the School of Art, in Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, invites applications for a tenure-track Endowed Assistant or Associate Professor in Art History, focusing on African American and/or African Diasporic arts. Interdisciplinary, intersectional, transnational, transregional, decolonial, community-based, and social justice approaches centering on overlooked or marginalized histories, such as Afro-Latinx traditions, are particularly welcome. The position is open in terms of chronological focus. This is a nine-month faculty appointment, with a standard workload of 40% research, 40% teaching (2 courses per semester), and 20% service. Expected start date is August 14, 2023.

Scholars with a passion for collaboration, program-building, and partnership-development are also encouraged to apply. Applications are also encouraged from those invested in making art history accessible and compelling to first-generation students and students from communities underrepresented in U.S. arts institutions. The Art History Program in the School of Art is actively committed to diversifying art historical knowledge and approaches, embracing new methodologies, and educating students in a multivocal and inclusive art history. This effort is reinforced by several new initiatives within the School of Art, including the Bridge Program, which provides structural support to all new faculty, especially those historically underrepresented in academia and their chosen fields, and a new student mentoring program.

We are a vibrant and growing program. This position is considered fundamental to the implementation of our new MA program in the arts of the Americas, developed in partnership with the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its contemporary arts satellite, the Momentary. For this and future hires, we seek creative thinkers who will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the intellectual community in the School of Art, Crystal Bridges, and the growing arts ecosystem of Northwest Arkansas. Endowed positions come with a significant annual research budget of up to $60,000 to support scholarship, the expectation of a research record appropriate to the prominence of the appointment, and the requirement of at least one community outreach effort per year.

The successful candidate will teach courses at the masters and undergraduate level, play an active role in implementing the new MA program in arts of the Americas (expected launch date of Fall 2023), participate in and help to guide future faculty and student recruitment, and regularly collaborate with staff at Crystal Bridges and the Momentary. Candidates may also teach in the Honors College and at the university’s Rome Center, and co-design courses with colleagues in Studio and other units. Art history faculty have ties to African and African American Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, and the Indigenous Studies Program, among other departments and initiatives. Additional resources include the University of Arkansas Museum, the Fine Arts Center Gallery, the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, and the many museums in the region, including the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK, the Dallas Museum of Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, MO.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in art history or a related field like African American studies, African diaspora studies, visual culture studies, or performance studies, conferred by the date of appointment

• An established record of innovative scholarship

• A commitment to diversity in teaching and research

Preferred Qualifications:

• Interest or experience in interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and cross-campus collaborations

• Active or emerging commitment to service and leadership

• Demonstrated commitment to program building and partnership development

• Demonstrated commitment to community outreach

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Completed applications received by 01/13/2023 will be assured full consideration. Late applications will be reviewed as necessary to fill the position.

For additional inquiries, please contact search committee co-chairs Dr. Janine Sytsma at sytsma@uark.edu and Dr. Ana Pulido Rull at apulidor@uark.edu.

Required Documents:

• a cover letter addressing research and teaching

• a statement describing commitment to diversity and inclusion in research and teaching

• curriculum vitae

• two scholarly writing samples (preferably published or forthcoming research, submitted in a single PDF)

• the names and contact information of three referees 

Optional Documents:
Proof of Veteran Status

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

About the School of Art:

In 2017, the University of Arkansas was awarded a $120 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation to establish a School of Art in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. The gift created the first and only school of art in the state of Arkansas, and is helping to advance art education, design, art history and studio art in the state while providing unparalleled access and opportunity to students. In addition, in 2017, the School of Art also received a $40 million gift from the Windgate Foundation to develop and build a new Studio Art and Graphic Design facility. Most recently, in 2021, the Windgate Foundation gave a $30 million partial challenge grant to develop and build a facility to house a professional gallery, auditorium, the foundations program, as well as idea fabrication and arts entrepreneurship labs. The mission of the School of Art is to develop one of the highest quality educational, research and service programs in the visual arts available nationally. The School of Art is a fully accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and includes 54 faculty, 8 staff members, and more than 500 students. There are currently 8 degree options: BFA in Art Education, BFA in Graphic Design, BFA in Studio Art, BA in Art History, BA in Studio Art, MA in Art Education, MFA in Studio Art, and MDES in Communication Design. An MA degree in Art History will launch in fall 2023.

The School of Art at the University of Arkansas highly values equity, access, diversity, and inclusion in creating, studying, and teaching. This position is part of a cluster of searches designed to foster an equitable, innovative, and inclusive environment for teaching, mentoring, research, and service. The School of Art is especially interested in applicants whose work aims to broaden the canon, demonstrates a commitment to mentoring students from diverse backgrounds, creates the conditions for classroom experiences that are marked by empathy and mutual respect, and fosters collaboration, community, and open dialogue. We seek faculty committed to working and creating in ways that foster encouraging and supportive learning experiences that expand the School of Art’s current efforts to engage the campus and community in dialogue.

Salary Information:
Salary is $70,000 at Assistant level, and $85,000 at Associate level

Recruitment Contact Information:
co-chairs Dr. Janine Sytsma at sytsma@uark.edu and Dr. Ana Pulido Rull at apulidor@uark.edu

All application materials must be uploaded to the University of Arkansas System Career Site https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UASYS  

Please do not send to listed recruitment contact.