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Assistant Professor of Design & Black Visual Cultures

Employer
Oberlin College
Location
Ohio, United States
Salary
Salary Commensurate with experience
Date posted
Dec 2, 2021

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Position Type
Faculty Positions, Arts, Art
Employment Level
Tenured/Tenured Track
Employment Type
Full Time

The Studio Art and Africana Studies departments at Oberlin College invite applications for a full-time tenure track faculty position in the College of Arts and Sciences. Initial appointment to this position will be for a term of four years, beginning fall semester of 2022, and will carry the rank of Assistant Professor.

The Studio Art department at Oberlin College offers a creative platform for students who want intensive studio training combined with the intellectual rigors of a liberal arts curriculum. Oberlin artists are thinking artists, deeply engaged in their intellectual pursuits. Our world-renowned faculty offer courses in painting, drawing, color theory, photography (wet and digital), sculpture, installation, media arts (sound, video, interactive/networked art), performance, reproducible media (screenprinting, lithography, intaglio, monoprint), design, and all the hybrids in between. Oberlin’s Studio Art curriculum is interdisciplinary in nature and emphasizes ideas. Even skills-based courses use ideas as prompts, from the political histories of color to the concept of “nature” as it has been defined by landscape painting. The Studio Art major requires students to study in 2D (with a color, composition, design, and mediums on a flat plane); 3D (with a focus on tools and techniques to build in and re-envision in space); and 4D (with a focus on time-based media, and most digital mediums). By the time a student graduates from Oberlin’s Studio Art department—regardless of their primary medium—they will be fluent in visual languages across all (known) physical dimensions, preparing them to be active participants in our 21st century visual world.
One of the first programs of its kind at a liberal arts college, Oberlin’s Africana Studies Department continues to be at the forefront of academic engagement with the history, cultures, politics, and experiences of African-descended peoples. Students explore key aspects of Black life in Africa, the Caribbean, the United States, Europe, and the Americas. Our majors are future creatives and change-agents who know that it is not enough to understand the world, one must also contribute to its growth and change. Africana Studies partners with the Afrikan Heritage House and student-led groups to host lectures, readings, performances, fashion shows, screenings, discussions and dinners to weave together a broader community of students, staff, faculty and residents of Oberlin. With the support of faculty, our majors write and direct plays, organize educational programs, speak at professional conferences, study abroad throughout the world, and make their voices heard across multiple media. With Oberlin’s history of being the first college in the country to admit women and Black students, the college’s Africana studies community exemplifies a constant and ongoing process to realize its founding ideals.   The incumbent will teach the standard teaching load, in residence, (4.5 courses per year) in the general area of Design with an emphasis on the histories and impacts of Black visual culture. The successful candidate will be a practicing artist, and all 4.5 courses will be art practice courses that count towards the Studio Art major. All of these art courses also count towards the Africana Studies major, building on the long history of Black Arts and aesthetics at Oberlin College, and expanding the study of contemporary art practices that are in dialog with Africana visual cultures. Thus, courses may be hybrid seminar/studio courses offering Design practice skills, with the intellectual and cultural context provided through readings, field trips, etc. Interests of the successful incumbent might include: 21st century image culture, data visualization, graphic design, illustration, architecture, textiles, digital/networked media culture and image circulation, public intervention, and social practice. The practitioner’s design practice and pedagogy must demonstrate how images interface with the public, emphasizing design processes rooted in Africana cultures, building on long traditions of art made by people of African descent.  ________________________________________________________________________   The incumbent will also be expected to engage in sustained scholarly research and/or other creative work appropriate to the position and participate in the full range of faculty responsibilities, including academic advising and service on committees.   Among the qualifications required for appointment is the MFA degree in hand or not later than August 1, 2022. Candidates must demonstrate interest and potential excellence in undergraduate teaching; Ability to teach technically and conceptually; Interest in cross-disciplinary arts practice and commitment to a liberal arts atmosphere; Ability to engage in collaborative dialogues with art faculty and across departments; Evidence of a significant professional studio art practice and exhibition record; Proven ability to work with diverse populations. Successful teaching experience at the college level is desirable. Oberlin College is committed to student and faculty diversity, equity and inclusion. The incumbent will bring understanding of or experience working with underrepresented and diverse academic populations. Oberlin is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the excellence and diversity of the academic community through their research, teaching, and service. Oberlin recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran’s status, and/or other protected status as required by applicable law.   Review of applications will begin on March 4, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled. Completed applications received by the March 4, 2022 deadline will be guaranteed full consideration.     Questions about the position can be addressed to: jchriste@oberlin.edu, Chair of Studio Art, or jjacobs@oberlin.edu, Jamie Jacobs, Studio Art Program Coordinator, at 440-775-8129.  

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