Edmonton | Employment Opportunity: Assistant Professor Sculpture & Expanded Media (Fine Arts)(Tenure Track)

Department summary

The Department of Art & Design, Faculty of Arts invites applications for a full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor position with a specialization in Sculpture & Expanded Media. This position is to commence on July 1, 2023.

Studio Art areas at the University of Alberta consist of Drawing, Media Arts, Painting, Printmaking and Sculpture, with students and faculty also working across these areas. Ideal candidates would augment or complement these areas of expertise and work across disciplines, using collaborative methods, to further enrich Studio Arts. We are seeking a collegial, enthusiastic and forward-thinking individual. The successful candidate will have an aptitude for teaching, working in team situations and an interest in innovative modes of interdisciplinary teaching, as well as the desire to foster creative and critical thinking in our students. The candidate is also expected to participate actively in departmental, faculty, and university activities.

The University of Alberta sculpture area boasts large and well-equipped studios which have traditionally focused primarily on Modern and figurative sculpture. The current studios include a woodworking shop, a large kiln room, and a plaster casting room, two modelling studios and a large range of welding equipment. We seek a candidate who is sympathetic to these sculptural traditions, whilst also ambitious about future development and expansion of the Sculpture & Expanded Media area, both technically and conceptually. The selected candidate would ideally have expertise in working sculpturally with wood, metal, ceramics, soft sculpture, 3D digital fabrication and installation.

Position summary

Applicants will have a growing record of scholarship and/or an established artistic practice in their field, be able to establish/continue a successful research and creative activity program and integrate this into teaching and learning opportunities for their students. Applicants must have the capacity to effectively teach studios, lectures and seminars at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and to engage in the collective life of the University through service and administrative roles.

Applicants should show a willingness to incorporate or reflect Indigenous perspectives or ways of teaching and learning into their curriculum where appropriate. Awareness and willingness to engage in other forms of inclusion (e.g. in training or inclusive pedagogy) are also desired.

Duties

The successful candidate will:

• Teach five courses per academic year (distributed across the year) including existing graduate and undergraduate courses, and will have the opportunity to develop and teach additional courses in their areas of expertise;
• Supervise graduate students and serve on graduate committees in the Studio Arts area, and elsewhere in the university;
• Conduct a robust research and creative activity program within their area(s) of sculpture, expanded media (i.e. national and international exhibitions, publications, public presentations);
• Collaborate with sectors outside of academia, including community groups, non-profits, and industry; and
• Engage in active and effective service to the Department of Art & Design, the Faculty of Arts, the University of Alberta, and external communities as appropriate to their career stage.

Minimum Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

• A terminal degree in the field (Master’s degree, or Ph.D. in sculpture or a related/relevant academic discipline);
• Evidence of research and creative activity within their area(s) of sculpture, expanded media (i.e. national and international exhibitions, publications, public presentations);
• A minimum of three years of teaching contemporary sculpture & expanded media at university level, contemporary art and research experience (a combination of instructional and professional equivalencies may be considered); and,
• Active engagement in research, creative activity and scholarship in the field.

The Department of Art & Design is committed to building and supporting an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce. We particularly welcome applications from women; First Nations, Métis and Inuit persons; members of visible minority groups; persons with disabilities; persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

The Department of Art & Design offers popular degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Fine Arts, Design Studies, and the History of Art, Design, and Visual Culture, and encompasses the FAB Gallery and a University Centre of Research Excellence in Printmaking. For more information about the department, please consult the departmental website at https://www.ualberta.ca/art-design/

The University of Alberta is one of Canada’s largest and most-respected research universities. With a metropolitan area population of approximately one million people, Edmonton is home to numerous arts and music festivals, has an excellent public school system, a very diverse population, and boasts the largest system of urban parkland in North America. Edmonton and the University of Alberta are situated on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional meeting ground and home for many Indigenous Peoples, including Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, and Nakota Sioux.

For more information about the University of Alberta and Edmonton, please visit http://www.ualberta.ca and http://www.infoedmonton.com

Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications in accordance with the Faculty Agreement as per the negotiated salary scales.

How to Apply

To have your application considered, please select the Apply Online icon below and submit the following

• Cover Letter (please include the names of three referees, letters of reference will only be requested for selected interview candidates and only after permission is granted. Referees should be prepared to send their letters by late December)
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Teaching Dossier that includes evidence of, or potential for teaching effectiveness. This can include a statement of teaching philosophy, a brief description of your approach to teaching, or brief descriptions of a few courses you have taught or would be interested in teaching. Full syllabi are not required. (Attach under “Statement of Teaching/Research Interests”)
• Portfolio (e.g., artworks, projects, articles, etc.), in electronic format, of 12–15 recent pieces of work (practice and research) (Attach as one document under “List of Publications”)
• Proposed Program of Research & Creative Activity (1–2 pages, Attach under “Research Plan”)

To assist the University in complying with mandatory reporting requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (R203(3)(e), please include the first digit of your Canadian Social Insurance Number at the bottom of your cover letter.  If you do not have a Canadian Social Insurance Number, please indicate this at the bottom of your cover letter.

Specific questions about the position can be addressed to Aidan Rowe, Chair, Department of Art & Design at aidan.rowe@ualberta.ca

Review of applications will start on December 2, 2022.

Business Address:
Department of Art & Design

University of Alberta

3-98 Fine Arts Building, Edmonton

Alberta, Canada T6G 2C9