Assistant Professor Position in Visual Art Education, University of Kansas

Position Overview

The Department of Visual Art at the University of Kansas invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Visual Art Education (VAE) to begin on 8/18/2024. Qualified candidates must have the background to teach the full range of art education coursework including methods, supervision of field placements and fluency with the art education licensure process. We seek an art educator with a strong research agenda, as well as experience and knowledge of art education pedagogy, history, and philosophies.

The successful candidate will

• have a developing record of scholarship and achievement centered in art education.
• hold a broad familiarity with traditional and current studio media as well as proficiency in at least one studio area.
• have experience teaching art in K-12 schools and at the university level.
• develop and teach all levels of undergraduate courses in art education including methods, community arts, art in K-12 schools, and be able to supervise and assess students’ teaching performance in a variety of settings including public school internships.
• collect students’ performance data and report findings as part of licensure and accreditation processes.
• advise art education students, work with the art education student organization, and participate in developing new certificates and graduate degrees.
• serve on Department, College, and University committees.

The ideal candidate’s scholarly practice will be grounded in rigorous inquiry and research focused on ideas, issues, and concerns in the field of art education. Furthermore, the ideal colleague will participate in our continuous goals to promote and encourage diversity of thought; address issues concerning sustainable, best practices in the field; strengthen the culture of rigorous inquiry; and include contemporary art, from local to international contexts, in our pedagogies.

As the flagship research institution in the state, students come from diverse regional, national, and international communities. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are an important part of our culture in the Department of Visual Art and part of the Kansas University strategic plan. Applications from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply noting the value that differences bring to our organization, students, staff, faculty, and community. The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the effective date of the appointment.

The University of Kansas has an overall student population of 29,355, welcoming 5,259 new students to the Lawrence campus this fall. The KU Spencer Museum of Art, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, sustains a culturally diverse, comprehensive collection of more than 47,000 objects. The KU Commons and the Hall Center for the Humanities invite scholars, practitioners, and students into interdisciplinary dialogue through projects, programs, and opportunities that address issues of global and local relevance. The city of Lawrence has a historic downtown brimming with local business, restaurants, an independent music scene, and a thriving arts culture including the Lawrence Art Center. Lawrence is also home to Haskell Indian Nations University, which has close ties with the University of Kansas. 

Kansas City, located forty miles east of Lawrence, has a prospering artist community with galleries, museums (The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, The Nelson Atkins Museum) and excellent nonprofit arts organizations such as The Charlotte Street Foundation, Mid-America Arts Alliance, and Studios Inc. In addition, The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum are located in the nationally famous 18th and Vine District.

Job Description

The University of Kansas has prepared professional art educators for school, museum, and community settings for over 80 years.  As the leading program in Kansas, VAE alumni are art teachers, museum professionals, professors, developers of community art programs, and advocates for arts education across the state and country. This year the VAE program is implementing a new BFA degree with a concentration in art education and will begin developing additional tracks for certificates and graduate concentrations.

The faculty and staff of the Department of Visual Art are comprised of internationally recognized artists and scholars with interests that span a broad range of media and disciplines including Painting and Drawing, Printmaking, Sculpture, Expanded Media, Ceramics, Metalsmithing & Jewelry, as well as Fibers & Textiles. Dedicated to educating the next generation of artists and educators, faculty prioritize mentorship, offering students individual attention and small class sizes. One of the earliest programs at the University, the Department of Visual Art, located in Chalmers Hall, is a 130,000 facility which provides space and opportunity for students to develop a unique artistic voice through critical inquiry, research, and practice. The department awards BFA, BA, and studio MFA degrees and is accredited through the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.  The VAE Program is also accredited through the Kansas Department of Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

The Department of Visual art is housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The College emphasizes interdisciplinary, experiential learning and global awareness, houses a vibrant university wide Honors Program that highlights undergraduate research and service activities, and has created strong affiliations with outstanding cross-disciplinary research centers, including the Biodiversity Institute, Kansas Biological Survey, Kansas Geological Survey, the Hall Center for the Humanities, the Life Span Institute, the Institute for Policy and Social Research, the Spencer Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum. These relationships have brought a broad range of disciplines together to pursue sponsored research and education at the international, national, state, regional and local levels. The College is home to internationally recognized scholars and scientists who brought in $44M in research funding in FY 2021, nearly 30% of the total funded research at KU Lawrence.

Job Duties

40% Research Responsibilities: Develop a productive and sustained scholarly practice centered on the field of art education. Such activities include, but are not limited to, publication of original research, commentary, and review of peer scholarship in authored books, scholarly journals, edited books, monographs, research reports; presentation of research at professional meetings; editing books and scholarly journals; consulting; and earning grants, awards, and/or fellowships from external sources. Commensurate with the expectations of a Research One AAU institution, faculty research must continue to develop through the tenure process and beyond the promotion of full professor.

40% Teaching/Advising Responsibilities: Each Fall and Spring semester faculty teach two courses plus contact hours with independent study students and occasionally participate in MFA graduate seminar. Faculty members are expected to strive for excellence in the classroom, encourage the free exchange of diverse views, foster a learning environment that is supportive of individuals from diverse backgrounds and be available to students as mentor and advisor.  Faculty members must also have the capacity to innovate curriculum to meet contemporary needs of the professional field.  Faculty teach students from beginning to advanced levels. They may develop and teach special topics classes. Further, they supervise, assess, and report on student teachers’ performance including in-person observations and conferences with interns and clinical supervisors.  Faculty members prepare for and attend all class meetings, hold regular office hours, participate in academic advising, and participate in additional facets of teaching as assigned. Faculty members are expected to adhere to Departmental, College, and University policies on teaching.

20% Service Responsibilities: All faculty share in the work of the department, which includes attending faculty meetings; serving on committees in the Department, College, and University; and collaborating with colleagues on campus and in the community to further the mission of the Department and University. Furthermore, VAE faculty take part in art education activities locally and across the state; participate in data collection and reporting to the School of Education and Human Sciences as part of the accreditation process; and support, maintain, and advocate for the continuing vitality of visual art education in Kansas and the nation.

Faculty Code: Faculty members are expected to carry out their responsibilities in accordance with the Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, currently viewable at: http://policy.ku.edu/FacultyCodeKULawrence/faculty-code-of-rights.
 

Required Qualifications

1. To be completed by start date, a terminal degree in Visual Art Education including a PhD in Art Education, EdD, or a degree in a closely related field from an accredited university including DFA (Doctorate in Fine Arts), DA (Doctorate in Studio Art or other doctoral degrees that incorporate Visual Art Education as a central course of study).
2. Evidence of a broad preparation in art education including curriculum theory and implementation, research methods, and the history and philosophical foundations of the field.
3. Demonstrated ability to undertake and maintain a record of significant scholarly research.
4. Comprehensive background in traditional and contemporary art and the ability to stay current with developing technologies and concepts in the field.
5. Evidence teaching art in K-12 schools (full time, one year minimum) and evidence of university level teaching.
6. Ability to teach a broad range of courses to diverse students including majors, general education students, non-traditional students, etc.

Contact Information to Applicants

For more information about the position, please contact Search Committee Chair Steve Gurysh at stevegurysh@ku.edu
 

Additional Candidate Instruction

To apply online, go to https://employment.ku.edu/academic/26564BR.  A complete online application includes the following materials: (1) cover letter including links to examples of scholarly research publications; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) research agenda; (4) teaching philosophy statement; (5) sample syllabi; (6) student evaluations; and (7) the names, email and contact information for three professional references. In addition to the materials above, learning about each applicant's contribution and engagement in areas of diversity is an important part of KU's mission. As a result, applicants will be presented the following question at the time of application:

• Describe your experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds and explain how those experiences reflect your commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Applicants are also encouraged to include or expand upon how they have contributed to building a culture of belonging through DEI initiatives within the required application materials provided.

Application review will begin January 3, 2024, and will continue until a pool of qualified applicants is obtained.

JOB OFFER INFORMATION:
Full-time, 9-month, benefit-eligible, ranked tenure-eligible academic faculty position starting in Fall 2024.  Starting salary of $68K with additional startup funding and moving expenses.

Application Review Begins

03-Jan-2024

Anticipated Start Date

18-Aug-2024

Position Number

00066792

Primary Campus

University of Kansas Lawrence Campus

FTE

1.0

Reg/Temp

Regular

Advertised Salary Range

Starting salary of $68K with additional startup funding and moving expenses

Employee Class

F-Faculty

Disclaimer

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and is the Title IX coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY.