The Evergreen State College seeks a versatile and broadly trained faculty colleague to teach design and studio arts from an Indigenous perspective. Applicants should have expertise working with any of a variety of materials used by North American Indigenous artists to produce three- and/or two-dimensional works and should have expertise in the ways such materials have historically been and are currently being used in North American Indigenous communities to create art. Candidates must understand the various customs, protocols, and issues that surround the creation of both traditional and contemporary Indigenous art forms, and should be able to create curriculum that explores the variety of contexts in which Indigenous artists work.
Candidates must be able to teach students to work with a variety of tools and techniques for art making including both those developed by artists in Indigenous communities, and those appropriated from a variety of cultures by Indigenous artists to create their art. We particularly welcome candidates that work in carving or weaving, the predominant art forms of Pacific Northwest Indigenous peoples. Candidates must be prepared to teach design fundamentals as well as to explain the history and cultural contexts of Indigenous art in a way that both explains and fosters the diversity of art practice inside the numerous Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest and around the Pacific Rim. Preference will also be given to artists who regularly exhibit work and can teach students how to pursue a successful career in the visual arts.
The Evergreen State College organizes the majority of its curriculum into interdisciplinary, team-taught coordinated studies programs centered on particular themes, and organizes its faculty into interdisciplinary planning units instead of traditional disciplinary departments. Applicants are invited to address (in their letters of application) their visions of innovative approaches to teaching across disciplines, including with other faculty trained in visual arts, Native American and Indigenous studies, and other disciplines. Faculty are expected to teach students at a variety of experience levels and to develop curriculum to serve beginning, intermediate, and advanced students at the college. Because faculty from diverse disciplines are involved in curriculum planning at the college, ideal candidates for the position will demonstrate an engagement with one or more disciplines outside of visual arts. The college encourages applicants who have had experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented populations to apply. Faculty at Evergreen are expected to advise and mentor students and participate in the college’s system of shared governance.
