Assistant Professor of Art – Ceramics (Tenure Track) – Western Michigan University
Major Duties:
The Western Michigan University’s Frostic School of Art (FSoA) seeks a faculty position with expertise in ceramics. The full-time faculty member in ceramics is responsible for developing and teaching undergraduate courses as assigned, and for maintaining a superior pedagogy in the ceramics discipline in accordance with current standards of professional practice. The faculty member teaches three courses per Fall and Spring Semesters, sustains profession recognition activities and participates in contractually appropriate service to the institution.
Learn more about Ceramics at Western Michigan University
Qualifications:
Candidates must hold a Master of Fine Arts degree or international equivalent in ceramic arts and have at least three years of college-level teaching experience with an emphasis in ceramic media.
Additional qualification includes:
- A comprehensive knowledge of ceramic techniques and equipment.
- Possess a broad knowledge of scholarship, including critical histories and theories related to Ceramics within the larger context of contemporary art.
- Experience with curriculum design and planning.
- Knowledge and commitment to health and safety in the arts.
- Proven track record of working well with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Ability to develop and nurture individual student artistic and professional abilities.
- A strong commitment to self-learning to maintain or develop new technical expertise as required by changes to contemporary art and design practice.
- Excellent communication and organizational skills and have a desire to collaborate with another ceramics faculty to shape a growing program.
Required Applicant Documents:
Cover Letter highlighting your qualifications, Curriculum Vitae, List of References
Special Instructions to Applicants:
One PDF file upload should include curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy, 20 samples of professional work, and 20 samples of student work (low resolution), or a website address where this visual information can be viewed.
For best consideration please have all materials in by November 29, 2019. Find the official posting HERE
Ceramics Area:
The 8,000 sq. ft. studio, supervised by a full-time technician, includes a well- stocked glaze lab with spray booth, plaster lab and private studio spaces for BFA majors. The interior and exterior kiln facilities include 4 electric kilns, 5 gas kilns including 180 cu. ft. and 90 cu. ft. car kilns, 150 cu. ft. barrel arched-anagama wood kiln, and 80 cu. ft. salt kiln.
The School:
The Gwen Frostic School of Art is one of four units in the College of Fine Arts and is comprised of 384 art majors, 24 full-time faculty, 12 part-time faculty, and 10 staff. The School is NASAD accredited and offers BAs in Art and Art History; BFAs in Art Education and Graphic Design; BFAs with emphasis in Ceramics, Metals/Jewelry, Painting, Photography/Intermedia, Printmedia, and Sculpture; and an online MA in Art Education. In collaboration with WMU’s Haworth College of Business and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Frostic School of Art launched a new BFA in Product Design in the fall of 2017.
The School encompasses 40,000 sq. ft. of galleries, lecture halls, classrooms, design and art studios in the James W. and Lois I. Richmond Center for Visual Arts, and an additional 88,000 sq. ft. of classrooms and art studios in South Kohrman Hall. Central Kohrman Hall houses the Richmond Institute for Product Design and Innovation, which was renovated beginning fall of 2017 and opened in August 2018. The newly renovated space adds another 28,000-sq. ft. to the Frostic School of Art.
The College:
The College of Fine Arts consists of the Gwen Frostic School of Art, Department of Dance, School of Music, and the Department of Theatre. All four units are nationally accredited. Facilities for the learning and practice of the arts at WMU are exceptional and compare favorably with other schools nationally with similar mission and scope. With a student body of approximately 1200 students, the entering class regularly has the highest academic profile of any college at the University. Learn more at http://wmich.edu/finearts/
The University:
Western Michigan University is a vibrant, nationally recognized student- centered research institution with an enrollment of 23,500. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has placed WMU among the 76 public institutions in the nation designated as research universities with high research activities. WMU delivers high-quality undergraduate instruction, has a strong graduate division, and strongly promotes funded research and creative scholarship.
Kalamazoo:
Western Michigan University is located in the arts-friendly community of Kalamazoo, Michigan, a metropolitan area of 250,000 located halfway between Chicago and Detroit. The community is enriched by the “Kalamazoo Promise”, an endowment program that provides each Kalamazoo Public School graduate with the opportunity to attend post-secondary education with up to a 100% tuition scholarship. https://www.kalamazoopublicschools.com/Promise.aspx
Western Michigan University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer consistent with applicable federal and state law. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.