Assistant Professor of Studio Art, Photography - University of Oregon

Department: Department of Art
Rank: Assistant Professor
Annual Basis: 9 Month

Application Deadline

December 16, 2024

Application review will begin on December 16, 2024 with the goal of conducting initial interviews by video conference (via Zoom) in January. Applications received by December 16, 2024 will be given consideration. This position is open until filled. 

Required Application Materials

Application materials for the Department of Art's tenure-track faculty position in Photography are submitted in two parts: 
1. Here at careers.uoregon.edu where candidates submit only a CV, and 
2. SlideRoom where candidates will submit a complete application.

In your online UO application, please include: 

•  A current curriculum vitae including creative practice, teaching, and service.

Once you've submitted your online application here, please proceed to Slideroom to complete your application by providing:

•  A current curriculum vitae including creative practice, teaching, and service.
• A cover letter summarizing the highlights of creative practice/research, teaching, and service experience and their alignment with the position. Your letter should also include a statement * articulating a willingness and ability to help foster an inclusive learning environment for the university's diverse set of community members and stakeholders in order to promote and enhance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. (More details below). 
•  Contact information for three professional references.
•  Artist Statement 
•  Teaching Philosophy 
•  A Portfolio of 20 digital work samples of the candidate’s own work
•  Optional application materials: Examples of student work.

*As part of the application process for faculty positions at the University of Oregon, candidates must provide a statement outlining their historical, current, and future efforts to promote equity, inclusion, and diversity in their professional careers. This might include collaboration with local communities, organizations, political involvement, or initiatives to advance equity and inclusion within the university. Search committees carefully assess these statements to evaluate the applicant's demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion and often consider the applicant’s: 
• Awareness of inequities and challenges faced by underrepresented minority students and faculty. 
• Track record (commensurate to career stage) of activities that reduce barriers in education or research for underrepresented minority students and faculty. 
• Vision and plans for how their work will continue to contribute to UO’s mission to serve the needs of our diverse state and student population and create an inclusive campus.

Position Announcement

The Department of Art at the University of Oregon is accepting applications for an Assistant Professor of Studio Art, Photography. This is a full-time, nine-month academic year, tenure-track faculty position, with a start date of September 16, 2025. 

We are seeking an artist whose creative practice locates the medium of photography firmly within the context of contemporary art and interdisciplinarity, while finding its footing in a lens-based practice. With an aptitude in both digital technologies and traditional analog methods, the ideal candidate for this position will also have fluency in contemporary cultural and aesthetic theory, with an interest in course development in this area. 

We are looking for candidates who have interest in one or more the following research areas: 

• Artists with a clear interdisciplinary and installation-related approach to the medium whose practice draws from the cultural and aesthetic potency of photography’s indexical relationship to the visible world, either through lens-based original capture or archival appropriation. 

• Artists with a lens-based approach to the medium whose practice taps into the directed/performative potential of photography, while engaging larger questions of identity, race and/or gender. 

• Artists with a “documentary” approach to the medium whose practice expands on how this generic term is understood and engaged, either through a deep theoretical investment in documentary practices, or by bridging their production to other forms, such as performance and video, or working with photographic archives to locate and amplify the cultural signs and symbols embedded in every photographic image. 

Primary teaching responsibilities will be focused in the photography area, with additional interdisciplinary opportunities, including graduate seminars, advanced studios and experimental courses. The University of Oregon operates on a system of three 10-week quarters with a typical load of five courses per year. Additionally, all faculty participate in graduate studio mentorship. Service responsibilities include committee contributions, advising, and participation in shared governance. In addition to teaching and service responsibilities, the successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to a sustained and developing creative practice, with an active and ongoing exhibition/publishing record.

The College of Design is dedicated to the UO’s goal of building a culturally diverse faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. We strongly encourage applications from individuals whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including those from historically marginalized and currently underrepresented communities in higher education.

Department or Program Summary

The Department of Art, part of a renowned research institution, attracts students and faculty who value studio art within a broader intellectual context. Our diverse curriculum integrates various creative practices and critical methodologies, with students exploring both interdisciplinary and the depth of disciplinary inquiry. The department hosts 9-12 visiting artists, critics, and curators annually to enrich the learning experience. Faculty, active nationally and internationally, connect their studio work with teaching while sharing a unified mission and governance model. 

Located within the School of Art + Design in the College of Design, the Department of Art offers BA/BS, BFA, and MFA degrees with a curriculum spanning ceramics, art & technology, fibers, jewelry and metals, painting and drawing, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. It includes 18 tenure-track faculty and 13 Career Instructors, serving approximately 650 undergraduates and 20 graduate students. 

The photography area, one of eight media areas, currently features one Tenure Track and two Non-Tenure Track faculty. Courses emphasize both conceptual and technical aspects of photography, blending contemporary theory with historical context to enhance students’ artistic and critical skills. 

Facilities for the photography area include a lighting studio, digital output workspaces with large-format printers, darkrooms for all film formats, an alternative process and mural printing room, a Hasselblad Flextight X-5 drum scanner, and various cameras for checkout.

Minimum Requirements

• An MFA or equivalent terminal degree, or other master’s degree combined with one year of relevant experience in the field.
• Strong and active exhibition and professional record in the field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three years of college teaching experience beyond graduate school.
• Fluency in contemporary cultural and aesthetic theory, with an interest in course development in this area.
• Experience in both digital technologies and traditional analog methods

About the University

The University of Oregon supports faculty with dedicated studio spaces and professional development funds, and the region offers vibrant funding and resources for artists.

The College of Design is dedicated to the UO’s goal of building a culturally diverse faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. We strongly encourage applications from individuals whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including those from historically marginalized and currently underrepresented communities in higher education.

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit https://hr.uoregon.edu/about-benefits.

The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at uocareers@uoregon.edu or 541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed here.

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