UNT Seeks Chair of Studio Art – University of North Texas

https://jobs.untsystem.edu/postings/41757

Considered one of the leading visual arts and design schools in the nation, UNT’s College of Visual Arts and Design is home to more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students in NASAD and CIDA accredited programs including the BA, BFA, MA, and MFA in art education, art history, ceramics, communication design, drawing and painting, fashion design, interaction design, interdisciplinary art and design studies, interior design, metalsmithing and jewelry, new media art, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and user-experience design, with certification offered in art museum education, and a Ph.D. offered in art education. It includes the Department of Art Education, Department of Art History, Department of Design, Foundations Program, Interdisciplinary Art and Design Studies Program, and Department of Studio Art.

Faculty are supported by travel, research, and creative project funding from the college and university. Opportunities include those supported by Scholarly and Creative Activity Awards, small grants, and the university’s Institute for the Advancement of the Arts. College faculty enjoy active collaborations with specialized subject matter librarians, opportunities for teaching and research through UNT library special collections, and partnerships with the university’s Center for Learning, Experimentation, Application, and Research.

The UNT Faculty Mentoring Program provides new faculty with support and resources for successful academic careers. UNT is committed to a culture of mentoring excellence in all areas that impact faculty life. Building a network of mentors is foundational to our success and UNT is home to Employee Resource Groups, such as the Black Faculty Network, International Faculty Network, La Colectiva, and the Neurodiversity Professional Network, supported by the university’s Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity.

Offering instruction in Frisco and Dallas as well as at the main Denton campus, the College of Visual Arts and Design also comprises the CVAD Galleries, Texas Fashion Collection, Onstead Institute for Education in the Visual Arts and Design, Gough Design Research Space, and textile and digital fabrication lab facilities that support student work, faculty research, as well as college, university, and broader constituents in recently built and renovated, state-of-the-art facilities.

A nationally and internationally recognized community of faculty provides students with excellent mentors and role models upon which to pattern their careers. The College of Visual Arts and Design is dedicated to creating a climate and curriculum that values, demonstrates, and affirms diversity, equity, and inclusion through its programs and practices. Additional information about the college and university can be found online: cvad.unt.edu and www.unt.edu.

The University
Established in 1890, University of North Texas is a student-centered public research university with over 40,000 students. A Carnegie-ranked Tier One public research university, and multi-year recipient of the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, UNT is one of the nation’s most diverse universities with more than 10,000 Hispanic students, 6,000 African American students, 3,700 international students, 3,300 Asian/Pacific Islander students, and 500 Indigenous students.

The Chair provides leadership for the Studio Art Department and is responsible for the vision of its academic endeavors and the advancement of excellence in research and creative activity, teaching, and service across all programs in the department: Ceramics, Drawing and Painting, Metalsmithing and Jewelry, New Media Art, Printmaking, Photography, and Sculpture. The Chair manages fiscal and personnel issues, leads a robust team of visual art technicians across the departmental programs, represents the department to internal and external constituencies, and actively participates in fundraising initiatives. The Chair will teach one class each semester.

The Chair reports to the Dean and works closely with CVAD’s Associate Deans, the other CVAD Department Chairs, the Foundations Director, and Studio Art Department faculty. The Chair will support the university’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and access in all academic and personnel matters.

The ideal candidate will bring visionary thinking, a passion for art, and the highest standards of creative and scholarly excellence to the position. Evidence of professional and progressive leadership within an institution or organization, excellent management and mentoring skills, and the proven ability to manage a large and varied studio art department is essential. These attributes may be demonstrated through a track record as an artist, practitioner, teacher, researcher, and/or administrator.

The Chair will adhere to and foster the highest standards of ethical conduct, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, diversity, appropriate financial oversights and controls, as well as safety, security, and confidentiality precautions related to the position.

For this 12-month faculty administrator appointment, we seek a candidate who has an MFA or equivalent terminal degree in a relevant discipline and evidence of on-going research, scholarly or creative activities and experience sufficient to qualify for appointment at the rank of Professor with tenure. The successful candidate will have: 1) a record of collaborative leadership; 2) strong interpersonal skills in working with and in support of faculty and staff; and 3) a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in higher education and the arts.

About:

The Department of Studio Art is housed in the College of Visual Arts and Design in the Carnegie Tier 1 research, and NASAD-accredited, University of North Texas. We are seeking a leader who advocates for the role of the department’s active and committed studio art faculty within the context of a research university. The Studio Art Chair will work to develop the next generation of studio artists in a department that values both the vibrancy of individual disciplines as well as the integration of artistic practices. A viable candidate embraces a consultative approach toward decision-making, is forward thinking regarding new technologies, and is active in cultivating new donors and economic resources.