Assistant Professor of Art – Ceramics at Penn State (Pennsylvania State University), University Park, PA
Posted on November 15, 2022
Applications are due December 15, 2022
The School of Visual Arts (SoVA) in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University invites candidates to apply for the tenure-track Assistant Professor of Art position in Ceramics, with an anticipated start date of Fall 2023.
The College of Arts and Architecture is working to establish a culture of anti-racism and anti-oppression that embraces individual identities, fosters a culture of inclusion, and promotes equity through curricula, values, standards, ideals, policies, and practices. The ideal candidate will provide evidence of their experience with, and interest in, contributing to these goals.
SoVA seeks an innovative and engaged artist/practitioner who will help shape the future of the ceramics area. Applicants should display a commitment to ceramic materials and an expansive vision of the role ceramics play in contemporary culture and art making. Applicants working in any approach to the material including functional, sculptural, figurative, performative, and experimental modes are encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities:
- Teach diverse clay techniques and traditions at all levels (load of 2 courses per semester fall and spring) and supervise/conduct individual studies with graduate students. Candidates must be well-versed in wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques in both contemporary and historical contexts.
- Provide guidance in curricular development within the ceramics area and work collaboratively with the existing faculty members in ceramics to develop a progressive and innovative program and support our students in developing creative works as part of a socially and culturally engaged research university.
- Assist existing faculty with the oversight and development of a dedicated ceramics studio and kiln facilities with an emphasis on safe and sustainable processes.
- Conduct scholarly work (research and/or creative activity), with an active exhibition record and emerging recognition in the field.
- Conduct service to the unit, college, university, and professional organizations.
Requirements:
- MFA or terminal degree in related field, with a focus in Ceramics
- Teaching experience beyond graduate assistant teaching
- Ongoing studio practice and peer-reviewed achievements/exhibition record
- Service and community engagement are highly desirable.
- Evidence of equitable considerations, awareness, and practice with regard to curricula development, inclusive practices in educating diverse student bodies or working with a diverse faculty and staff, along with evidence of working collectively to cultivate a culture that supports success and enables all members of a college community to thrive.
SoVA places a high priority on diversity, equity, social justice, accessibility, and inclusive pedagogies that fosters academic excellence. Candidates whose background, research activities, expertise, and/or experiences contribute to such priority are highly encouraged to apply.
Submit:
- Cover letter (address in your cover letter how equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging relate to your academic, research, creative activity, and/or service experience)
- Curriculum Vitae
- Diversity Statement (an expanded version from cover letter, with applied examples)
- Artist Statement
- Teaching Philosophy
- Scholarly (research/creative) portfolio
- Student work portfolio (if available)
- Name and contact information for three professional references
All documents above must be submitted as individual pdf files, with external links included as needed/relevant.
Application priority deadline: December 15, 2022
Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received and accepted until position is filled. For more information contact Search Committee Chair, Shannon Goff (sdg19@psu.edu).
About Ceramics:
SoVA’s Ceramics area has consistently enjoyed a reputation as one of the most compelling programs in the nation. Penn State Ceramics alumni are exhibiting widely, participating in prominent residency programs, and teaching in many esteemed programs nationally.
About SoVA:
The School of Visual Arts (SoVA) at Penn State offer undergraduate degrees in Art Education (B.S.), Digital Arts and Multimedia Design (B.Des.), Studio Art (BA, BFA) and Photography (B.A., B.Des., B.F.A.) at our residential campus, and a fully online degree in Digital Multimedia Design (B.Des.) and Digital Arts certificate at World Campus. At the graduate level, we offer an M.F.A. in Art (Ceramics, Drawing and Painting, Graphic Design, New Media, Photography, and Sculpture), and dual M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Art Education with African American and Diaspora Studies, or Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
SoVA’s mission aim:
• To contribute to the expansion of knowledge and scholarship in the visual arts, design, arts pedagogy, and related fields of study and practice.
• To facilitate the highest level of creative and intellection pursuit for students through teaching and learning experiences and opportunities.
• To provide expertise to the service and benefit of communities across campus, the commonwealth, the nation, and beyond.
• SoVA will be a safe space for creatively engaged minds and bodies. This community will operate in a cohesive and supportive manner to engender transformative experiences.
Vision Statement 2022-25:
• SoVA’s curricula and programming will reflect 21st century learning and creativity.
• SoVA will lead and serve as reference point to other Big Ten Art and Design schools and offer the best fully online programs in the arts through World Campus.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, sustainability, integrative, innovation, and belonging will constitute core values for SoVA that are applied to all our activities and interests.
• SoVA will provide a lasting impact in the world through the arts, focused on fairness, innovation, community-building and access, instead of solely focusing on individual accomplishments and merits.
About the College of Arts and Architecture:
The College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, located on the University Park campus in beautiful central Pennsylvania, is the hub for arts and design education, outreach, and engagement, where new ways of thinking are encouraged and interdisciplinary collaboration is the norm. With academic programs spanning music, theatre, visual arts, graphic design, digital design, art history, architecture, and landscape architecture, we are a complete arts and design community committed to artistic and scholarly creativity, research, and the preparation of creators and educators whose innovation and industriousness make a positive impact around the world.
We offer a broad array of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as numerous ensembles and clubs open to all students regardless of major. The Center for the Performing Arts, Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State Centre Stage, and Penn’s Woods Music Festival – also part of the college – are key organizations in the area’s thriving cultural landscape, offering performances, exhibitions, and educational outreach programs that are enjoyed by thousands each year. In addition, the college’s research centers and institutes help to foster a vibrant culture of inquiry that promotes excellence within the arts and design disciplines, while at the same time leveraging the potential of a comprehensive research university.
College of Arts and Architecture faculty are dedicated to providing high-quality professional instruction to graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the college. They also are responsible for providing undergraduate literature, history, and studio courses in the arts for all students at Penn State.
The college is housed in sixteen buildings in the “Arts District” on the University Park campus. Learn more about our extensive facilities.
Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture proudly serves as one of the major cultural centers between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
About Penn State University:
The Pennsylvania State University is a multi-campus, land-grant, public research university that educates students from around the world and supports individuals and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research, and service.
Our instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional, continuing, and extension education offered through both resident instruction and distance learning. Our educational programs are enriched by the talent, knowledge, diversity, creativity, and teaching and research acumen of our faculty, students, and staff.
Our discovery-oriented, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research and scholarship promote human and economic development, global understanding, and advancement in professional practice through the expansion of knowledge and its applications in the natural and applied sciences, social and behavioral sciences, engineering, technology, arts and humanities, and myriad professions.
As Pennsylvania’s land-grant university, we provide unparalleled access to education and public service to support the citizens of the Commonwealth and beyond. We engage in collaborative activities with private sector, educational, and governmental partners worldwide to generate, integrate, apply, and disseminate knowledge that is valuable to society.
