Lance Williams Residency in the Arts & Sciences
Visual Art
Position Overview
The Department of Visual Art in partnership with departments in Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies at the University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) is pleased to invite applications for the Lance Williams Residency in the Arts & Sciences. We are looking for artists in all disciplines with affinities for art and science research, interdisciplinary correspondence, collaboration, and practice. The successful candidate should be eager to incorporate the vast resources of the university and the greater Lawrence and Kansas City region into the context of both their studio practice and classroom. The candidate will teach undergraduate level classes in the Fall and Spring term of their residence, further their creative work and research while on campus, and deliver a public presentation about their activities during their residency.
This visionary gift from the Lance Williams Opportunity Fund provides an honorarium of $20,000 to support the candidate throughout the duration of their 9-month, two-semester long residency. The Department of Visual Art also offers the fellow the opportunity to teach up to four undergraduate courses (two per semester) as a lecturer and will be compensated $5,500 per class (in addition to the honorarium offered above). Class offerings will be based on department needs but may include an established course in Visual Art Foundations and Sculpture, as well as the option to teach a Special Topics course to be determined by the candidate’s interests and research.
The candidate will be given a studio space in the Department of Visual Art as well as an office in the Earth, Energy, and Environment Center and the opportunity to further develop their art practice in the community of students, other visiting artists, and faculty members across several departments. Examples of facilities the visiting artist will have access to include the Interdisciplinary Ceramic Research Center (ICRC), the KU Biological Field Station as well as facilities within the Department of Visual Art such as the Sculpture Area, Common Shop and VAST Lab.
As a Research One Institution the University of Kansas and the Department of Visual Art believe in the inextricable tie between diversity and excellence. We seek a colleague to participate in our aim to decolonize our pedagogy, seek innovations made possible through diversity of thought, and strengthen a culture of rigorous inquiry and creative research generated by faculty and students, both graduate and undergraduate. We are committed to creating an equitable, hospitable, and inclusive educational environment, and candidates with diverse viewpoints, backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply.
Candidates are required to have an MFA or equivalent professional experience, one-year minimum teaching experience, a well-developed portfolio, and an exhibition record that is national and/or international in scope. They should be conversant in contemporary art issues and studio practices and enthusiastic about teaching in a diverse, multicultural setting. The dates for this 9 month-long, two semester appointment are August 18, 2024, to May 16, 2025. The successful applicant must have appropriate work authorization prior to the start of employment.
Job Description
Artist-in-Residence (50%) – Develop and create an inspiring and cohesive body of work that explores the intersection of Visual Art and the Sciences.
- Serve as a role model to students by exhibiting good judgment, developing appropriate student/mentor relationships, and abiding by all KU policies.
- Purchase all supplies and materials relevant to studio practice with no expectation that supplies will be provided by the Department of Visual Art.
- Work actively in the studio daily.
- Leaves facilities at Chalmers Hall, ICRC and Slawson Hall in the condition in which they were found. All broken equipment costs come out of A.I.R.’s budget and negligent use of facilities may result in lack of reappointment, where relevant, or disciplinary action.
Teaching (50%)
- Teach a minimum of one course per semester, and a maximum of two courses per semester, as a lecturer in the Department of Visual Art.
- Courses can include (but not limited to) Fundamentals of Sculpture (ART 122), Visual Art Foundations (ART 103), Drawing I and II and Special Topics course in Art + Ecology (Sculpture 330/630 and Environmental Studies 330/630).
- Work with Chairperson, Graduate and Undergraduate Directors, as well as relevant faculty across departments, to identify students with interdisciplinary interests in the Arts and Sciences.
- Develop assignments, administer critiques, evaluate student work, provide feedback to students, and assign grades.
- Adhere to departmental, college and university policies.
- Faculty members prepare for and attend all class meetings, hold regular office hours for students enrolled in classes taught. In case of absence, the lecturer must make arrangements with the Department for a substitute to teach class. Classes should not be canceled.
- Foster interdisciplinary engagements between students in Ecology/Environmental Studies and Visual Art.
Required Qualifications
- MFA or terminal degree in a related field.
- Demonstrated interest and investment in interdisciplinary Art and Science research and practice.
- Excellence in both the technical and conceptual aspects of contemporary artmaking.
- Demonstrated ability to teach across and between disciplines in Visual Art and Sciences.
- Excellent organizational skills.
- Demonstrated evidence of active studio work and exhibition history.
Preferred Qualifications
- At least 1 year of experience teaching as a graduate student and/or beyond.
- Demonstrated excellent in teaching as evidenced in teaching philosophy and letters of recommendation.
Contact Information to Applicants
Search Chair Steve Gurysh
visualart@ku.edu
Additional Candidate Instruction
For more information and to apply, go to
https://employment.ku.edu/academic/27661BR. A complete application packet will include the following items:
- A Letter of application
- A Curriculum Vitae showing a record of accomplishments and productivity
- An artist statement
- A teaching statement addressing the evidence of being or an ambition to become, an excellent educator;
- A list of 3 references including full name, affiliations or title, and email address.
- A portfolio.
After submitting the above documents through the application portal, please email your portfolio to
visualart@ku.edu attached as a single PDF (no more than 25mb in size). Your portfolio should include a maximum of 10 images, videos, or audio files of artwork. For audio and video, you may provide a link to media from YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud. Please include a brief description of each image including title, media, and year of project.
In addition to the materials above, learning about each applicant's contribution and engagement in areas of diversity is an important part of KU's mission. As a result, applicants will be presented the following question at the time of application. The response must be within 4,000 characters or less.
- Describe your experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds and explain how those experiences reflect your commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Initial review of applications will begin May 9, 022 and will continue until the position is filled.
