Jobs at Oberlin

The Studio Art Department at Oberlin College invites applications for a full-time non-continuing faculty position in the College of Arts and Sciences in Integrated Media Art. Appointment to this position will be for a term of 1 year [2 semesters], beginning fall 2024, and will carry the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor.

Founded in 1833, Oberlin is a private four-year, selective liberal arts college near Cleveland, Ohio and is also home to an outstanding Conservatory of Music. Together, the two divisions enroll approximately 2900 students. Oberlin College was the first college in the US to make interracial education and co-education central to its mission. The College continues to view a diverse, equitable and inclusive educational environment as essential to the excellence of its academic program. Among liberal arts colleges, Oberlin is a national leader in successfully placing graduates into PhD programs.

The Oberlin Studio Art department offers a creative platform for students who want intensive studio training combined with the intellectual rigor of a liberal arts curriculum. Oberlin artists are thinking artists, deeply engaged in their intellectual and creative pursuits. Our world-renowned faculty offer courses in painting, drawing, color theory, design, photography (wet and digital), sculpture, installation, performance, media arts (sound, video, interactive/networked art), performance, reproducible media (screenprint, lithography, intaglio, relief, monotype, digital), and all the hybrids in between. Drawing on their parallel liberal arts studies at Oberlin, our students produce work at the forefront of creative fields. Oberlin’s Studio Art curriculum is interdisciplinary in nature, and emphasizes ideas. Even skills-based courses use ideas as prompts, from the political histories of color to the concept of “nature” as it has been defined by landscape painting. Supporting our diverse mediums and the conceptual depth of our courses, our curriculum’s guiding structure is radically simple: physical dimensions. Our 2D courses focus on color, composition, design, and mediums on a flat plane; 3D courses emphasize tools and techniques to build in and re-envision in space; 4D courses address time-based media, and most digital mediums. By the time a student graduates from Oberlin’s Studio Art department—regardless of their primary medium—they will be fluent in visual languages across all (known) physical dimensions, preparing them to be critical thinkers and active participants in our 21st century visual world.

The incumbent will teach a total of five courses in the general area of integrated media art practice. This is a one-year sabbatical replacement position that is responsible for teaching within the 4D introductory and intermediate curriculum. The candidate should be able to teach an integrated range of electronic media-based art practices within the context of an interdisciplinary, conceptually based Studio Art Department. A combination of expertise in areas such as video, sound, net art, creative coding, digital imaging, interactive installation design, and/or utilizing digital media to intersect with social and public spheres is desirable.

Among the qualifications required for appointment is a Master of Fine Arts degree in hand at time of appointment and expertise in a range of digital media practices. Applicants must show evidence and/or promise of a significant professional studio art practice and exhibition record. Candidates must demonstrate interest and potential excellence in undergraduate teaching. Successful teaching experience at the college level is desirable. Oberlin College is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The incumbent will bring understanding of or experience working with underrepresented and diverse academic populations. Oberlin is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the excellence and diversity of the academic community through their research, teaching, and service. Oberlin recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran’s status, and/or other protected status as required by applicable law.

Within the range established for this position, salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and includes an excellent benefits package.

To apply, candidates should visit the online application site found at https://jobs.oberlin.edu. A complete application will be comprised of 1) a Cover Letter describing your teaching, scholarship, mentorship, and service, detailing any connections to supporting an inclusive learning environment; 2) a Curriculum Vitae; 3) an unofficial graduate transcript; 4) a statement (or statements) on your teaching philosophy and expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion; 5) a research statement about your artistic scholarship; 6) a PDF portfolio (or link to online portfolio) with 10-20 examples of personal work and 10-20 examples of student work, including descriptions; and 7) Letters of Reference from three recommenders.* All application materials must be submitted electronically through Oberlin College and Conservatory’s online application process

at: https://jobs.oberlin.edu/

Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled. Completed applications received by the March 1, 2024 deadline will be guaranteed full consideration.

Questions about the position can be addressed to: Studio Arts Program Coordinator, Jamie Jacobs, jjacobs@oberlin.edu, 440-775-8181, or Chair of Studio Art, Kristina Paabus, kpaabus@oberlin.edu, 440-775-5176.