Lecturer in Curating

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, the Department of Art invites applications for Lecturer in Curating with emphasis on global artistic practices.

The Department of Art at Aalto University is working to strengthen curating as a field situated in the space between visual culture, contemporary art practices and a plethora of other disciplines. The department and the MA program, Visual Culture, Curating, and Contemporary Art (ViCCA) is looking to further emphasize the dimension of global artistic practice and its research in its curriculum. 

The position will be filled for a fixed term of three (3) or five (5) years or permanently on any level of the Aalto University Lecturer Career System (University Teacher positions are normally fixed-term positions, whereas University Lecturer and Senior University Lecturer positions are normally permanent positions. Individuals recruited directly at the University Lecturer level will typically first have a fixed-term contract).

Job description
The lecturer´s duties consist mainly of teaching within the ViCCA program and occasionally across the department. The lecturer will collaborate on the planning of the curriculum and will act as coordinator of courses, excursions and collaborations. The lecturer will guide and assess student assignments and thesis works and take part in the student selections. The lecturer will cooperate with the other departments within the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, other schools of Aalto University, other universities, as well as museums and institutions within the local and global cultural field.

Requirements
We are seeking a lecturer in curating with a background in global visual arts. Accordingly, the candidate will have a record in researching and curating projects pertaining to contemporary visual cultural trajectories and contemporary artistic practices within a global context. In addition to other tasks, the candidate will be working with the ViCCA team to sculpt a module that would highlight the aesthetic, political and critical perspectives of artistic and curatorial practices in the general contexts of Latin and Central-America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as contemporary indigenous art production across the world. One aim of this appointment would be to forge a relationship between an understanding of global arts, post-colonial studies, and exhibition and curatorial practices.  

The successful candidate will have a Masters degree (or equivalent) in curatorial studies or a related field. Additionally, the candidate will have experience in teaching in a University environment, curriculum development, and thesis supervision at MA level. Excellent written and spoken English is essential.

Salary and working time
Salary will be determined upon competence and experience of the chosen person following the salary system of Finnish universities. Teaching personnel belong to the total working-hours system, working 1624 hours annually.

The position will begin in spring term 2019 or according to agreement.  

How to apply
Please submit your application through Aalto University eRecruitment system no later than Friday, November 30, 2018 (Finnish time UTC +3). The link to the eRecruitment system (“Apply for this job”) can be found at the bottom of the page. The applicants are required to submit the following material:

Curriculum Vitae (including list of publications)

Cover Letter including personal statement underlining research interests past, present, and future (max 2 pages)

Concise portfolio, featuring only 2 curatorial projects (max 5 pages / 50 MB)

Teaching portfolio according to Aalto University requirements.

All application materials are to be submitted in pdf form and in English. The Departmental Committee carrying out the recruitment process reserves the right to request the applicants to submit additional material if needed.

Aalto University reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

Application process
All applicants will be assessed by independent external evaluators as well as a departmental committee. The Departmental Committee will choose applicants to visit the Department of Art and deliver teaching demonstrations scheduled for January 2019. The chosen applicants will also be interviewed by the Departmental Committee. The applicants will be reviewed on the basis of the following: teaching competence, artistic-professional and/or research merits, track record in collaborative projects and activity in the professional field.

Additional information
For further information on the available position, please contact Professor Bassam El Baroni by e-mail bassam.elbaroni (at) aalto.fi. Questions concerning the recruitment process please contact HR Coordinator Elina Säkki-Anttila, elina.sakki [​at​] aalto.fi / T +358 50 449 9349.

Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto University has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and nearly 400 professors. Our campuses are located in Espoo and Helsinki, Finland.

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture is one of the most prestigious international universities of art, design and architecture in the world. The school is a strong source of social influence. Key areas of its research are design, digital media, audiovisual representation, art, visual culture, well-being architecture and emerging technologies, and urban planning and design. The school’s history dates back to 1871.