Seeking Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Arts (tenure-stream)

The Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory (AHVA) at UBC, invites applications for a tenure-stream appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor in the field of historical and traditional Indigenous arts and cultural practices. The anticipated start date of employment is as early as July 1, 2021.

The incumbent of the Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Arts will be at the forefront of current scholarship that is redefining Indigenous art and rewriting academic and popular narratives of Indigenous cultures. The successful candidate will be an active scholar, immersed in the most advanced aesthetic, theoretical and methodological concerns of historical Indigenous works. The incumbent will have access to annual funds to support their research.

Applicants must have a PhD in art history or a related discipline. They are expected to provide strong evidence of active and excellent research, and to demonstrate a record of high-quality teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The successful candidate will teach a one-two course load related to the history of Indigenous arts and will be expected to maintain an active program of research, publication, graduate supervision and service. They will liaise with local and international Indigenous and art communities and hold a public lecture or gathering triennially.

As one of the largest and most distinguished universities in Canada—located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people—UBC has excellent resources for scholarly research. The Art History program offers BA, MA, and PhD degrees as well as a diploma, and partners with departmental programs in Visual Art and in Critical and Curatorial Studies, and in the Bachelor of Media Studies program. For more information, visit: www.ahva.ubc.ca. The department maintains close ties with the world-renowned Museum of Anthropology (MOA). MOA’s extensive collection of Northwest Coast art ranks among the world’s finest and includes rare historical works. The Chair would also have access to the research, exhibitions and acquisitions at the Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery, which promotes understanding and discussion of contemporary art and contemporary issues in Indigenous art history, criticism and curating.

This position presents the opportunity to engage with an interdisciplinary group of scholars within the larger academic community, including the First Nations and Indigenous Studies program, the First Nations House of Learning, Xwi7xwa Library, the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, the Peter A. Allard School of Law and the Indigenous Legal Studies Program; and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice.

Applicants must submit their application at ahva.air.arts.ubc.ca

Please note we do not require letters of reference for your initial application. However, your listed references should be willing to provide a confidential letter of reference at a later date should your candidacy progress.

Review of applications will begin on November 16, 2020 and continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date are assured of full review.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. This position is subject to final budgetary approval.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the BC Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.