Seeking Teaching Professor in New Genres—focus on performance and video

The Department of Art at University of California, Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts seeks a Teaching Professor in performance and performance-related video. The Department of Art offers both the Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) and the Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA).

The starting date for the position is July 1, 2021, with teaching responsibilities commencing in September 2021. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and based on University of California pay scales.

We seek an experienced instructor to teach a range of classes at the undergraduate level in performance art and performance-related video. The successful candidate will possess a deep understanding of historical and contemporary practices in performative practices in the field of art, with an active engagement with formal and theoretical experimentation, knowledge and a thoughtful appreciation of historical precedents (historical avant-garde, experimental dance, Fluxus, identity and body-oriented practices, socially-engaged practices), and a conceptual ability to intersect with other art forms and new technologies, alongside a strong understanding of the use the camera as a strategy in performance based work. Experience in curation, production, and presentation of performance is especially desirable. Successful candidates must possess sufficient versatility to teach studio/critiques courses in performance; seminars focusing on issues in new genres; and occasionally large lecture courses in performance and performance-related art, while serving as student mentor and advisor. Candidate will be expected to oversee the performance component of the Art Department’s public presentations of undergraduate work drawn from classes at the end of each academic quarter. As a department with evolving pedagogical needs, we also seek an individual with demonstrated experience in curriculum planning and assessment methodologies as a member of curricular committees.

The successful applicant will join a department of 20 full-time faculty. A heterogeneous group of artists and scholars, the department values inquiry and experimentation over specific ideologies and intellectual methods. The department’s research and instruction investigate how broad definitions of art are made in contexts ranging from the personal to the collective, from art institutions to broader definitions of “the public.” The department’s curriculum emphasizes that art is not a freestanding category, but instead takes shape through its intersection with other creative practices, knowledge formations, and social domains.

Qualifications
MFA or equivalent training; a minimum of 3 years of teaching experience at the post-secondary level; experience in curriculum planning and academic assessment; a record of significant research achievements; and a strong commitment to interdisciplinarity.

Application requirements
Upload the following to recruit.ap.uci.edu: (1) A cover letter explaining interest in the position and teaching philosophy; (2) CV, including record of publications, projects, and weblinks, if any; (3) A separate statement that addresses past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion; (4) Names and contact information for three recommenders only (no actual letters); and (5) Submit a portfolio of up to 10 image and other media samples.

EEO/AA policy
The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy. A recipient of an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity, UCI is responsive to the needs of dual career couples, supports work-life balance through an of family-friendly policies, and is dedicated to broadening participation in higher education. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. All positions at University of California are subject to budgetary approval.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UC Irvine conducts institutional reference checks for candidates finalists to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer of appointment into Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full). The institutional reference checks involve contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Irvine requires all candidates of Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full) to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into AP RECRUIT as part of their application. If the candidate does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full) positions will be subject to institutional reference checks.

Merit and promotions in the Professor of Teaching series requires, in addition to excellent teaching and service, that the candidate makes outstanding and externally recognized contributions to the development of his or her specific discipline and/or of pedagogy.