Assistant professor of art

The Department of Art and the History of Art invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in the area of photography. The appointment will begin on July 1, 2025.

The department seeks a broad thinker and technically skilled photographer. The artist should be knowledgeable about both contemporary and historical practices in photography, conversant in the critical discourses related to the medium, and dedicated to teaching both established and experimental approaches in photography at all levels. In particular, we welcome applications from candidates with diverse perspectives who are adept in the use of both analog and digital photography, comfortable integrating the two in their teaching, and capable of mentoring students in interdisciplinary material-based practice. The artist’s interests might include (but are not limited to) social practice, questions of intersectional identity, archival investigation, ecocriticism, and explorations of photography in the sphere of digital networks, artificial intelligence, performance, or installation art.

We are a department composed of artists and art historians, teaching both majors and non- majors in a liberal arts college with an open curriculum. Our studio arts facilities include a large photography darkroom, a film/photo/video equipment cage, a digital lab, and other spaces and resources that serve our classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, fiber arts, sound art, installation, and film/video. Our new colleague will expose students to a broad spectrum of photographic practices and pedagogies, help them hone skills in visual literacy and critical assessment, and challenge them to develop strategies to realize interdisciplinary projects in inventive ways. As well as learning to create compelling and original photographic work, students gain insights that encourage an active, critical engagement with photographic images and a richer understanding of their cultural and political power. This enhanced analytical capacity is an essential tool for our students to engage in a meaningful and effective relationship with our culture and with democracy, underscoring the mission of an Amherst College education.

Responsibilities include teaching two courses per semester; advising students, including senior honors projects; maintaining and building an active exhibition record; overseeing the photography labs; and engaging in the life of the department and the college.

The position requires an MFA degree or the professional equivalent, at least two years of teaching experience, and an established exhibition record. Applicants are asked to submit the following materials here: a CV, a letter of interest that summarizes the candidate’s approach to both artmaking and teaching, twenty images and/or videos of work (video samples should not exceed three minutes each), two to three sample syllabi, up to twenty examples of student work (if available), and the contact information for three references. Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2024, and continue until the position is filled. References will be contacted after the first round of interviews.

Amherst College is an equal opportunity employer and encourages persons of all genders, persons of color, and persons with disabilities to apply. The college is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration, and staff.