Assistant Professor of Visual Studies

The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto invites applications for a full-time tenure stream appointment in the area of Visual Studies. This appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2025.

This search aligns with the University’s commitment to strategically and proactively promote diversity among our community members (Statement on Equity, Diversity & Excellence). Recognizing that Black, Indigenous, and other Racialized communities have experienced inequities that have developed historically and are ongoing, we strongly welcome and encourage candidates from those communities to apply.

Candidates must have earned a Master of Fine Arts, Master of Visual Studies or equivalent Master’s degree by the time of the appointment.  An in-progress or completed PhD in Art, Visual Culture, or a related area is considered an asset. Candidates must have a demonstrated record of excellence in research and/or creative professional activity, as well as in teaching. We seek candidates whose research and/or creative professional activity and teaching interests complement and enhance our existing strengths. The successful candidate will be expected to pursue research and/or creative professional activity with international exposure (e.g. exhibitions, festivals, residencies, publications, commissions, and/or curatorial practice, etc.).

Candidates must provide evidence of excellence in research and/or creative professional activity which can be demonstrated by the submitted research statement; representation in significant exhibitions, installations, screenings, residencies, commissions, festivals, or other forms of peer recognition of creative work; record of publications in recognized, field-relevant journals (or leading publications in the field) or forthcoming high impact publications or research in progress that targets such publication venues; participation in field-leading research projects and professional networks; presentations at academic or field-relevant conferences; awards and accolades; and strong endorsements by referees of high standing.

Evidence of excellence in teaching will be provided through teaching accomplishments, the teaching dossier submitted as part of the application (with required materials outlined below), as well as strong letters of reference.  Candidates must have the ability to contribute to the enrichment of undergraduate and graduate programs at the Daniels Faculty. These programs would include the Bachelor of Arts, Visual Studies, the Master of Visual Studies, and in the new PhD in Architecture, Landscape, and Design Studies. The successful candidate will have expert knowledge and dedicated experience in teaching through contemporary studio or curatorial practice and discourse that promotes student experimentation with varied traditional and emergent methods and media.

Both undergraduate and graduate studies at the Daniels Faculty focus on a critical understanding and production of art, curatorial and art-adjacent critical practices. The two degrees and multiple streams offered by the department (Honours Bachelor of Arts in Visual Studies Studio Stream, Honours Bachelor of Arts in Visual Studies Critical Practices Stream, The Master of Visual Studies Studio Stream, and the Master of Visual Studies Curatorial Studies Stream), provide participants with a unique environment for the rigorous investigation of the interdisciplinary and conceptual components inherent in contemporary art and critical visual cultural practice. This mission is premised on investigating the public exhibition of art in its various forms. The program also engages critical writing, theory, art history, design and related areas requiring a high degree of visual and media literacy as part of its core identity. 

We are seeking a candidate with a demonstrated capacity to advance Visual Studies knowledge and allied disciplines in a way that can contribute meaningfully to the diverse population and intellectual milieu at the Daniels Faculty. We encourage applications from artists and curators whose research interests and established working methodologies intersect with the varied complex and compelling creative activities of our students and their emerging critical scholarship.

Please visit our home page: the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design here.