Chair, Department of Sculpture and Extended Media
Quick Link: http://www.vcujobs.com/postings/89072
| Position Number | F05290 |
|---|---|
| Position Type | Teaching and Research Faculty |
| Rank | Open |
| Working Title | Chair, Department of Sculpture and Extended Media |
| School/Unit | School of the Arts |
| Department | Sculpture |
| Number of Months | 12 |
| Tenure Status | Open |
| Grant funded position? | No |
| Mission or Goal of Unit | The VCUarts Department of Sculpture and Extended Media at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia is seeking a dynamic chairperson to join and lead the department. The Sculpture and Extended Media program is a recognized leader in visual arts education and ranked #1 in the country, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s graduate ranking. Curators, arts administrators, artist/teachers and others working in arts nonprofits, academia, or related critical/theoretical disciplines are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will build strong and effective relationships throughout VCU’s academic communities while enhancing a culture of intellectual discourse, inquiry, and professional excellence. Applicants should be deft and equitable administrators with fiscal experience while balancing a deep interest and commitment to critical theory, contemporary studio practice and arts pedagogy. The Chair will be an enthusiastic advocate for the department, possessing interpersonal skills to engage and work with a large and diverse faculty, staff, and student body. The Chair will work toward broadening participation among members of underrepresented groups, leading the integration of inclusive perspectives into the culture and curriculum of the department.
The Department of Sculpture and Extended Media is led by a diverse and accomplished group of working artists. The program promotes a fluid exploration of the transformative possibilities of art within the context of the critical, socio-political, philosophical and technological conditions shaping the world today. The program offers MFA and BFA degrees with 12 graduate students and over 100 undergraduate majors in the department. The department is currently staffed with seven full-time faculty, an assistant chair, a fiscal administrator, and two full-time technical faculty. The Department occupies over 50,000 square feet of studio and shop space, and offers students an immersive learning experience, drawing from legacy techniques to the most progressive approaches to contemporary art making. The Department is located in the Fine Arts Building housing the departments of Painting & Printmaking, Craft/Material Studies and Kinetic Imaging’s graduate studios, giving students constant opportunities for conversation and collaboration. VCUarts and the Department of Sculpture and Extended Media are also building vital and exciting interdisciplinary connections across VCU’s campus including the School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, the College of Humanities and Sciences, the School of Business and more. These relationships offer our students opportunities to explore interdisciplinary, inter-media, anti-disciplinary approaches to their artistic studies. The department is located near downtown Richmond and two blocks from the new Institute for Contemporary Art designed by Steven Holl that opened in 2018. The ICA VCU is a non-collecting institution featuring 41,000 square feet for exhibitions of contemporary art, experimental performance, films, and programs that encourage in-depth consideration of the central issues of our time. VCUarts: VCUarts is ranked the #1 public university arts and design graduate school in the country by US News and World Report. The school is comprised of sixteen programs, in aggregate enrolling more than 3,000 students. Far more than receiving simply an education or preparation for a career; students leave VCUarts with the practical, professional and personal skills needed to make a life in the arts, no matter how they define it. That’s why VCUarts’ programs emphasize both doing and knowing: why the majority of its faculty are working artists, performers, designers, and scholars; and why they encourage students to take advantage of the many academic and intellectual opportunities that come with being part of a research university. Today, VCUarts graduates can be found throughout the academic and professional fields and have been recognized with everything from Emmys to MacArthur Fellowships. VCUarts is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the National Association of Schools of Dance, the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of Schools of Theatre, the Virginia Department of Education, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education. VCUarts is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural and inclusive environment and strongly encourages applications from all racial/ethnic, gender and social identities. |
|---|---|
| Chief purpose of this position in support of above mission or goal | The Chair will build strong and effective relationships throughout VCU’s academic communities while enhancing a culture of intellectual discourse, inquiry, and professional excellence. The Chair will be deft and equitable administrators with fiscal experience while balancing a deep interest and commitment to critical theory, contemporary studio practice and arts pedagogy. The Chair will be an enthusiastic advocate for the department, possessing interpersonal skills to engage and work with a large and diverse faculty, staff, and student body. The Chair will work toward broadening participation among members of underrepresented groups, leading the integration of inclusive perspectives into the culture and curriculum of the department. |
| Position Responsibilities | ● Teaching in area of expertise will be expected, providing a forum for direct interaction with students in creative/academic contexts, affording opportunities to model scholarship within the department; ● Maintain an active, independent creative practice; ● Build collaborative relationships within the School, the Dean’s Office, other Chairs and Directors, HR and across all university departments, while being flexible and able to work in a team environment with the potential to develop new strategies for programming; ● Articulate a vision for the department in concert with the Dean and faculty; ● Serve as an advocate for VCU, the School, its faculty, students, and the Sculpture and Extended Media department; ● Promote excellence in teaching, creativity, research, and service through community engagement; ● Foster collaborative curriculum across the arts and broader campus; ● Ensure the effective annual assessment of faculty performance. Thoughtfully inspire and evaluate faculty in the areas of teaching, research and service, including mentoring new and current faculty and guiding faculty through the promotion and tenure process; ● Oversight for all areas of department administration, to include finance, recruitment and admissions, course scheduling, personnel, facilities and equipment, travel, procurement, and other duties as assigned; ● Engage nationally and internationally with alumni; ● Partner with the Dean and the School’s development officers in department outreach, alumni relations, and fundraising efforts; ● Collaboration with the School’s admissions team to advocate and participate in events, both undergraduate and graduate, including the execution of a national recruitment plan; ● Represent the interests of the School on designated University committees. |
| Required Qualifications | ● A significant national or international resume to lead a nationally highly ranked program; ● Master’s degree or equivalent academic or arts administrative experience is required; ● Demonstrated competence in creating a trusting and inclusive culture; experience recruiting, hiring, and retaining under-represented faculty and staff, and leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion among all students, faculty and staff; ● Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU; ● Proven administrative skills; ● A well-developed scholarly, creative or professional portfolio with the potential for multi-disciplinary applications; ● The Chair have a well-established creative practice and research agenda, and a demonstrated ability and/or clear potential to develop and obtain external funding, as appropriate, and potential for scholarship or creative expression that complements and expands existing expertise in the department and School; ● Good humor, flexibility, and passion for developing a dynamic, forward-thinking program are a must. ● Experience developing and leading in a highly ambitious and collegial team environment; ● Excellent time management and communication skills; adept at speaking to large audiences. |
| Preferred Qualifications |
| Date Posted | 05/06/2019 |
|---|---|
| Open Until Filled | Yes |
| Application Deadline Date | |
| Proposed Hire Date | 07/01/2020 |
| Type of Search | National |
| Application Process/Additional Information | To apply, please submit application materials via VCU eJobs at www.vcujobs.com. Only electronic applications submitted via eJobs will be accepted.
Application materials should be to the attention of Corin Hewitt, Associate Professor of Sculpture and Extended Media, co-chair of the search committee, and should include the following: 1) Letter of interest that conveys relevant academic and professional background and a clear research vision; and describes experiences and/or professional service that inform the candidate’s world views and/or perspectives about identity, to potentially include race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, religion, and/or disability; Letter of interest be submitted in the “Cover Letter/Letter of Application” section in eJobs; the current CV, statement of pedagogic philosophy, and list of references should be submitted as one PDF in the “Curriculum Vitae (CV)” section of eJobs; and, due to file size limitations (9MB), the portfolio of work should be submitted in the “Other Document” section of eJobs as an accessible link in a PDF that points to a website or cloud storage (with access instructions) to view all visual work. Review of applications begins January 13, 2020, and will continue until the position is filled. To read more about VCUarts: http://arts.vcu.edu Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing accessible and equitable living, learning and working environments free from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or disability. |
| Posted Salary | |
| Quick Link | http://www.vcujobs.com/postings/89072 |
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Applicant Documents
Required Documents
- Cover Letter/Letter of Application
- Other Document
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)