The School of Art in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Asian Art to start in August 2024. This is a standard nine-month faculty appointment.

We seek an art historian with broad expertise in Asian art, architecture, visual culture, and/or material culture. The position is open to applicants with any chronological focus, from ancient through contemporary Asian art. Applicants in East, Southeast, and South Asian art—and their global diasporas, including Asian American art—are encouraged to apply. We are especially interested in scholars with innovative approaches, whose research and teaching cut across national boundaries and demonstrate a commitment to interdisciplinary, intersectional, and transregional approaches.

We are a vibrant and growing program that is actively committed to diversifying art historical knowledge and approaches, embracing new methodologies, and educating students in a multivocal and inclusive art history. Northwest Arkansas is home to Hispanic, Asian, Black, Pacific Islander, and Native American populations, among them significant Marshallese, Vietnamese, Hmong, and Mexican communities. In Fall 2023, we launched a new MA program in the arts of the Americas, developed in partnership with the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its contemporary arts satellite, the Momentary. We have cross-institutional strengths in craft and design, with world-class ceramics facilities and an MDES program in Design at the School of Art, and craft-focused initiatives at Crystal Bridges. For this and future hires, we seek creative thinkers who will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the intellectual community in the School of Art, Crystal Bridges, and the growing arts ecosystem of Northwest Arkansas.

This tenure-track position comes with an annual research budget of up to $10,000 to support scholarship. This is a nine-month faculty appointment, with a standard workload of 40% research, 40% teaching (2 courses per semester, 4 courses total per year), and 20% service. Regular, reliable, and non-disruptive attendance is an essential job duty, as is the ability to create and maintain collegial, harmonious working relationships with others. The expected start date is August 12, 2024.

The successful candidate will teach courses at the masters and undergraduate level. Candidates may teach in the Honors College and at the University’s Rome Center, and co-design courses with colleagues in Studio, Design, and other units. Art history faculty have ties to the Asian Studies program at the University of Arkansas, which provides resources and training in Asian languages, cultures, history, politics, and economics. The University is also the site of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies, which is dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East and the geo-cultural area in which Islamic civilization prospered and continues to shape world history. The University of Arkansas’s Religious Studies program is an interdisciplinary minor that enables students to explore the complex interplay of culture, society, historical traditions, and ideas. There are also opportunities to lead travel courses both domestically and abroad. Another cultural resource in Northwest Arkansas is the Ra-Ve Cultural Foundation, an organization dedicated to bringing Indian performances, community showcases, food, and clothes to the area. Additional resources include the Arkansas Archaeological Survey, the Fine Arts Center Gallery, and the many museums in the region, including the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, MO.

About the School of Art:
In 2017, the University of Arkansas was awarded a $120 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation to establish a School of Art in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. The gift created the first and only school of art in the state of Arkansas, and is helping to advance art education, design, art history and studio art in the state while providing unparalleled access and opportunity to students. In addition, in 2017, the School of Art also received a $40 million gift from the Windgate Foundation to develop and build a new Studio Art and Graphic Design facility. Most recently, in 2021, the Windgate Foundation gave a $30 million partial challenge grant to develop and build a facility to house a professional gallery, auditorium, the foundations program, as well as idea fabrication and arts entrepreneurship labs. The mission of the School of Art is to develop one of the highest quality educational, research and service programs in the visual arts available nationally. The School of Art is a fully accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and includes 54 faculty, 8 staff members, and more than 500 students. There are currently 8 degree options: BFA in Art Education, BFA in Graphic Design, BFA in Studio Art, BA in Art History, BA in Studio Art, MA in Art Education, MFA in Studio Art, and MDES in Communication Design. The MA degree in Art History of the Americas launched this Fall 2023.

Duties will include:
- 40% Teaching
- 40% Research
- 20% Service

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:
With submitted materials, the candidate must demonstrate
- PhD, or terminal degree, in Art History or an allied field from an accredited institution of higher education conferred by the start of appointment
- An established record of innovative scholarship
- Commitment to pedagogy to engage all students
- Commitment to or interest in mentoring undergraduate, honors, and/or graduate students

Preferred Qualifications:
- Demonstrated interest in or experience in interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary collaboration
- Demonstrated commitment to or interest in program building
- Research or teaching expertise that complements or expands existing faculty strengths
- Evidence of strong teaching abilities

Additional Information:

Salary Information:
Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Required Documents to Apply:
Cover Letter/Letter of Application, Curriculum Vitae, List of three Professional References (name, email, business title), Writing Sample

Optional Documents:
Proof of Veteran Status

Recruitment Contact Information:
Lynn Jacobs, search committee co-chair, ljacobsuark.edu;
John Blakinger, search committee co-chair, johnrbuark.edu

All application materials must be uploaded to the University of Arkansas System Career Site https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UASYS

Please do not send to listed recruitment contact.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Completed applications received by 12/10/2023, will be assured full consideration. Late applications will be reviewed as necessary to fill the position.

For additional inquiries, please contact the search committee co-chairs Lynn Jacobs at ljacobsuark.edu; and John Blakinger at johnrbuark.edu.

Applicants must submit
- a curriculum vitae,
- a cover letter/letter of application addressing research and teaching,
- one scholarly writing sample (submitted as a pdf), and
- a list of three professional references (name, title, email address, and phone number) willing to provide letters of recommendation if requested during the application process. Letters of recommendation will be requested only for candidates selected for interviews.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Pre-employment Screening Requirements:
Criminal Background Check, Sex Offender Registry
The University of Arkansas is committed to providing a safe campus community. We conduct background checks for applicants being considered for employment. Background checks include a criminal background check and a sex offender registry check. For certain positions, there may also be a financial (credit) background check, a Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) check, and/or drug screening. Required checks are identified in the position listing. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

The University of Arkansas seeks to attract, develop and retain high quality faculty, staff and administrators that consistently display practices and behaviors to advance a culture that embeds inclusion, opportunity, educational excellence and unparalleled access for all.

The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate in its education programs or activities (including in admission and employment) on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, marital or parental status, protected veteran status, military service, genetic information, or sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity). Federal law prohibits the University from discriminating on these bases. Questions or concerns about the application of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, may be sent to the University's Title IX Coordinator and to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

All application information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.