Assistant Professor of Art: Sculpture

Assistant Professor of Art, tenure track, Sculpture (Position #6022) The Division of Art at SMU, Meadows School of the Arts invites nominations and applications in sculpture for an opportunity to be involved in the shaping of a dynamic interdisciplinary curriculum in Art. The candidate selected will be expected to be a significant partner in connecting the Division to an increasingly diverse and globally connected community at the university and in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The successful candidate will be an artist with an extensive record of creative practice with at least one year of full-time teaching.

As a faculty committed to interdisciplinary dialogue, we seek an artist and educator working within sculpture and its position within contemporary art. Creative responsibilities include active artistic presence on a national level through exhibition or other kinds of publication. Teaching responsibilities include introductory and advanced undergraduate courses and graduate courses. Other responsibilities include university service, especially but not limited to supervision of the Sculpture area with the support of the Art Technical Manager.

The Sculpture area integrates facilities for a range of materials and processes, including wood, plaster, foundry, welding, modeling, casting, and digital fabrication with links to the other areas in the Division of Art. Artists of all ethnic backgrounds and philosophical persuasions are strongly encouraged to apply. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications
Minimum qualifications:
–An MFA or equivalent in Art
–An extensive creative portfolio in sculpture with an active exhibition record
–Extensive knowledge of traditional and recent sculpture with the ability to teach across the broadest spectrum of sculptural materials and concepts
–One year full-time teaching at the university level
–An interest in curriculum development

Preferred qualifications:
–Demonstration of a body of work and teaching that integrates sculpture with the world of contemporary art and/or digital technologies.
–An engagement with material practices such as wood and metal fabrication, casting, mixed-media construction and/or digital media
–Expertise in foundry
–Two years full-time teaching at university level

Application instructions
Applications must include:
–Letter of application highlighting the candidate’s accomplishments and interest in the position
–Artist statement and separate Teaching statement, each not more than one page in length, separate from the letter of application
–CV
–Name and contact information of three recommenders (the committee will request  letters when appropriate)
–20 images of work samples with descriptions

Applications must be submitted electronically here. To ensure full consideration for the position, the application must be received by December 15, 2023, but the committee will continue to accept applications until the position is filled. Hiring is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check. 

Start date: August 1, 2024. Contact for further questions: Nishiki Sugawara-Beda, Associate Professor of Art, nishikis [​at​] smu.edu. 

The Division of Art provides a challenging environment for the study of studio art within a multi-faceted arts school at a major liberal arts university. We offer a BA, BFA, and MFA. in studio art. Each of our undergraduate degrees is based in an innovative program of Foundation studies and broad experiences in ways of seeing, ways of making, and ways of thinking. We place emphasis on the development of our students’ knowledge in ceramics, drawing, installation, new media, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, sound, and/or time-based media. Students are encouraged to work across media and in ways that integrate with other studies to develop their awareness of the context of art today and its future possibilities. Traditionally each degree culminates in focused exhibition, based in intensive work and critical discussion that is individual and true to students’ ideas and ambitions. In addition to faculty actively engaged in exhibition and research at the highest levels, SMU’s Division of Art hosts an ongoing series of lectures, open studios, panels and studio visits by artists, critics and curators.