Career Center

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (SMFA at Tufts) invites applications for at least four new full-time studio faculty positions to begin September 1, 2022. While SMFA at Tufts has specific needs in the areas described below, artists whose practices may lie between these categories are also enthusiastically encouraged to apply. We hire studio faculty at the rank of “Professor of the Practice” and welcome applications from artists at any stage of their careers, from recently-minted MFAs to seasoned professors.

SMFA at Tufts students choose from a nearly all elective studio curriculum, without declaring medium specific majors, and many identify as interdisciplinary artists. The school encourages students to engage with multiple disciplines within the art school, the humanities, and sciences. Research based art practice is conducted with access to a variety of resources across the university, including the Tisch College of Civic Life and the School of Engineering, that support production and advanced fabrication with a wide range of facilities and tools, research support, international travel and experimental scholarship. 

SMFA at Tufts faculty members participate in a culture of excellence and achievement in research and creative activity, teaching and learning, and service to the institution and community. The faculty are a community of artists that support work with one another. The ideal candidate will appreciate working in a respectful collegial community of artists and will positively contribute to the artistic and intellectual life of the University. 

In addition, SMFA at Tufts seeks colleagues who combine technical skill with a dynamic and socially responsive pedagogical approach to nurturing a diverse community; candidate should have experience facilitating challenging conversations about emergent social and political issues. As the school strives to promote an inclusive environment, it seeks candidates who can contribute to these aims and demonstrate an array of related competencies in the areas of equity and justice.

SMFA at Tufts is committed to building a culturally diverse educational environment. We strongly encourage applications from those belonging to groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, including women, ethnic minorities, differently-abled, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender; and artwork, curriculum and research about underrepresented groups.

Candidates for these positions should:

-   have an MFA and/or equivalent, with a minimum of 3 years experience teaching at the undergraduate or graduate level;

-   have the ability to teach introductory through graduate level courses and to work collaboratively with faculty in the department, and other areas of the school to develop cross-media studio courses and seminars;

-   demonstrate extensive critical, theoretical and art historical knowledge in areas of contemporary art practices;

-   engage in interdisciplinary practices that may employ new and evolving technologies along with traditional approaches and who is actively engaged in extending multiple traditions and emerging practices in the field

1. PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE, SOUND/SOUND INSTALLATION

The ideal candidate is an artist working on research-based sound projects who shares affinities with participatory practice and socially engaged art. The candidate should be interdisciplinary and demonstrate proficiency in both hands-on building as well as programming and audio software, an artist able to work with hybrid forms and who is skilled in production and post-production techniques and processes. The candidate should demonstrate knowledge of sound as it informs social, political, and cultural contexts and environments. Additionally, the candidate should possess the ability to engage with students at all skill levels, and to value the diversity of the student population in their pedagogy. The candidate is an artist with a global perspective and a thorough knowledge of the historical and theoretical discourses of sound arts and installation. Areas of focus may be:

• History, theory, and practice of sound in modern and contemporary art
• The politics of sound, broadly defined, in society
• Sound and its relation to the social sphere
• Sound in non-Western conceptions and contexts
• Homemade and/or custom-built sound hardware/software tools

2. PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE, CERAMICS

The ideal candidate is an artist specializing in ceramics with a significant record of achievement and who has a strong grounding in contemporary approaches to theoretical, historical and practical aspects of art making and/or scholarship. While the successful candidate should be able to demonstrate an outstanding ability to teach effectively in the field of Ceramics, the artist’s own practice may diverge widely and take a broad view of what constitutes the discipline. SMFA at Tufts seeks extraordinary candidates representing a wide spectrum of traditional and experimental approaches to material exploration and art-making; the ideal candidate will bring dynamic vision, innovation, and strong leadership to the Ceramics area of the Sculpture department.

In a context where many students work cross-disciplinarily and few specialize exclusively in one medium, the successful candidate will be expected to engage with students from beginning to graduate level; to teach across a wide range of skill levels; to engage in a contemporary and global conversation at the advanced and graduate level; and to be conversant in contemporary developments in the field. Additionally, candidates should have a broad understanding of art practice and theory applicable to a variety of visual art fields.

The ideal candidate is fluent in the many intersecting fields of contemporary sculptural spatial/material/object-based practices, scholarship and critical studies. The department values the ability to teach ceramics from a comprehensively global perspective. Cultural discourses that expand the boundaries of cultural theory, art, and technology are also valued. Other areas of interest might include a demonstrated record of community engagement and mentorship within and outside of the classroom and experience teaching first generation and non-traditional students.  

3. PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE, SCULPTURE

The ideal candidate is an outstanding artist with a significant record of achievement who has a strong grounding in in contemporary approaches to theoretical, historical and practical aspects of art making and/or scholarship. While the successful candidate should be able to demonstrate an outstanding ability to teach effectively in the field of Sculpture, the artist’s own practice may diverge widely and take a broad view of what constitutes the discipline.

In a context where many students work cross-disciplinarily and few specialize exclusively in one medium, the successful candidate will be expected to engage with students from beginning to graduate level; to teach across a wide range of skill levels; to engage in a contemporary and global conversation at the advanced and graduate level; and to be conversant in contemporary developments in the field. Additionally, candidates should have a broad understanding of art practice and theory applicable to a variety of visual art fields. They should likewise demonstrate extensive critical, theoretical and art historical knowledge in areas of contemporary spatial and material practices and have expertise in three-dimensional fabrication techniques as well as innovative approaches to interdepartmental collaboration/teaching.

4. PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE, DRAWING

SMFA at Tufts values cross-disciplinary approaches to curricula, scholarship, and creative outcomes, so the school is particularly interested in candidates whose practices and approaches to teaching center on Drawing but intersect with other areas of study. Painting and Drawing faculty have committed to expanding relationships across the larger Tufts community; Painting and Drawing has established areas of research and interdisciplinary practices in conjunction with International Literary Visual Studies, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Performance Studies, and the Department of Race, Colonialism and Diaspora. Painting and Drawing seeks candidates who can help us sustain, diversify, and build new connections between Drawing and areas such as the Humanities and Sciences, in addition to those above.

Applicants should demonstrate experience teaching at multiple levels, from introductory to advanced classes. The ideal candidates are conversant in the many intersecting fields of contemporary art practice and critical discourse. Painting and Drawing values the ability to teach drawing from non-western approaches and with the widest possible lens. Discourses that expand the boundaries of cultural theory, art, and technology are also highly valued as are research, practice, and curricular development intersecting with diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Given the focus on interdisciplinary modes and the desire to build connections across Tufts, Painting and Drawing is particularly interested in reviewing candidates who have experience working on curriculum and/or have served in leadership roles.

Please submit the following materials via Interfolio at apply.interfolio.com/99307:

1. Letter of application, including information about how you will contribute to building a culturally diverse educational environment at SMFA
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Contact information for three references (letters will be requested for finalists)
4. Teaching philosophy, including how a commitment to diversity and inclusion informs your teaching
5. Examples of work with links to time-based work, if applicable 
6. Sample Syllabi

Review of applications will begin on January 1, 2022, and will continue until the positions are filled. For any questions, please contact Janet Sartor, Administrative Assistant, at janet.sartor@tufts.edu.

Tufts University, founded in 1852, prioritizes quality teaching, highly competitive basic and applied research, and a commitment to active citizenship locally, regionally, and globally. Tufts University also prides itself on creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. Current and prospective employees of the university are expected to have and continuously develop skill in, and disposition for, positively engaging with a diverse population of faculty, staff, and students.

Tufts University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff and fostering their success when hired. Members of underrepresented groups are welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. See the University’s Non-Discrimination statement and policy here https://oeo.tufts.edu/policies-procedures/non-discrimination/. If you are an applicant with a disability who is unable to use our online tools to search and apply for jobs, please contact us by calling Johny Laine in the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) at 617-627-3298 or atjohny.laine@tufts.edu. Applicants can learn more about requesting reasonable accommodations at http://oeo.tufts.edu.

In order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Tufts University is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement. Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.