The Art & Visual Culture Department at Bates College invites applications for a full-time, tenure track position in studio art to begin July 1, 2026. We seek an outstanding artist with strong commitments to excellent undergraduate teaching and mentorship in a liberal arts context. An MFA is required. The successful candidate will have expertise in printmaking and one or several areas of foundational studies (2-D design, drawing, color, or 3-D spatial dynamics.)

We seek a new colleague in printmaking who will have a studio practice that demonstrates medium-specific, material expertise and deep understanding of historical and contemporary printmaking and visual culture more generally. We are particularly interested in candidates who can facilitate technical collaborations (including emerging digital technologies), develop socially engaged projects, and/or introduce students to innovative uses of print. We seek a candidate who situates printmaking in a range of contexts, and can teach across studio disciplines and levels, including introductory foundational classes and studio thesis. A successful candidate will be expected to: oversee the management of our printshop; contribute to our department's collaborative effort to develop inclusive pedagogy across the curriculum; and build on our existing partnerships with the Bates College Museum of Art, the Visualization Lab, and our IMPACT 21st arts and technology initiative in the new state-of-the-art Immersive Media/IM Studio. We are excited to see how a new colleague will integrate their work into the broader artistic and interdisciplinary communities at Bates and beyond.

The position carries a standard five-course annual teaching load. The duties of the position include the three main areas of faculty work: teaching, professional achievement, and governance and engagement. The standards of excellence for faculty at Bates are articulated in Article II of the faculty handbook, and include a commitment to inclusive and evidence-based pedagogy, impactful professional work, and contributions to the broader Bates community. The successful applicant will offer courses in Art and Visual Culture each year, and will teach in the general education curriculum, provide academic advising, and mentor student theses. Successful candidates will be expected to develop a signature and independent artistic program. We also expect the candidate to take part in our system of shared governance.

Review of applications will begin on January 5 and continue until the position is filled. Please submit the following:

Cover letter
Artist’s Statement
Teaching Statement
Curriculum vitae
20 Images of recent creative work; for time-based work, submissions should not exceed 5 minutes
A 2-3 page PDF with examples of student work and relevant prompts for that work
We will request 2 sample syllabi from finalists
Contact information of three references

Given the wide range of backgrounds of Bates students, we seek candidates who are committed to each student’s success. As part of the submitted statements, we ask that candidates share plans for helping all students succeed as well as evidence of relevant preparation or experience. This can be either in a separate, additional document or integrated into the teaching and/or artist’s statements. We encourage applications from individuals from historically marginalized groups and from those who may have followed non-traditional pathways to higher education due to societal, economic, or academic circumstances. The search committee will request letters of recommendation from three referees for short-listed candidates. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check and verification of degree.

Bates College is a residential liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine—a diverse and growing community roughly 45 minutes from the state’s largest city (Portland), 2 ½ hours north of Boston, and 4 ½ hours south of Montreal. Faculty scholarship and creative work at Bates are robustly supported by start-up packages, internal grants, and a well-staffed external grants office. Community-engaged learning and study abroad are both broadly encouraged and supported; pedagogical development and innovation is further buttressed by the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning.

Educational access and racial justice are central to Bates’ history and mission and our faculty-led initiatives reflect this commitment.

Questions may be directed to Professor Cat Balco, Chair of the Art and Visual Culture Department and search committee at cbalco@bates.edu.

An MFA is required.

About https://www.bates.edu/

Founded in 1855, Bates is one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, with a long history of commitments to principles of human dignity and diversity.Since its inception, Bates has been a coeducational, nonsectarian, residential college with special commitments to academic rigor and to programs and opportunities by qualified learners of all backgrounds. Historically, Bates students and graduates have linked education with service, leadership, and obligations beyond themselves.Bates has highly competitive admission, graduates over 90% of its entering students, and over half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates has 1,700 students, 200 faculty members and 550 staff and administrative employees.The College is proud of its strong involvements in the Lewiston-Auburn communities, Maine’s second largest urban area, with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 109-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, Maine, a lively small city enjoying an exciting economic and cultural revitalization. With an engaged citizenry, lively arts scene, and historic downtown, this walkable city is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 340 miles north of New York City.

Connections working at https://www.bates.edu/