Visiting Professor of Art History and Curatorial Studies, AUC Art Collective

Position Information

Employment Status

Faculty/Type Title

Area of Study

Art History and Curatorial Studies

Begins

Fall Semester 2025

About the College

Spelman College seeks instructors dedicated to excellence in teaching and to the continued enhancement of the academic environment for students and colleagues. Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a private four-year liberal arts college located in Atlanta, GA. The oldest historically Black college for women in the United States, Spelman is a member of the Atlanta University Center Consortium and Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education.

Position Description

The Department of Art & Visual Culture at Spelman College invites applications for a 1-year, non-tenure track, Walton Foundation Visiting Professor of Art History and Curatorial Studies, an instructional position that will engage undergraduate students. The position begins August 2025 and will be taught in -person.

The department seeks an innovative scholar whose pedagogical approach to Art History employs interdisciplinary methods to interrogate the changing landscape of museums and Curatorial Studies in the global art and museum ecosystem. The ideal candidate brings theory, both historical and contemporary, into dialogue with art histories of the global south and of the African Diaspora. Preference will be given to applicants who have a research program that engages with global migration studies and/or decolonial theory.

Applicants are expected to be well versed in teaching intersectional theories and research methodologies in Art History, such as critical race theory, gender and sexuality studies, and social justice praxis. Object-based pedagogies utilizing the permanent collections and special exhibitions of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library, and neighboring arts institutions are preferred as is research that intersects with the Spelman Innovation Lab.

The appointment requires a 3/3 teaching load and a responsibility for student recruitment, field study development and co-curricular events.

The Department of Art & Visual Culture offers majors and minors in Art History, Art, Documentary Filmmaking and Photography, and a minor in Curatorial Studies, Interactive Media and Gaming Design Development. The successful candidate will join the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective ( AUC Art History Collective), now in its sixth year, as part a groundbreaking initiative established with a $5.4 million dollar grant from the Alice L. Walton Foundation to position the Atlanta University Center as the leading producer of African American museum and visual arts leaders in the United States. In addition to the undergraduate program, a key access and opportunity initiative of the AUC Art Collective is the Early College Program in Art History and Curatorial Studies: a four (4) – week, co-educational summer program designed to encourage rising junior and senior high school students of color to pursue undergraduate studies in Art history and Curatorial Studies, earning three (3) college credits, which can be applied to their matriculation at an AUC school. Faculty affiliated with the AUC Art Collective are invited to teach this foundational course over the summer, supporting and mentoring future AUC Art Collective scholars and curators.

The Department of Art & Visual Culture is part of ARTS@Spelman, which also includes the departments of Theater & Performance, Dance Performance & Choreography, Music, the Digital Moving Image Salon, the Museum of Fine Art and the Spelman College Innovation Lab. The College will open the Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts, an interdisciplinary environment that supports and advances experimentation, collaboration, active play, research and the imaginative use of digital technologies as well as the courses of study offered by the Department of Art and Visual Culture, in Fall 2025.

Qualifications

A Ph.D. in Art History is required at the time of appointment. Preference is given to candidates with a Ph.D. in Art History and a minimum of three (3) years’ teaching experience. Advanced Ph.D. candidates [ ABD ] as well as candidates with an M.A. in Art History or Museum Studies and a minimum of three (3) years’ teaching experience also will be considered. Candidates must have a proven track record of scholarship and be able to demonstrate interdisciplinary and creative approaches in teaching Art History. Candidates also should have curatorial experience and be prepared to incorporate object-based learning from the Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University permanent collections, special exhibitions, and neighboring arts institutions.

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number

F549P

Open Date

10/03/2024

Close Date

04/21/2025

Open Until Filled

Special Instructions to Applicants

Any correspondence regarding the position or your application will be relayed to you by our Faculty Affairs Team. Please do not reach out to any department faculty regarding the position or status of your application. We appreciate your interest and consideration.

EEO Statement

Spelman College is an EEO /Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran/Title IX Employer and we participate in E-Verify. We are a smoke-free campus

Deadline to Receive Letter(s) of Reference

12/09/2024
Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed To Apply
Required Documents