Job Description
Job Overview and Responsibilities
- POSITION SUMMARY The Department of Art and Art History at Occidental College invites applications for a tenure‐track Assistant or Associate Professor of Contemporary U.S. Art History with appointment to begin August 1, 2026. The Art and Art History department is searching for a tenure track Assistant or Associate Professor appointment in contemporary U.S. art history (1+60 to the present) within a global framework. Our ideal candidate will have research emphasis on race, ethnicity, gender, class, Indigeneity, postcolonial studies, and/or diaspora studies. We seek a scholar whose research and teaching agenda is grounded in a critical, socially engaged approach to contemporary art and visual culture. Occidental faculty are committed teacher-scholars who bring research and creative production to life for students in classrooms, studios, galleries, and mentored projects. They teach broadly in the curricula of their departments, advise students, carry out research and creative work, and provide departmental, college-wide, and external service. You will be responsible for producing scholarship or creative work commensurate with the requirements for promotion to tenure or full professor, and will be expected to develop a program of research that engages undergraduate students. You will also be expected to contribute to the life and development of the department, advise students, serve on committees, and participate in the broader college and disciplinary communities. You will teach several core courses, including “Global Modernism” (ARTH180), “Modern and Contemporary Art” (ARTH2+0), and “Photography, History and Power” (ARTH287), and we welcome your individuated design of these courses. You will also have the opportunity to develop thematically oriented courses informed by your research interests. You will also contribute to the College’s First Year Seminar program, teaching small art history and visual culture themed writing-intensive and/or community-engaged seminars. The department seeks an innovative instructor, scholar, mentor, and colleague who is committed to undergraduate teaching in the liberal arts context. The contemporary U.S. art history curriculum—critically framed in a global context—is the keystone of our dual concentration department, where studio art and art history students share coursework and requirements across the department. Candidates should demonstrate their commitment to a dynamic pedagogy and curricular innovation that embraces engagement with students and faculty in both studio practices and art history. The successful candidate will be dedicated to supporting students with diverse backgrounds, and to creating immersive or experiential learning opportunities within Occidental’s urban location in the diverse, international city of Los Angeles. We seek applicants who can facilitate students’ engagement with artists, arts organizations, galleries, and museums in Los Angeles, and cultivate sustained community-based learning opportunities. We especially welcome candidates who will engage with and contribute to the esteemed Wanlass artist-in-residence program and Oxy Arts, an innovative public space committed to connecting the Occidental campus to the Northeast Los Angeles community, as well as artists in LA and Southern California, in socially conscious art and exhibition practices. Further, the successful candidate will demonstrate the potential to build upon established departmental successes in faculty-led research opportunities for students; we seek a candidate who will expand the scope of this experiential form of art historical and studio art research practice. Ultimately, the selected candidate will diversify the Art and Art History curriculum and expand its thematic, methodological, and geographical range. We value candidates who may also contribute to the College’s Black Studies department, Latino/a and Latin American Studies program, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies program, Asian Studies department, and/or American Studies department.
• Qualifications and Requirements
- QUALIFICATIONS Required Qualifications • Ph.D. in Art History with an emphasis in Contemporary U.S. art history (1+60 to the present) within a global framework. o The title of this position is informed by recent scholarship by Jane Chin Davidson & Amelia Jones, Steven Nelson & Caroline Jones and others who argue that the notion of a “Global Contemporary Art” is inherently U.S-and Eurocentric. They posit that specifying one’s area of focus is more intellectually transparent and that a comparative global approach is more accurately described as a “global framework,” thus self-consciously identifying one’s position within a field that has its origins within European colonialism. • ABD considered if Ph.D. completion date before August 1, 2026 • Research and teaching agenda is grounded in a critical, socially engaged approach to contemporary art and visual culture. • Research emphasis on the intersection of art history and race, ethnicity, gender, class, Indigeneity, postcolonial studies, and/or diaspora studies • Qualified to teach Modern art and photographic history in addition to contemporary art • Demonstrated commitment to and excellence in undergraduate teaching • A strong record of scholarly accomplishments appropriate to the level of appointment • Ability to develop an active and sophisticated research agenda with potential for growth • Demonstrated commitment to working effectively with students from minoritized and marginalized social groups • Ability to balance excellent teaching, scholarship, and service • Demonstrated commitment to the four cornerstones of the mission of the College: excellence, equity, community, and service • Experience in working collaboratively with colleagues Preferred Qualifications • Experience with, or demonstrated potential to create, immersive or experiential modes of learning, including curatorial work • Experience working collaboratively with local museums, non-profit and artist-run spaces, and/or community organizations • Commitment to proactive departmental service and demonstrating leadership in curriculum development, attracting students to the major, long-term planning for the department • Ability or potential to organize and produce programming, events, exhibitions, and symposia • Ability or potential to evaluate coursework, personnel, and academic programs, as well as to perform assessment and accreditation and other department management responsibilities
• Pay and Benefits
$85,000 - $+2,000/$102,000 - $115,000 /yr
- POSITION SUMMARY The Department of Art and Art History at Occidental College invites applications for a tenure‐track Assistant or Associate Professor of Contemporary U.S. Art History with appointment to begin August 1, 2026. The Art and Art History department is searching for a tenure track Assistant or Associate Professor appointment in contemporary U.S. art history (1+60 to the present) within a global framework. Our ideal candidate will have research emphasis on race, ethnicity, gender, class, Indigeneity, postcolonial studies, and/or diaspora studies. We seek a scholar whose research and teaching agenda is grounded in a critical, socially engaged approach to contemporary art and visual culture. Occidental faculty are committed teacher-scholars who bring research and creative production to life for students in classrooms, studios, galleries, and mentored projects. They teach broadly in the curricula of their departments, advise students, carry out research and creative work, and provide departmental, college-wide, and external service. You will be responsible for producing scholarship or creative work commensurate with the requirements for promotion to tenure or full professor, and will be expected to develop a program of research that engages undergraduate students. You will also be expected to contribute to the life and development of the department, advise students, serve on committees, and participate in the broader college and disciplinary communities. You will teach several core courses, including “Global Modernism” (ARTH180), “Modern and Contemporary Art” (ARTH2+0), and “Photography, History and Power” (ARTH287), and we welcome your individuated design of these courses. You will also have the opportunity to develop thematically oriented courses informed by your research interests. You will also contribute to the College’s First Year Seminar program, teaching small art history and visual culture themed writing-intensive and/or community-engaged seminars. The department seeks an innovative instructor, scholar, mentor, and colleague who is committed to undergraduate teaching in the liberal arts context. The contemporary U.S. art history curriculum—critically framed in a global context—is the keystone of our dual concentration department, where studio art and art history students share coursework and requirements across the department. Candidates should demonstrate their commitment to a dynamic pedagogy and curricular innovation that embraces engagement with students and faculty in both studio practices and art history. The successful candidate will be dedicated to supporting students with diverse backgrounds, and to creating immersive or experiential learning opportunities within Occidental’s urban location in the diverse, international city of Los Angeles. We seek applicants who can facilitate students’ engagement with artists, arts organizations, galleries, and museums in Los Angeles, and cultivate sustained community-based learning opportunities. We especially welcome candidates who will engage with and contribute to the esteemed Wanlass artist-in-residence program and Oxy Arts, an innovative public space committed to connecting the Occidental campus to the Northeast Los Angeles community, as well as artists in LA and Southern California, in socially conscious art and exhibition practices. Further, the successful candidate will demonstrate the potential to build upon established departmental successes in faculty-led research opportunities for students; we seek a candidate who will expand the scope of this experiential form of art historical and studio art research practice. Ultimately, the selected candidate will diversify the Art and Art History curriculum and expand its thematic, methodological, and geographical range. We value candidates who may also contribute to the College’s Black Studies department, Latino/a and Latin American Studies program, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies program, Asian Studies department, and/or American Studies department.
• Qualifications and Requirements
- QUALIFICATIONS Required Qualifications • Ph.D. in Art History with an emphasis in Contemporary U.S. art history (1+60 to the present) within a global framework. o The title of this position is informed by recent scholarship by Jane Chin Davidson & Amelia Jones, Steven Nelson & Caroline Jones and others who argue that the notion of a “Global Contemporary Art” is inherently U.S-and Eurocentric. They posit that specifying one’s area of focus is more intellectually transparent and that a comparative global approach is more accurately described as a “global framework,” thus self-consciously identifying one’s position within a field that has its origins within European colonialism. • ABD considered if Ph.D. completion date before August 1, 2026 • Research and teaching agenda is grounded in a critical, socially engaged approach to contemporary art and visual culture. • Research emphasis on the intersection of art history and race, ethnicity, gender, class, Indigeneity, postcolonial studies, and/or diaspora studies • Qualified to teach Modern art and photographic history in addition to contemporary art • Demonstrated commitment to and excellence in undergraduate teaching • A strong record of scholarly accomplishments appropriate to the level of appointment • Ability to develop an active and sophisticated research agenda with potential for growth • Demonstrated commitment to working effectively with students from minoritized and marginalized social groups • Ability to balance excellent teaching, scholarship, and service • Demonstrated commitment to the four cornerstones of the mission of the College: excellence, equity, community, and service • Experience in working collaboratively with colleagues Preferred Qualifications • Experience with, or demonstrated potential to create, immersive or experiential modes of learning, including curatorial work • Experience working collaboratively with local museums, non-profit and artist-run spaces, and/or community organizations • Commitment to proactive departmental service and demonstrating leadership in curriculum development, attracting students to the major, long-term planning for the department • Ability or potential to organize and produce programming, events, exhibitions, and symposia • Ability or potential to evaluate coursework, personnel, and academic programs, as well as to perform assessment and accreditation and other department management responsibilities
• Pay and Benefits
$85,000 - $+2,000/$102,000 - $115,000 /yr
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The ASSISTANT OR ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CONTEMPORARY U|S| ART HISTORY position is now open for candidates interested in the Painter Jobs sector. This role in Los Angeles offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Painter Jobs is a plus.
