Job Summary
The Studio Art Department at Oberlin College invites applications for a full-time tenure track faculty position in the College of Arts and Sciences in 3D Practices. Initial appointment to this position will be for a term of four years. beginning fall semester of 2025, and will carry the rank of Assistant Professor.
About
Founded in 1833, Oberlin is a private four-year, highly selective national liberal arts college near Cleveland, Ohio and is also home to an outstanding Conservatory of Music. Together, the two divisions enroll approximately 2900 students. Oberlin College was the first college in the US to make interracial education and co-education central to its mission. The College continues to view a diverse, equitable and inclusive educational environment as essential to the excellence of its academic program. Among liberal arts colleges, Oberlin is a national leader in successfully placing graduates into advanced study programs.

The Oberlin Studio Art department offers a creative platform for students who want intensive studio training, combined with the intellectual rigor of a liberal arts curriculum. Oberlin artists are thinking artists, deeply engaged in their intellectual and creative pursuits. Our world-renowned faculty offer courses in painting, drawing, color theory, design, photography (wet and digital), sculpture (wood working, fiber art, mold making & casting, digital 3D modeling, 3D printing), installation (mixed-media), performance, media arts (sound, video, interactive/networked art), reproducible media (screenprint, lithography, intaglio, relief, monotype, Riso, digital), and all the hybrids in between. Drawing on their parallel liberal arts studies at Oberlin, our students produce work at the forefront of creative fields. Oberlin’s Studio Art curriculum is interdisciplinary in nature and emphasizes ideas. Even skills-based courses use ideas as prompts, from the political histories of color to the concept of “nature” as it has been defined by landscape painting. Supporting our diverse mediums and the conceptual depth of our courses, our curriculum’s guiding structure is radically simple: physical dimensions. Our 2D courses focus on color, composition, elements of design, and mediums on a flat plane; 3D courses emphasize tools and techniques to produce objects and transform space; 4D courses address time-based media, digital mediums, and technology-based practice. By the time a student graduates from Oberlin’s Studio Art department, regardless of their primary medium, they will be fluent in visual languages across these physical dimensions, prepared to be critical thinkers, responsive practitioners, and active participants in a rapidly changing world.
Responsibilities
The incumbent will teach the standard teaching load (4.5 courses per year) in the area of 3D Practices with an emphasis in sculpture, as well as shared teaching responsibilities in advanced interdisciplinary courses. The ideal candidate has an eye on the future of sculpture and object-making; is prepared to share oversight responsibilities in the 3D area; and has demonstrated experience in practicing and teaching all relevant materials and approaches. The incumbent must have experience with a wide array of object-based sculptural materials that includes woodworking and digital fabrication, as well as possible expertise with metalwork, book arts, ceramics, fiber arts, casting, carving, modeling, assemblage, and installation. This position requires a comprehensive understanding of historical, contemporary, and global discourses in sculpture, with an investment in expansive definitions and new directions in the field. Transmedia practices that engage digital approaches are highly encouraged. Along with medium specific and thematic courses, the incumbent will also participate in the department’s advanced multidisciplinary courses such as the team-taught capstone sequence; will necessarily think across dimensions and forms; and be well-versed in interdisciplinary approaches.

The Oberlin Studio Art department values intellectual rigor and conceptual depth; as such, this professor will forge new interdisciplinary relationships with departments across campus. The incumbent will also be expected to engage in sustained scholarly research and/or other creative work appropriate to the position and participate in the full range of faculty responsibilities, including academic advising, institutional service, and a high-level of departmental engagement.
Qualifications
Among the qualifications required for appointment is the MFA degree (in hand). Candidates must demonstrate interest and potential excellence in undergraduate teaching. Successful teaching experience at the college level is highly desirable. Oberlin College is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The incumbent will bring understanding of or experience working with underrepresented and diverse academic populations. Oberlin is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the excellence and diversity of the academic community through their research, teaching, and service. Oberlin recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran’s status, and/or other protected status as required by applicable law.
Quick Link for Posting https://jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/15611
Compensation
Within the range established for this position, salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and includes a competitive benefits package.
Special Instructions to Applicants
A complete application will be comprised of: 1) a Cover Letter describing your teaching, scholarship, mentorship, and service, detailing any connections to supporting an inclusive learning environment; 2) a Curriculum Vitae; 3) an unofficial graduate transcript; 4) a statement (or statements) on your teaching philosophy and expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion; 5) a research statement about your artistic scholarship, that includes how you will support undergraduate research; 6) a PDF portfolio (or link to online portfolio that meets requirements) with 20 examples of personal work and 20 examples of student work, including descriptions; and 7) Letters of Reference from three recommenders.*

All application materials must be submitted electronically through Oberlin College and Conservatory’s online application process at:https://jobs.oberlin.edu/

* By providing contact information for 3 references, you agree that we may contact your letter writers.