Assistant Professor of Art - Drawing and Painting

Job Family Group:

Faculty

Time Type:

Full time

Department/Office:

Art & Art History

Exemption Status:

Exempt

Job Description:

The Department of Art and Art History at Trinity University invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position in Studio Art at the rank of assistant professor focusing on painting and drawing, to begin in August 2027. We seek applicants with expertise in painting and drawing grounded in studio practice, scholarship, and teaching. Candidates should have an active exhibition record and demonstrated fluency in painting and drawing. Artist-educators who bring innovative approaches and an interdisciplinary perspective to their studio practice and teaching, and whose work engages with the expanded field of painting, are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will have the ability to teach strong foundational skills and to engage students in contemporary issues and conceptual dimensions of artmaking within a liberal arts context.

The successful candidate will maintain a vigorous studio practice and a strong exhibition record, while demonstrating a firm commitment to teaching at the undergraduate level. The candidate will be expected to teach introductory lower-division studio courses as well as advanced classes and seminar courses for art majors. All faculty at Trinity are expected to contribute to Pathways, the University’s interdisciplinary general education program.

 

BACKGROUND

Trinity University is a secular, independent, private institution, founded in 1869. Trinity offers high-quality science, liberal arts, and pre-professional programs as represented by the four schools (STEM, Arts & Humanities, Social Science and Civic Engagement, and Business) to approximately 2,500 undergraduate students from the U.S. and more than 45 countries. The attractive campus overlooks downtown San Antonio, a city rich in heritage and ethnic diversity. Additional information can be found on the Resource Guide to Trinity & San Antonio.

San Antonio supports a vibrant contemporary art scene and an array of museums, galleries, and art venues, including Artpace, The Contemporary at Blue Star, Ruby City, the McNay Art Museum and San Antonio Museum of Art.

The Carlos Alvarez School of Arts and Humanities, endowed with a gift of $25 million, is at the center of Trinity's liberal arts education. Faculty are international leaders in their respective fields, creating engaged learning experiences grounded in careful study of tradition, critical thinking, clear communication, and creative expression.

Comprising five studio artists and five art historians, the Department of Art and Art History offers majors and minors in Studio Art, Art History and a minor in Architectural Studies. The Department is housed in the Dicke Art Building, which features fully equipped state-of-the-art studio facilities as well as the Michael & Noémi Neidorff Art Gallery, a non-collecting gallery that features faculty- and student-led exhibitions. The Department maintains strong connections with several other departments and interdisciplinary programs on campus, including Education, Environmental Studies, Human Communication and Theatre, Media and Communication, Modern Languages and Literatures, Museum Studies, and Urban Studies. We encourage our students to pursue research, often in collaboration with faculty, and actively participate in the university’s undergraduate research programs.

Both the Department of Art and Art History and the University as a whole value and safeguard academic freedom for faculty members in their teaching and scholarship. Trinity is guided by a set of core values and is committed to implementing practices in pursuit of an inclusive campus for all students, faculty, and staff to feel welcomed and engaged in a community of learning.

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Teaching: 

• Teach lower and upper-level courses in painting and drawing and the art major seminar courses, under a (typically) 3-2 teaching load.

• Contribute to the development, planning, and implementation of a high-quality curriculum in introductory through advanced courses and develop new courses based on area of specialization

• Contribute to the maintenance and initiatives for improvement of the drawing and painting studios and workspaces

 

Research: 

Maintain a consistent and productive artistic practice, to include participation in exhibitions and related professional activities.

 

Service:

Provide appropriate service to the department, the university, and the profession, to include advising and contribution to the development, planning and implementation of departmental event programming.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Required: MFA in Studio Art (in painting or a related discipline) 

EXPERIENCE

Required:

• One-year college-level teaching experience (teaching assistantship may fulfill this requirement) 

• Demonstrated record of professional achievement commensurate with years of training, experience, and studio practice.

Preferred: The ideal candidate will have two or more years of undergraduate teaching experience 

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

• ​Expertise in area of specialization and working knowledge of a range of traditional and contemporary materials and approaches.

• Knowledge of art historical and contemporary issues related to the expanded field of drawing and painting practices.

• Knowledge of material and equipment safety in studios.

 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

• ​Work in drawing and painting studio settings around wet and dry art materials, including acrylic and oil paint, mediums, and solvents.

• Maintain studio environment with assistance from studio manager and student assistants.

HOW TO APPLY

For internal applicants, please apply through Workday using the 'Jobs Hub' application, see instructions provided here.

For external applicants, when starting the application, select "Apply Manually.” Only complete fields with a red asterisk, which are required. Please create your Workday application account using a personal email address, as you will need to maintain access to this account throughout the pre-hire process, if selected. 

For all applicants, you do not need to complete the “(Work) Experience,” “Education,” “Certifications,” or “Languages” fields - these details will be provided in your curriculum vitae.

In the “Application Documents” field, please upload the following as seen below. 

• File 1: Cover letter addressing teaching experience and philosophy, and creative research interests (3 pages max) 

• File 2: Curriculum vitae, including the names and contact information for three professional references (they will only be contacted if you are selected as finalist) 

• File 3: Artist statement and up to 20 images of examples of artwork; individual images should be labeled with title, date, materials, and dimensions.

• File 4: Syllabus and student work images (up to 15, labeled with materials and dimensions)

• File 5: Intentional inclusion statement - Intentional Inclusion is a core value at Trinity University. Please provide a brief (1-2 page) reflection on the ways that you might contribute to cultivating an environment where people feel welcomed, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. Provide examples of how that relates to your teaching, research/scholarship and other professional activities.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Jessica Halonen, Professor of Art

Search Committee Chair, Department of Art and Art History

Email: [email protected]

Please ensure that all required documents are uploaded prior to submitting an application. If you have revisions needed to an application already submitted or need help submitting an application, please contact Human Resources at 210-999-7507 or email [email protected].