The Department of Arts Administration and Policy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position, beginning in August of 2024. Salary is competitive with peer institutions and commensurate with level of practice, scholarship, academic research, extent of teaching experience, and current professional standing.
PROGRAM PROFILE
The Department of Arts Administration and Policy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago serves multiple cohorts. We offer a sequence of undergraduate courses to artists and students interested in professional practices and cultural management. Our two-year graduate program is structured around values that are central to the field of Arts Administration: collaboration both within and outside the sector, creative leadership, critical thinking, civic engagement, active and prioritized engagement with advancing equity in the arts, and reflection and action on ways in which the arts might advance social justice. We see arts administrators not as mere conduits through which art must pass between artist and audience, but rather as those professionals who are charged and entrusted with shaping, maintaining, re-envisioning, and revolutionizing the very platforms and organizational mechanisms through which arts-inspired conversation and change can occur. As such, they must be responsive, dialogic problem-solvers and re-imaginers whose work with art and artists is, by nature, mutually creative.
The department embraces the interdisciplinary, experimental core of SAIC through integrated curriculum design, the merging of theory and practice, the development of new modalities and partnerships, and the combining of idealistic, inventive values grounded in practical skills. Our program insists on an understanding of the arts in the larger social context, leveraging the immediacy of an art school environment and building diverse connections across Chicago and beyond. A number of our graduate courses are also available as electives to graduate students across SAIC. Finally, we collaborate with the Department of Art History, Theory and Criticism in offering a three year dual degree in Arts Administration and Policy and Art History, Theory and Criticism.
Our graduate students are curious, self-directed, and socially-engaged emerging professionals with interests spanning across artistic disciplines, platforms, and cultural organizing environments. They are invested in studies across visual culture, performing arts, community driven platforms, traditional arts organizations, the art market and for-profit sector, arts in contexts of public health, environmental concerns, urban/rural planning, advocacy, legal, and government and much more. A typical graduate cohort ranges from 18-24 students, hailing from across the US and internationally.
Further information about the department can be found at: https://www.saic.edu/academics/departments/artsadministration-and-policy
RESPONSIBILITIES
Full-time faculty in the Department of Arts Administration and Policy teach and advise undergraduate and graduate students within the interdisciplinary art and design school environment of SAIC. We seek candidates from arts administration and/or from tangent disciplines and practices who will help us advance the work of continuously imagining and building curricular environments in which the future leaders of cultural platforms of all kinds can grow, connect, experiment, and redefine the future.
Depending on their area(s) of expertise and experience, the successful candidate will teach graduate level classes in some of the following areas:
● Leadership and management (see our Management Studio model for information on how this is structured in the department)
● Cultural policy studies, especially in a global context
● Inquiries on digital society, digital governance and legislation, and digital cultures intersecting with arts administration.
● Urban or rural studies and planning; or, community development practices, as they connect with cultural activity
● Social justice and equity work in and through the arts and culture
There may also be opportunities to develop elective offerings, at either the undergraduate or graduate level, in another of the candidate’s areas of expertise.
Full-time faculty participate in the SAIC community through ongoing curricular development, departmental administration, and school governance.
QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will hold an MA, MFA, or PhD, or equivalent professional experience in Arts Administration or related fields, including but not limited to Theater and Performance Studies, Music Administration, Media and Cultural Studies, Public Policy Studies, Publishing and related practices. Previous college teaching experience is preferred. The ideal candidate will contribute to the diversity of the School by bringing a perspective, way of thinking, and/or a unique set of experiences that expand the intellectual conversations and practices in the field. Diversity,
equity, and inclusion lie at the heart of our practice: we, therefore, seek candidates with the knowledge and aptitude to teach and mentor students from diverse backgrounds. Candidates should demonstrate their experience with, or aptitude for, departmental administration.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Applicants are encouraged to apply by Monday, January 8, 2024, for full consideration. Please submit application materials via http://SAICfaculty.slideroom.com. You will be asked to create an account after which time you may complete the application, which consists of fill-in fields and required documents to upload. You are encouraged to begin the application well before the priority deadline. Applications will not be accepted after February 8, 2024.
Complete the fields for: educational background; current position; and contact information for three professional references.
Please convert all word documents into PDFs before uploading. Required files to upload include:
● Cover letter stating your interests and qualifications
● CV or resume
● Statement of research and practice, including your philosophy/approach to your professional practice in arts administration
● Diversity statement
● Statement of teaching philosophy (please include your thoughts on teaching a diverse student body and creating an inclusive learning environment)
● Documentation of professional work appropriate to your area of expertise (if available)
● Three examples of course syllabi
All applicants for this position must complete and sign a Prior Workplace Conduct Declaration as part of their initial application materials in order to be considered as a candidate and sign a release authorizing SAIC to conduct a misconduct reference check should the candidate ultimately be selected as a finalist for the position.
QUESTIONS
Questions regarding the School and its open positions, application procedures, or the search process may be emailed to [email protected]. Please consult www.saic.edu for information on the School and its programs, or https://www.saic.edu/about/work-at-saic for open positions and application procedures.
ABOUT SAIC
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs to students from across the globe. Located in the heart of Chicago, the School is one of the largest and oldest private schools of art and design in the country with programs reflecting current practices in art. SAIC's educational philosophy is built upon a transdisciplinary approach to art and design that provides unparalleled opportunities for students to develop their creative and critical abilities with renowned faculty who are leading practitioners in their fields. SAIC's resources include the Art Institute of Chicago and its Modern Wing, and numerous special collections and programming venues that provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings, lectures, and performances. The campus is located on Chicago’s magnificent lakefront amid the city’s cultural and architectural treasures.
Degree tracks include the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio; BFA with Emphasis in Art Education or Writing; BA degrees in Art History and Visual and Critical Studies; Master of Architecture; Master of Design (MDes) in Designed Objects; MDes in Fashion, Body, and Garment; MFA in Studio or Writing; MA degrees in Arts Administration; Art Education; Art History, Theory, and Criticism; Art Therapy; Teaching; Visual and Critical Studies; and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Art Institute of Chicago, including both the school and the museum, is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for its students, visitors, faculty, and staff, and to ensuring that educational and employment decisions are based on an individual’s abilities and qualifications. The Art Institute of Chicago does not tolerate unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or former military status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law, in its programs and activities, public accommodations or employment practices. The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:
Title IX Coordinator
Robert Babcock, Ed.D., Lakeview Building, 116 S. Michigan Ave., 12th floor, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.499.4165, [email protected]
Section 504 Coordinator
Robert Babcock, Ed.D., Lakeview Building, 116 S. Michigan Ave., 12th floor, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.499.4165, [email protected]
For further information on notice of nondiscrimination, see the Office for Civil Rights Discrimination for the address and phone number of the office that serves your area, or call 800.421.3481.
REQUESTS FOR ACCOMMODATIONS
SAIC provides reasonable accommodations during the interview process for candidates with disabilities in adherence with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Should you need an accommodation to participate in an interview, please contact Molly Roth Scranton, Associate Director of Faculty Affairs at [email protected].