Job Description

Application Instructions:

Apply via Interfolio at:   

Department:

Visual Arts

For more information visit:

Anticipated Start Date:

August 23, 2025

About the Position:

The UMBC Visual Arts Department seeks to recruit a tenure-track Assistant Professor with a specialty in art history and/or visual culture whose research and teaching interests encompass the modern and contemporary visual arts (20th and 21st centuries) of one or more of the following geographical areas: Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, or another academic field of artistic and cultural focus, historically marginalized by Eurocentric canons of art history. This position requires demonstration of a deep interest in and commitment to addressing diverse political, historical, social, and cultural perspectives on a global scale within the disciplines of art history and visual culture. Also of interest are applicants who demonstrate new and culturally diverse experimental methodological approaches and/or hold a specific interest in museum/curatorial studies as these relate to art structures and practices in a global modern and contemporary context.

The UMBC Department of Visual Arts stresses inter- and cross-disciplinary approaches to art history and visual culture. We welcome applicants whose teaching and research demonstrate commitment to fostering a vision for our students as agile, flexible critical thinkers and civically engaged leaders in a rapidly changing world. The successful applicant will have evidence of scholarly achievement or demonstrated potential as a scholar in their respective field/s and will be expected to establish and maintain a vibrant research program that inspires a motivated undergraduate student body. Applicants will be selected based upon the strength and breadth of their research and/or teaching experience, and their dedication to building a diverse, socially inclusive, and welcoming academic environment for our students. The Department of Visual Arts benefits from proximity to, and occasional collaboration with excellent UMBC art and design research venues such as the Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture (CADVC), The Imaging Research Center (IRC), and the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery and Special Collections. Faculty in the department are privy to a number of opportunities for research funding and collaboration with colleagues across the disciplines of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. As a top-tier (R1) public research institution in the University System of Maryland (USM), UMBC offers many funding and mentorship opportunities to extend and explore new directions in scholarly and pedagogic practice.

Our department views the city of Baltimore as a dynamic forum for artistic and art historical teaching and practice fostered by institutions such as the Creative Alliance, The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Walters Art Museum, The Peale, The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, and The American Visionary Museum. Regionally, Baltimore is strategically located on the eastern seaboard within close driving distance to the Washington, DC, metropolitan area with its rich array of museums, galleries, and arts and culture institutions such as The National Gallery of Art, The Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, and The National Museum of African American History, just to name a few.

Duties:
Research, teaching, service to the Visual Arts program and the University.

• Participate with committees at department, college and university levels.
• Advise and mentor students on curriculum and pathways to graduation.
• Supervise undergraduate independent studies.
• Write and/or revise undergraduate curricula.
• Teach graduate MFA-level course (Art 624 Contemporary Art, Theory, and Criticism) once every two years and serve on graduate MFA committees as chair or as committee member.
• Broaden links to local, regional and national communities within their area of expertise in order to promote and further student success.

Required Qualifications:

• At the time the appointment begins, applicants must hold a Ph.D. in art history, visual culture, visual studies, or a related field of visual and cultural focus with a specialization in one or more of the following geographic areas: Asia (20th-21st centuries), Africa (20th-21st centuries), Latin America (20th-21st centuries), Middle East (20th-21st centuries).
• Knowledge of modern and contemporary issues, approaches, and methodologies in art history, visual culture, visual studies, and museum studies.

Application:
To apply for the position, please submit the following to Interfolio at .

Your application packet should include:

• A statement about your experience in, or commitment to, fostering inclusive excellence and diversity in teaching, mentoring, research, life experiences or service.
• A cover letter of application explaining your qualifications for, and interest in, the position, including discussion of your most significant research and/or teaching.
• A curriculum vitae (CV) or professional resume.
• Sample publications including book chapters, peer-reviewed published articles, catalog essays, etc.
• Contact information for three references (letters will be requested only for finalists).

Salary Range
$80,000 - $84,000 commensurate with experience
The above salary range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Screening of Applications Begins: Review of application materials will begin January 6, 2025 and will continue until the position is filled.   

Background Screening Statement: A background check will be required. 

Benefits: 

UMBC offers a rich benefits package. Benefits offered align with type of position and may be prorated based on hours per week.

• Paid Leave
• Tuition Remission
• Medical, Prescription and Dental Insurance
• Retirement plans
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Professional development opportunities
• Wellness opportunities & much more

See benefits summary for detailed information.

About UMBC:

UMBC, an honors university serving more than 14,000 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate students, is one of two public universities in Maryland to achieve the “doctoral/research university-extensive” Carnegie classification. Located just outside Baltimore and 45 minutes from Washington, DC, the campus is growing rapidly under dynamic leadership.

Our UMBC community redefines excellence in higher education through an inclusive culture that connects innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement. We will advance knowledge, economic prosperity, and social justice by welcoming and inspiring inquisitive minds from all backgrounds. The successful candidate will join a department with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence, and will be expected to contribute actively to these efforts (

For 15 years in a row UMBC has been recognized as a
Great College to Work For ! 

Equal Opportunity Statement: UMBC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications from women, minority group members, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Title IX: As an institution that receives federal financial assistance, UMBC adheres to Title IX and does not discriminate on the basis of sex.  For more information about Title IX and contact information for Title IX Coordinator click here.

Accommodation: If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact the Human Resources Department at 410-455-2337 or MD TTY Relay Service 1-800-735-2258 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

About University of Maryland, Baltimore County

UMBC is a dynamic public research university integrating teaching, research and service to benefit the citizens of Maryland. As an Honors University, the campus offers academically talented students a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation that prepares them for graduate and professional study, entry into the workforce, and community service and leadership. UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services and public policy at the graduate level. UMBC contributes to the economic development of the State and the region through entrepreneurial initiatives, workforce training, K-16 partnerships, and technology commercialization in collaboration with public agencies and the corporate community. UMBC is dedicated to cultural and ethnic diversity, social responsibility and lifelong learning.

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