Assistant Teaching Professor in Foundations

Northern Kentucky University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access institution. We embrace inclusiveness, equity, and global awareness in all dimensions of our work and seek excellence through diversity among our students, administrators, faculty, and staff. Application by members of diverse groups is encouraged.

The Art & Design, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs make up the School of the Arts that sit in the College of Arts and Sciences at Northern Kentucky University. The Art & Design Program offers a unique and challenging opportunity for aspiring artists and designers who seek professional training in the arts. All programs of study share a fundamental commitment to the premise that for the next generation of creative artists and educators to face the challenges of the 21st century they must be equipped with the creative and intellectual tools to succeed. Art & Design has 17 full-time faculty and 4 full-time staff that embrace a comprehensive hands-on approach of working with materials and techniques while developing critical thinking skills related to the various visual arts disciplines and studio training. In addition, our NKU Art Galleries serve as a premier venue for the exhibition of high-quality artworks from regional, national, and international artists as well as a creative forum for students, the campus community, and region.

Foundations courses are, as the name indicates, a vital part of the Art and Design Program, educating students in the fundamental skills for success in every area of Art and Design. The Foundations Area in the Art & Design Program consists of three courses that create foundational skills in the arts; ART 130: Creating Visual Form, ART 135: Creating Visual Order, and ART 140: Building Meaning in Visual Art. ART 130 and 135 are studio courses where students actively create, and ART 140 is a lecture course with faculty and guest artists lecturing about their work. All Majors and Minors engage with the Foundations courses. BA Studio students must take all three; BA VCD must take ART 135; and Studio Minors must take 130 and 135. The coursework ensures that students have the proper depth of foundational skills and understanding of the arts to succeed and persist through their chosen coursework. Foundations curriculum has continued to evolve over the years to keep pace with the changing needs of our students in response to changes in the field. While incremental changes continue, the last comprehensive overhaul was in 2015 resulting in the three current courses.

The position will also serve as the Area Coordinator of Foundations. They will work with different full-time and part-time faculty to fulfill demand each semester. It is vital that students have a consistent, high-quality experience in the Foundations courses, as this is where they build the skill sets that will carry them forward through their other Studio courses and where they explore different approaches to artwork and different mediums that will impact their own creative development and choices.

The Area Coordinator anchors the area and provides long-term stability and planning to ensure the health and vitality of not only the area, but of the overall Art & Design Program. This is especially true in Foundations as the coursework is vital to all major track areas.

MFA required. The ideal candidate will be an active artist with a demonstrable knowledge of issues related to foundation studies. College-level teaching experience beyond graduate school in a foundations program preferred. We are seeking a dedicated educator-scholar to teach in our dynamic, profession-oriented program.

Applications must include:

Questions regarding the nature of the position should be directed to the Interim Program Head; Kattus@nku.edu