Assistant Professor of Photography 

Tenure-Track. Starting August 2025 

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, School of Art 

Position Description 

The University of Tennessee School of Art seeks candidates for a full-time, tenure-track position in Photography at the rank of Assistant Professor. Primary responsibilities include undergraduate and graduate instruction, an active creative research agenda, and service to the department, university, and profession.  

Successful candidates will join the School of Art?s internationally recognized faculty and be expected to pursue and advance high-quality creative activity and/or scholarship in photography and related fields commensurate with the research expectations of a land-grant, R1, flagship institution. We seek candidates who can teach foundational concepts in both analog and digital processes and possess comprehensive knowledge of theoretical, historical, and political issues in contemporary art. Related fields of creative research and scholarship can include but are not limited to critical theory, new media, performance, emerging technologies, film, video, imaging, and cameraless or experimental processes.  

Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate and graduate education. Teaching responsibilities will include two courses a semester and student mentorship. At the undergraduate level, the position requires instruction of Studio Art BFA and BA majors and shared supervision of studio facilities. At the graduate level, the position will provide important contributions to and support for our nationally ranked MFA program through recruiting, mentoring, supervising, teaching area seminars, and serving on thesis committees. The School of Art is excited to hear how candidates? research could contribute to and transform our current undergraduate and graduate programs.  

This position is part of a new constellation of interdisciplinary faculty positions in the UT College of Arts and Sciences emphasizing Envisioning and Narrating Emerging Futures (ENEF). We are seeking tenure-line faculty who will have overlapping interests that foster faculty development and collaboration. The goal is to bring together and invest in faculty across departments whose research, scholarship and creative work is linked through this initiative and to attract scholars who can bring different perspectives to an important issue or area. 

Photography facilities include a digital imaging lab, film scanners, EPSON 9900 wide-format printers, and projectors. The darkroom is equipped with 4×5 enlargers and variable contrast enlarger heads. Our School of Art Media Pool maintains a wide variety of digital and analog media equipment and is home to the smART Lab, which provides access to various 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and large format printers. The School of Art occupies 66,000 SF within the Art and Architecture Building. The building is home to the School of Art and the College of Architecture, which occupies extensive studio, classroom, and office space surrounding a large, open atrium filled with natural light. 

The School of Art is committed to the values of equity, inclusion, and access necessary to foster academic excellence. We seek to incorporate diverse perspectives into all aspects of our programs, and are committed to critically examining our structures, policies, and practices to ensure a welcoming and conscientious environment for everyone. The Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee seeks candidates with the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the diversity and intercultural goals of the University. The School of Art seeks to identify individuals whose research, teaching, and community engagement will contribute to equitable and inclusive learning and working environments for its students, staff, and faculty.  

Salary and benefits are competitive. The University of Tennessee offers an extensive benefits package that includes comprehensive health insurance and retirement along with dozens more services. The successful candidate will be provided with an on-campus studio and research startup. The appointment will begin August 1, 2025. 

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The successful candidate will join a dynamic, nationally ranked faculty of artists, art historians filmmakers, and ambitious undergraduate and graduate students. The School of Art offers BFA and BA degrees in Studio Art, a BA in Art History, and a BA in Cinema Studies. The School?s MFA program is consistently ranked among the best in the nation. To learn more, please visit: http://art.utk.edu 

UT Knoxville is the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system and a Carnegie doctoral research-intensive university with over 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students from over 100 countries. Knoxville has a vibrant arts scene and a lively downtown. Less than an hour?s drive to the Great Smoky Mountains and Arrowmont School, the city is also home to 1,000 forested acres of urban wilderness, the Knoxville Museum of Art, Tri-Star Arts, Loghaven Artist Residency and Big Ears, the acclaimed avant-garde festival of music, film, and art. For more information on academic and personal support, and living in Knoxville, please see UT?s Prospective Faculty Viewbook. 

Required qualifications: 

• MFA or equivalent terminal degree in hand by August 1, 2025. 

• Minimum of one-year, post-graduate experience in teaching at the college level or equivalent experience  

• Demonstrated active creative practice, commensurate with career level, through a record of exhibitions, presentations, and/or other professional research activities 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Studio management experience 

• Proficiency teaching analog and digital processes  

Review of applications will begin December 1, 2024, and continue until the position is filled. Application materials must be submitted online at http://apply.interfolio.com/153757. Emailed or mailed applications will not be accepted. 

Required materials include: 

• Cover letter 

• Curriculum vitae 

• Artist Statement 

• Teaching Philosophy 

• Creative portfolio of 20 images with descriptions (title, media, dimensions, year) in PDF format. (Candidates with time-based works may submit a PDF with URLs.) 

• Student work portfolio of 20 images with descriptions (title, media, dimensions, year) in PDF format. 

• Names, email addresses, and phone numbers of 3 professional references  

In addition to addressing qualifications for the position in their application, candidates may:  

• Describe how they would promote access and inclusion in their teaching. 

• Provide additional evidence of teaching excellence (syllabi, student evaluations, peer-reviews of teaching, scholarship on teaching and pedagogy etc.) 

• Include link to website  

Following the initial screening of applications, letters of reference will be requested for candidates that advance. Short-listed candidates will be scheduled for preliminary interviews via video conference. 

Questions may be directed to Carmen Atkins at [email protected] or (865) 974-3194. 

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university. Requests for accommodations of a disability should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3560 or [email protected] or (865)974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation & Resolution 216 Business Incubator Building 2450 EJ. Chapman Drive Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 or (865)974-0717 or [email protected].

About University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Our primary mission is to move forward the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich and elevate the citizens of the state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world. As the preeminent research-based, land-grant university in the state, UT embodies the spirit of excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement attained by the nation’s finest public research institutions.

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