Assistant Professor in Photography History of Photography

Position: Assistant Professor in Photography and the History of Photography
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Job Summary

The Department of Art and Art History at the University of Colorado-Boulder invites applications for a full-time tenure track Assistant Professor in Photography and the History of Photography. The selected candidate will teach three classes in photographic art practice and one class on the history of photography and critical issues in photography per academic year. Prospective candidates should have a minimum of two years of teaching experience in a comparable academic institution.

As a department with a well-established darkroom program, we seek candidates with a deep knowledge of and practice in traditional chemical-based photography and experience with a diverse range of film cameras. Interest in alternative non-silver processes such as cyanotypes, Van Dykes, and other similar practices are also welcome. The candidate should also be well versed in diverse forms of digital photography.

The candidate should have a demonstrated interest in teaching courses in the history of photography from its nineteenth-century beginnings to the present day, emphasizing global contexts and inclusive perspectives. Candidates whose teaching, research, or creative work engages AI image-generating tools are also desirable, as we recognize the urgency of educating current and future generations in the complexities of image-making.

The department allows faculty broad latitude in designing and teaching courses that satisfy the needs of graduate and undergraduate students and encourages faculty to seek out content for new courses that promote interdisciplinary approaches. The department's long-running Visiting Scholars and Visiting Artist Programs provide faculty with additional resources to complement their classroom teaching and professional outreach. The CU Art Museum offers further opportunities for teaching from the collection.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The University of Colorado-Boulder is the flagship R-1 campus of the University of Colorado system with a student population of approximately 33,000 students. The Department of Art & Art History is an active and vibrant program with twenty-three full-time faculty working in painting, sculpture and post-studio practice, printmaking, ceramics, photography, video, digital arts, foundations and art history. The department occupies 170,000 square feet in the state-of-the-art Visual Arts Complex, located in the center of campus.

It offers generous spacious studio and office space to faculty, private studios for graduate students, and shared studios for Bachelor of Fine Arts students. Our nationally ranked program provides access to labs and workshops which allow faculty to create new, experimental work. The university's Rare and Distinctive Collection of Photography houses thousands of original photographs and early photography books documenting the history of photographic processes, as well as 20th-century and modern fine art photography books.

This immense and unique collection would provide a faculty with an invaluable resource for designing courses in photographic practices and the history of photography.

The University of Colorado-Boulder is located about a mile from downtown Boulder, at the base of the Rocky Mountains, offering spectacular views. The MFA program is ranked 23rd in the nation, and many faculty are highly regarded in their fields. As active artists and scholars, faculty have received prestigious grants, awards, and fellowships for their creative works and research.

What Your

Key Responsibilities Will Be

Tenure-track faculty in the Department of Art and Art History are expected to maintain an active research or creative practice agenda while contributing to teaching and service at all levels of the curriculum.

The workload includes:

* Teaching (40%):
Teach four courses per academic year, which include 3 courses in photographic art practices and 1 course in history of photography. Faculty are expected to contribute to and strengthen the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, collaborate with faculty to expand online offerings, and advise graduate and upper-level undergraduate students.

* Research / Creative Work (40%):
Maintain an active career as a professional artist, demonstrated through exhibitions, publications, grants, awards, and other forms of peer-reviewed recognition.

* Service (20%):
Participate actively in departmental and college governance, serve on committees, and contribute to service activities at the college, campus, community, and professional levels-locally, nationally, and internationally

What You Should Know

* The position will begin in August 2026

* The position will be at the rank of…