The Department of Art in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Maine seeks a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Digital Art and Design anticipated to begin September 1, 2018. This is a full-time, academic-year position with responsibilities teaching undergraduate courses in Digital Art and Design, research, and university and professional service. We are searching for a colleague to lead and shape a digital curriculum that is integral to the academic programs for our current majors and minors. The successful candidate will have an outstanding teaching record in studio art curricula, and a significant record of professional and creative work in digital art, design, and/or emergent media that exhibits an extensive understanding of contemporary practice as well as the historical and theoretical foundations of design. Applicants will teach our Digital Art core classes, and should have professional expertise and teaching experience in two or more of the following areas: digital illustration, digital imaging, motion graphics or 2d animation, web design and development, and/or graphic design.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as a leader in program development and assessment of digital art and related areas.
• Teach assigned undergraduate courses, which may include foundation through advanced (upper-division) courses in digital art and design.
• Advise assigned undergraduates and mentor students outside of the classroom.
• Develop and sustain a rigorous creative agenda and profile: produce a significant body of high quality creative work in the area of digital art and/or design that is evaluated through peer-review and disseminated to the appropriate regional, national, and international venues beyond the University.
• Engage in meaningful and useful service that promotes department, college and university strategic goals and priorities, commensurate with rank.
• Service responsibilities may include but are not limited to sitting on university, college, and department committees; community engagement; and aiding in the management of classroom equipment and resources.

Knowledge, Skills & Qualifications:
All applicants must meet the following basic qualifications:
• MFA or PhD in Digital Arts or similar area of study by the start date for the position.
• A significant record of creative work, including exhibitions, installations, and publications (or other appropriate indicators).
• A demonstrated understanding of the theory and history of digital arts.
• A significant record of effective and responsive teaching and professional achievements.
• Proven ability to teach in two or more of these key areas, from beginning to advanced levels: 2-D animation, motion graphics, web design, digital imaging, digital illustration, graphic design.
• Demonstrated proficiency teaching with Adobe Creative Suites and relevant web development software tools.
• Evidence of a working knowledge of modern scripting languages for development on one or more platforms, such as web and mobile, or comparable experience and skills related to digital arts and aesthetic design.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• Evidence of ability to collaborate productively with colleagues and undergraduates.

Preferred Qualifications:
• A minimum of two years (full time or equivalent) of teaching digital arts at the college level (beyond teaching assistant).
• Proven ability to teach additionally desirable areas of expertise that may include any of the following: 3-D fabrication, sequential art, storyboarding, digital photography, time-based digital art, connections to industry, and related disciplines that combine digital with analog learning experiences.
• Documented experience involving undergraduate students in creative scholarship.

Interested candidates should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, evidence of teaching excellence including student work (identify course and level, no full student names), and a portfolio of visual examples of digital work and/or examples of publications. Attachments must be in PDF or linked to a website, and Macs will be used in viewing applications. In addition, please supply contact information for three references. You will need to create a profile and application, and upload documents via HireTouch at https://umaine.hiretouch.com/job-details?jobID=46373&job=assistant-professor-of-art. You will also need to complete the affirmative action survey, the self-identification of disability form, and the self-identification of veteran status form. Review of applications with begin on March 16, 2018 and will continue until the position is filled. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. Questions about the search may be directed to the search committee chair Justin Wolff at justin.wolff@maine.edu.

Appropriate background checks are required.

All UMS employees are required to comply with applicable policies and procedures, as well as to complete applicable workplace related screenings, and required employee trainings, such as Information Security, Safety Training, Workplace Violence, and Sexual Harassment.

The Department of Art at the University of Maine offers dynamic, interdisciplinary programs in a challenging and supportive environment for more than 140 majors, 80 minors and numerous non-majors. These programs include the B.A. in Art History, Art Education, and Studio Art, as well as the B.F.A. in Studio Art, along with Minors in Graphic Design, Studio Art, and Art History, all fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Department balances a need for a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences with intensive study in the visual arts. In fall 2006, the Department moved into the newly renovated Lord Hall. This 1904 brick building is the new home for expanded facilities for art education, art history, and a gallery. It also serves as the home for design and digital art studios. The Department often hosts visiting artists and speakers, and is home to the Lord Hall Gallery, a venue for exhibitions by students, faculty, and national and international artists. The Department of Art also works closely with the University of Maine Museum of Art in downtown Bangor. Such collaborations ensure that the Department’s programming is vital and reflective of contemporary concerns in art, art history and criticism, and the teaching of art. For more information please see the department website: umaine.edu/art/.