Visiting Assistant Professor in Art (Photography/Digital focus)

About Roanoke College

Roanoke College is a place where every student who works hard has the opportunity to succeed. We champion potential, providing essential learning and leadership through innovative academic programs and transformative educational experiences, giving students the mettle, mindset, and empathy to pursue lives of purpose, build meaningful careers, and meet society’s most pressing needs. Located in scenic Salem, Virginia, Roanoke College is an intimate, welcoming community that has served the local region and beyond for nearly 200 years. Now, we’re building on momentum and offering a Roanoke experience for today’s students and a legacy that belongs to every Maroon. Learn about the College's new strategic plan, Imagine Roanoke: A Strategic Plan for Roanoke College and the 21st Century Learner.

Roanoke College is a nationally ranked liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran Church (ELCA) located in the beautiful Roanoke Valley of Virginia. A Phi Beta Kappa institution, Roanoke College is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity among its faculty, staff, and students. Women and members of under-represented groups are especially encouraged to apply. We also seek candidates with interests in mentoring under-represented students, diversifying curricular offerings, or sponsoring diverse community engagement. Additional information about the college relevant for applicants can be found at https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/academic_affairs/faculty_candidate_information.

The Position

The Department of Fine Arts at Roanoke College invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor in Art. The initial appointment is for one year, with the possibility of renewal, and begins in August 2025.

The ideal candidate will be an artist-teacher engaged in digital media as well as photography and print-based media, with a genuine interest in partnering with colleagues in a liberal arts college setting. Candidates working in multidimensional production are encouraged to apply. Experience might include one or more of the following: video, and time-based arts such as graphic narrative, interactive installation, sensory experience, etc.

Given that art is everchanging, a successful candidate will be fully engaged in their field and understand its emerging technologies. Their commitment to undergraduate teaching in the liberal arts setting should include an interest in teaching how ideas inform an artist’s mission. Work and interest in themes such as community connectedness, social engagement, and/or interdisciplinary, inclusive contexts are exciting qualities in a candidate.

At Roanoke College’s Olin Hall, a range of spaces are available for the successful candidate, including a computer-based (Mac) design classroom, an analog darkroom, and several other flexible spaces. The department is interested in adapting its spaces and offerings to the talents and interests of an artist whose specialization, creativity, and ideas might point the program and facilities in new directions.

In addition to studio practice, the instructor’s teaching may include non-studio courses in the college’s general education program, for example: a humanities-based “inquiry” model, one in which works, texts, events, ideas, and/or institutions are explored.

The teaching expectation is eight courses during the academic year, with possibility of reassigned time. MFA or equivalent professional experience required. Faculty are expected to be committed to outstanding undergraduate teaching and mentoring. The college’s mission is to help students find their purpose in their educational endeavors and we are interested in new and creative ideas towards achieving this goal. Visiting Professors are eligible to receive departmental funds and to apply for many of the college’s internal grants in support of their teaching and professional/creative work.

The college offers a B.A. in Art with the goal of providing students with a broad-based general education in studio art, requiring a range of courses across media and in art history, while also encouraging students to develop knowledge, skills, and ideas within a single medium via sequences of courses in basic, intermediate, and advanced studio practice. The Fine Arts Department is interdisciplinary, housing the Art, Art History, Music, and Theater programs and we often work collaboratively across programs and the rest of campus. The college’s Olin Galleries is home to The Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Center for Art, which supports “culturally diverse, technologically advancing and multifaceted” programming within the galleries. The Galleries host seven exhibitions each academic year, which feature local, regional, national, and international artists.

All materials should be submitted to this site:

· Cover letter addressing qualifications, experience, and commitment to supporting a diverse community

· Curriculum vitae

· Statement of teaching philosophy

· Contact information for three references

· In addition, candidates must include a PDF of:

- Selection of original work documenting evidence of technical and creative skills (20 images)

- Examples of assigned student work (20 images)

Questions should be directed to: Katherine Shortridge, Chair of Fine Arts Department via email to shortridge AT roanoke DOT edu.