Assistant Professor of Art in Sculpture

University of Maryland•College Park, MD

6d•$90,000 - $95,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Art at the University of Maryland invites applications for a nine-month tenure-track appointment as Assistant Professor of Art in Sculpture, beginning in August 2027, pending budgetary approval. We seek a practicing artist and educator with substantial expertise in metalwork and casting. The successful candidate will engage contemporary sculpture through material experimentation, fabrication, and interdisciplinary approaches to making. They will build on the Department's strengths in sculpture while advancing its work with new materials, technologies, and modes of production. The position brings technical and material knowledge into conversation with conceptual inquiry, contemporary artistic practice, and collaboration across disciplines. We are especially interested in artists who use emerging technologies to extend hands-on sculptural processes rather than replace them. The position also offers opportunities for work with immersive media, design, architecture, engineering, technology, and other fields. The successful candidate will help students develop skills in fabrication, design thinking, material problem-solving, prototyping, collaboration, and professional practice through collaborative, critique-based, and public-facing work. Opportunities may also include participation in University-wide initiatives such as Arts for All and the Grand Challenges program, as well as professional and community partnerships throughout the Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Maryland region.

Requirements

An MFA or other appropriate terminal degree in sculpture, studio art, or a related field by the time of appointment from an accredited institution
An active, professionally recognized creative practice in sculpture or a closely related field, with a record of nationally or internationally recognized creative activity appropriate to career stage

Nice To Haves

3+ years of university-level teaching experience in casting, metal fabrication, welding, or related sculptural processes
Demonstrated expertise in casting and metal fabrication
Demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching
Ability to teach sculpture across multiple levels of undergraduate education
Experience integrating traditional sculpture practices with digital fabrication or emerging technologies
Experience developing interdisciplinary curriculum or collaborating across disciplines
Experience contributing to studio, fabrication, or making facilities
Experience working with students from varied backgrounds

Responsibilities

Teach two undergraduate courses per semester, including introductory and advanced sculpture courses serving majors and non-majors, with particular emphasis on casting, metal fabrication, and contemporary sculptural practice.
Contribute to inclusive pedagogy and student success by supporting students with varied experiences and perspectives and by fostering a welcoming, rigorous, and supportive learning environment.
Use mentoring, critique, and advising to help students clarify their goals, strengthen their practices, and navigate academic and professional pathways.
Contribute to curriculum development and programmatic planning, with specific emphasis on re-visioning the pedagogical organization of sculpture within the Department.
Advise and mentor MFA students across disciplines, participate in semester reviews with the graduate faculty, and serve as Director or committee member on MFA thesis committees.
Maintain an active creative practice appropriate to their career stage and contribute to the Department's national and international visibility through exhibitions, installations, public art, publications, collaborative projects, or other forms of professional creative activity.