Located in Lewiston, Maine, Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college. We are proud to offer a highly personalized education that centers on deep and sustained interactions among students, faculty, and community. We are engaging the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

The Art & Visual Culture Department at Bates College invites applications for a full-time, tenure track position in studio art to begin July 1, 2026. We seek an outstanding artist with strong commitments to excellent undergraduate teaching and mentorship in a liberal arts context. An MFA is required. The successful candidate will have expertise in printmaking and one or several areas of foundational studies (2-D design, drawing, color, or 3-D spatial dynamics.)

We seek a new colleague in printmaking who will have a studio practice that demonstrates medium-specific, material expertise and deep understanding of historical and contemporary printmaking and visual culture more generally. We are particularly interested in candidates who can facilitate technical collaborations (including emerging digital technologies), develop socially engaged projects, and/or introduce students to innovative uses of print. We seek a candidate who situates printmaking in a range of contexts, and can teach across studio disciplines and levels, including introductory foundational classes and studio thesis. A successful candidate will be expected to: oversee the management of our printshop; contribute to our department's collaborative effort to develop inclusive pedagogy across the curriculum; and build on our existing partnerships with the Bates College Museum of Art , the Visualization Lab , and our IMPACT 21starts and technology initiative in the new state-of-the-art Immersive Media/IM Studio . We are excited to see how a new colleague will integrate their work into the broader artistic and interdisciplinary communities at Bates and beyond.

The position carries a standard five-course annual teaching load. The duties of the position include the three main areas of faculty work: teaching, professional achievement, and governance and engagement. The standards of excellence for faculty at Bates are articulated in Article II of the faculty handbook , and include a commitment to inclusive and evidence-based pedagogy, impactful professional work, and contributions to the broader Bates community. The successful applicant will offer courses in Art and Visual Culture each year, and will teach in the general education curriculum, provide academic advising, and mentor student theses. Successful candidates will be expected to develop a signature and independent artistic program. We also expect the candidate to take part in our system of shared governance.

Given the wide range of backgrounds of Bates students, we seek candidates who are committed to each student’s success. As part of the submitted statements, we ask that candidates share plans for helping all students succeed as well as evidence of relevant preparation or experience. This can be either in a separate, additional document or integrated into the teaching and/or artist’s statements. We encourage applications from individuals from historically marginalized groups and from those who may have followed non-traditional pathways to higher education due to societal, economic, or academic circumstances. The search committee will request letters of recommendation from three referees for short-listed candidates. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check and verification of degree.

Bates College is a residential liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine—a diverse and growing community roughly 45 minutes from the state’s largest city (Portland), 2 ½ hours north of Boston, and 4 ½ hours south of Montreal. Faculty scholarship and creative work at Bates are robustly supported by start-up packages, internal grants , and a well-staffed external grants office . Community-engaged learning and study abroad are both broadly encouraged and supported; pedagogical development and innovation is further buttressed by the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning .

Educational access and racial justice are central to Bates’ history and mission and our faculty-led initiatives reflect this commitment .

Questions may be directed to Professor Cat Balco, Chair of the Art and Visual Culture Department and search committee at cbalco@bates.edu .

Review of applications will begin on January 5 and continue until the position is filled. Please submit the following:

Cover letter
Artist’s Statement
Teaching Statement
Curriculum vitae
20 Images of recent creative work; for time-based work, submissions should not exceed 5 minutes
A 2-3 page PDF with examples of student work and relevant prompts for that work
We will request 2 sample syllabi from finalists
Contact information of three references

Bates College is committed to equal opportunity and to providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.

Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to the Title IX Officer, Gwen Lexow at 207-786-6445 or titleix@bates.edu.

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Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture