Assistant Professor of Visual Art (Painting)
Anticipated start date: July 1, 2027
Position description:
Boston University (BU) invites applications for a faculty position at the rank of non-tenure track Assistant Professor of Visual Art in Painting at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) at the College of Fine Arts (CFA). The BFA and MFA Painting departments at BU are leading national programs in the field, with MFA Painting ranked #6 in US News & World Report. The program and SVA are close-knit professional communities within a large tier 1 research university. We seek an artist and educator who will complement and strengthen current faculty in a program that empowers students to create work that is rigorous and exploratory in form and content. The successful candidate will be an emergent to established artist with an expertise in painting in the expanded field. The candidate’s professional practice may include adjacent areas of expertise. The candidate will have a versatile skill set and proficiency in contemporary, historical, conceptual, and material approaches to the medium. BU SVA candidates should expect to teach across the BFA and MFA levels, including Foundations and Non-Major courses. Evidence of the ability to teach students with diverse experiences and perspectives is required. Assistant Professors engage with School and College service. The position is a full-time non-tenure track Assistant Professorship, and BU offers excellent benefits and research support.
Salary Range: $92,500 - $100,000
Qualifications
The candidate should possess expertise and knowledge of the materials, techniques, intellectual discourse, and history of their field informed by recent work and scholarship in visual art. The successful candidate will be well-prepared to teach students at all levels (graduate and undergraduate) in studio and seminar courses. The candidate should have a proven ability to teach the critical and conceptual frameworks of visual art. An MFA in Painting or a related area is required.
The candidate is also expected to have:
● A strong exhibition record and evidence of impact in the field.
● A record of college-level teaching experience that demonstrates evidence of excellent mentorship and innovative pedagogy.
BU SVA prepares students to think seriously, to see critically, to make intensely, and to act with creative agency from a culturally and artistically informed position. The ability to foster and build upon interdepartmental connections is a strength of BU and central to BU SVA’s mission as an art school within a major research university. The candidate will ideally demonstrate excellence in interdisciplinary teaching informed by both experimentation and research and be adept at building connections with other university programs and centers.
Applying:
Please upload in SlideRoom: a cover letter; an annotated academic CV with a professional website listed; names and contact information for 3 references; samples of creative work (up to 20 images); samples of student work (up to 20 images); and a teaching philosophy that expresses how teaching relates to one’s practice, and conveys strategies navigating varying experiences and perspectives in the classroom. Upload images to: http://bucfa.slideroom.com.
No email applications please.
Preference will be given to applications received by November 15, 2026, for first round interviews. Applications will be considered until the position is filled.
Since its founding in 1839, Boston University has embraced a mission of openness and access, becoming one of the first universities in the nation to welcome all students of ability regardless of race, gender, or creed. That tradition shapes our enduring commitment to academic freedom, free inquiry, and the robust exchange of ideas. Please visit https://www.bu.edu/values/ to learn more about our shared values.
We seek scholars who will contribute to our community of teachers and researchers through excellence in innovative scholarship, engaged teaching, and participation in the intellectual life of the University. Boston University provides an environment where faculty and students work together across disciplines, perspectives, and experiences to advance knowledge and address society’s most pressing challenges.
Boston University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, age, national origin, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Retaliation is also prohibited. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Under Massachusetts law, we may not require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment.
Boston University, consistent with the AAU’s Principles on Preventing Sexual Harassment, conducts background checks for final candidates for certain faculty and staff positions. As part of this process, we ask current and past employers of the last seven years whether there has been a substantiated finding of sexual misconduct under their policies. To move forward, final candidates must complete and sign an “Authorization to Release Information” form after receiving an offer to enable this background check.
