Associate Lecturer in Art History, Aberystwyth University

The School of Art, an academic department at Aberystwyth University (AU) that sits within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, is looking to appoint an Associate Lecturer in Art History (Teaching and Scholarship) to start in September 2024.

The School of Art offers single and joint honours undergraduate schemes in Fine Art, Photography, Creative Arts, and Art History, as well as taught Masters and research programmes in the practical, historical, and curatorial study of art. In fine art practice, our students specialise in painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, book illustration, film, installation, and site-specific performance.

Art History is central to the teaching provision of the School of Art: students on all our degree schemes take art history modules. The current Art History curriculum combines core survey modules spanning early modern to contemporary, modules led by staff research, and hands-on modules in which students engage with and curate our museum collections of fine and decorative art. Teaching centres on active learning and direct study of artworks in the School of Art and beyond.

The role holder will be responsible for the delivery of teaching, assessment, and administration of undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Art History, and will supervise undergraduate and postgraduate (MA) dissertations. The role holder will provide input, together with colleagues and under the direction of the Head of Department and the Director of Learning and Teaching, into the development of the Art History curriculum. The role holder will make a significant contribution to the delivery of excellence in teaching and learning in Art History within the context of national and institutional guidelines. It is expected that the role holder will possess and maintain specialist expertise in a geographical area, historical period, topic, or approach which complements and extends the School’s current teaching offer. For information on existing modules, see: aber.ac.uk/en/modules/deptfuture/Art/.

The role holder will also undertake administrative duties that contribute toward the smooth running of the School of Art, represent the School of Art at Faculty and University levels, and will be sensitive to the School’s provision as a whole and engage with AU strategic priorities such as recruitment, retention and student experience.

The School of Art has been located in the Edward Davies Building since 1993. It is an elegant symbol of the School’s aim to bridge past and present by relating the tradition to contemporary practices. Set in its own grounds, the School houses painting studios, print workshops, darkrooms, and a MacSuite, as well as lecture theatre and seminar rooms. The Edward Davies Building also accommodates a museum, public galleries, and extensive teaching collections of original artworks. Aberystwyth is one of only two UK art schools with UK government Accredited Museum status. Of particular relevance to this position, the School of Art Museum and Galleries holds a significant collections of European prints from Renaissance to the present day, with focuses on the Etching Revival, Victorian wood engravings, and contemporary British printmaking; Pre-Raphaelite works on paper from the George Powell of Nanteos Bequest; art in Wales since 1945, including substantial holdings of Handel Evans, John Elwyn, Keith Vaughan, and George Chapman; 20th-century Welsh, Italian, and German photography; and a significant collection of contemporary British, European, American and Japanese studio ceramics. For more information, see museum.aber.ac.uk.

To make an informal enquiry, please contact Prof. Catrin Webster caw117@aber.ac.uk or Dr Samuel Raybone at sar69@aber.ac.uk Appointments are normally made within 4 – 8 weeks of the closing date.