Assistant Professor of Art History: History of Photography

The Department of Art is seeking a tenure track Assistant Professor of the History of Photography whose scholarship employs current methods and critical theories in the History of Photography and Art History generally. The appointment will begin in Fall 2027, and the teaching load is two courses per semester (2/2). The successful candidate must be able to teach lower and upper-division undergraduate courses, graduate-level courses in the history of photography, as well as teach lower-division general service courses (surveys) in the department as needed.

The successful candidate will serve on B.A. and B.F.A. Honors, M.A., M.F.A., and Ph.D. committees in the department and possibly in other departments across the university. Additional responsibilities will include advising M.A. and Ph.D. students who are specializing in the History of Photography.

The successful candidate will possess a robust research and publication agenda. A secondary area of specialization that expands the department’s engagement with global contexts and complements the broad range of existing programs in art history is preferred. The position also requires service to the area of art history, the department, college, and university.

In 1969 the University of New Mexico Department of Art Art History began its PHD program and soon after art history faculty Richard Rudisill taught regular courses on the history of photography. Acclaimed photo historian Beaumont Newall was appointed in 1971 following his retirement as Director of the George Eastman House in Rochester and prior to that as the first curator of photography at the Museum of Modern Art. Newall remained on faculty until 1984, the year he received a MacArthur Fellowship.

A succession of notable photo historians have held this appointment, including Eugenia Parry in 1986 and Geoffrey Batchen in 1996. With a premier collection of works that encompass the history of photography, demonstrated interest in collaboration with the UNM Art Museum. Possible collaborations include curriculum development, student engagement programming, exhibition development, collecting strategy, etc. The Art History program is part of the Department of Art, which includes Studio Art and Art Education.

Art is one of four departments in the College of Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico along with the Departments of Music, Theater and Dance, and Film and Digital Arts. The University of New Mexico is located in Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico with a population of approximately 600,000 inhabitants. The city is on the Rio Grande at an altitude of 5,200 feet and is bordered by the Sandía Mountains to the east and the West Mesa to the west.

The region’s unique history and demographics give the city a fascinating mix in terms of its arts, cuisine, languages, and values. The University of New Mexico (UNM) is a large state university with a faculty of over 3,000 serving approximately 25,000 students. UNM is a Research 1 institution that offers support for faculty research and has a Carnegie Community Engagement designation.