Position: Printmaking Faculty
Department: Painting + Printmaking
Position Number: F25970
Location: Doha, Qatar
Position Start Date: August 2012
Review of Applications Begins: January 3, 2012 and continues until position is filled.

VCUQatar (www.qatar.vcu.edu) is the Qatar campus of the prestigious Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia. Established in 1998 through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, VCUQatar offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Painting & Printmaking and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Design Studies.  Located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, VCUQatar is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. The current student body represents a diverse range of nationalities with students coming from more than 40 different countries.

VCUQatar strives to provide an engaged, learner-centered environment that fosters inquiry, discovery and innovation in a global setting. The university hosts the biennial international design conference Tasmeem Doha and supports the biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Islamic Art Symposium, attracting globally recognized designers, academics and thinkers while fostering sustainable, university-community partnerships that enhance the educational, economic and cultural vitality of Qatar.  The university has substantial involvement with the emerging design industries in Qatar and is a significant catalyst for that growth. It has established itself as a center of excellence for education and research in art and design.

VCUQatar has 131 full-time faculty and staff and a student body of 249. VCUQatar was the first campus established in Education City, a unique 2500-acre campus community. The university has since been joined by Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Carnegie-Mellon University, Texas A&M University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Northwestern University, and HEC Paris.

Qatar is a liberal, hospitable and progressive country in the Arabian Gulf and remains one of the healthiest economies in the Gulf region. English is the standard second language and the population of Qatar is approximately 1.65 million and growing – 350,000 Qatari, the remainder expatriates. Doha offers all the conveniences found in a contemporary and cosmopolitan city, and also maintains a traditional Arab flavor, evident in the old markets and the city’s Islamic Arab architecture. The Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M.Pei opened in November 2008 and the Arab Museum of Modern Art (MATHAF) opened in 2010. The US Embassy considers Qatar among the safest countries in the world for Americans.

Position Description:

This 9-month faculty position will support the new Painting + Printmaking program at VCUQatar. The painting and printmaking curriculum is based on the undergraduate course of study on the VCU home campus in Richmond, Virginia, which includes a global sensibility and a focus on teaching methods, techniques and theories with a historic and contextual reference to the Gulf region. VCUQatar prides itself on being responsive to the educational, business, cultural and communication needs of Qatar and the Middle East. The students are diverse and are admitted to the university on a competitive basis and into the Painting + Printmaking major by portfolio and interview. The facilities are state of the art and class sizes are small (typically 12:1 ratio.) Faculty teach 15 semester credit loads per year, engage in the development and delivery of significant research, contribute to the function and educational objectives of the department, serve as academic advisers and provide service to the university, the community in Qatar and the profession.

This faculty position will support the development of a contemporary studio environment for printmaking. The program is seeking a faculty member with a focus in analog print with additional skills in drawing. The printmaking studios support intaglio, relief, screen-printing, and digital print media, with the possible addition of lithography and book arts in the future. The department is also developing a publishing program where by artists will work with the department technician in the realizing of print projects.

The etching classroom has the capability to support all intaglio techniques. The studio is equipped with a ventilated acid room, rosin box, hotplates, and a 40” x 72” Takach press. The digital facilities include large format printers, vinyl cutter, laser cutter, drawing tablets, 3-D and UV printers, with proposals underway to invest in flatbed printing technology. The digital facilities also compliment a fully equipped water-based screen-printing studio, with the capability of printing up to 60”x40”.

The successful candidate will teach courses consistent with his/her area of expertise, which could be in any of the areas of drawing, printmaking and art theory classes that the program offers. Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be an experienced artist and educator at the forefront of contemporary art making with a thorough knowledge of fine art education at the University level. The successful candidate will possess comprehensive knowledge of contemporary theory; process and application with the ability to teach at all levels of the program. Applicants will have an MFA and an established academic career distinguished by a substantial exhibition record, a record of peer-reviewed publications, or comparable research accomplishments. Applicants are invited to apply with a broad range of expertise in printmaking practices including those that push the boundaries of the field, particularly those with a demonstrated commitment to professional involvement and exhibitions. Printmakers should be able to teach a range of print media with a particular emphasis in analogue processes. Knowledge of contemporary practices is required. Experience in University-level academic instruction beyond the TA level strongly preferred. Strong collaborative and communication skills are required as well as demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU and VCUQatar.

Benefits

• Competitive international salary
• Tax protection for U.S. Taxpayers
• 30% Off-shore supplement to base salary
• Medical Insurance (100% employer funded premium and employer cost shared options available)
• Fully furnished villa or apartment including wireless internet
• Annual travel allowance to home of record (to include a spouse and dependents relocated to Qatar)
• Monthly transportation allowance
• Educational reimbursement for up to 4 dependent children enrolled in an accredited K-12 program
• International Professional Development and Research Opportunities

Application Process:  Qualified applicants who have a record of achievement appropriate to VCUQatar should submit a letter of interest with a curriculum vitae, twenty (20) examples of personal work and twenty (20) examples of student work, official transcripts, and the names of five (5) references including email and telephone contact information to Tomaree Porter (tlporter@vcu.edu), Human Resources Administrator, Qatar Support Office. Only Electronic submissions will be accepted.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.