The Department of History of Art and Architecture (HAA) in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh seeks to appoint an accomplished historian of art, architecture, or related fields to the Andrew W. Mellon Professorship, with a start date of September 1, 2024. We seek a colleague who will use the prominence of this endowed professorship to advance HAA’s mission of expanding and diversifying the histories of art and architecture through their teaching, research, mentorship, and leadership. The position provides an opportunity for its holder to undertake significant scholarly initiatives at the departmental, university, and extra-institutional levels. The successful applicant will be asked to develop and teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, supervise doctoral students, undertake service, and participate actively in the life of the department and university.
Mellon Professors at the University of Pittsburgh serve as intellectual thought leaders within the department, the university, and the field(s) in which they participate. The Mellon professorship carries substantial research support and a teaching load of three courses per year at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Applications are invited from tenured professors at the Associate and Full Professor ranks (or their international equivalents), i.e. those who have attained prominence within their own specialization, and whose intellectual trajectory offers evidence that they are already, or soon will be, considered a leading voice in the discipline and more broadly in the humanities.
Our department has recently completed a strategic planning process during which we have reaffirmed our commitment to studying the depth and complexity of humanity at the graduate and undergraduate levels. This position is open to candidates with expertise in all subjects and methodologies of the histories of art, architecture, and related fields. We seek a colleague who will lead our department in new directions, which depends neither on geography nor on chronology, and who will help us advance the following intellectual and ethical priorities of the department:
1. Constellations: Initiated in 2011, HAA’s Constellations serve as cross-subfield thematic and critical frameworks for research exchanges and collaborations within and beyond our department. They also inform our mentoring and teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level. The Constellations, which were revised during the Strategic Planning process in AY 2022-23, are: Identity and Identification, Materialities, Mobility and Circulation, Reparation, and Space and Place. We seek a colleague who will help us maintain and build on the intellectual and pedagogical excellence of our Constellations in innovative ways.
2. DEIA: HAA is committed to centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in its curriculum, research, outreach, and departmental governance. We seek a colleague who will help advance the projects of anti-racist and decolonial pedagogy, research, and community building.
3. Graduate program: The continued growth and vitality of our PhD program is a key priority of the department. We seek a colleague who will help broaden the department’s existing methodologies and research foci by way of graduate-level curricular offerings, languages, thematics, skills, etc., in support of our strong commitment to attracting talented graduate students and preparing them to be leaders in the field.
4. Undergraduate program: The Mellon Professor will introduce undergraduate students to new ways of thinking about the histories, meanings, and values of art, architecture, and museums. We seek a colleague who will join us in encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to consider our courses and programs as integral to their intellectual and professional growth.
5. Engagement with Publics: This endowed professorship is a high-profile appointment in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Pittsburgh, and the city of Pittsburgh. We seek a colleague prepared to use the prominence and resources of this position to engage with publics within and beyond Pittsburgh.
To learn more about this position, and to apply, please visit: https://cfopitt.taleo.net/careersection/pitt_faculty_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=23004371.
Review of applications will begin on September 8, 2023, and will continue until the position is filled.