Department of Art, UC Irvine
Lecturer Position in Art
The Department of Art at the University of California, Irvine, seeks a dynamic group of practicing artists and theorists to teach the courses listed below as lecturers. Art Department faculty are committed to bringing the voices of emerging and established artists to engage with UCI's diverse population of undergraduate students and support their creative development.
The successful candidates will exhibit excellence in artistic practice, teaching, and impact within the field of contemporary art. Successful candidates will demonstrate strong and/or potential contributions to the University's core values of diversity, equity and inclusion. We encourage applicants to indicate all courses which they are interested in teaching.
Courses
Fall Quarter 2026 (September 21, 2026 - December 17, 2026)
Art 20A Basic Drawing I
Encourages an investigation of the premises and limits of drawing, primarily, but not inevitably, as a two-dimensional medium. Includes slide presentations and discussions of the historical uses of a wide range of drawing. Class is scheduled on MW 9:30am-11:50am.
Art 51 Basic Ceramic Sculpture
Exploration of use of clay as sculptural basis with an emphasis on development of an idea and its relation to contemporary and experimental art practice. Hand-building, glazing, finishing processes, and use of other structural materials. Class is scheduled on TuTh 9:30-11:50am.
Winter Quarter 2027 (January 4, 2027 - March 25, 2027)
Art 40 Beginning Sculpture
The practice of sculpture in the contemporary arts; inclusion of spatial interventions, site-specific and environmental design, appropriation of found materials; techniques in cutting joining, and assembly of wood, metals, and plastics. May include casting, welding, and ceramics.
Art 127B Issues in Experimental Film History
A critical study of experimental film/video art genres and production techniques considering their narrative, structural, iconographic, and cultural aspects. Hollywood narrative, Nouvelle Vague, American Independent, and Video Art compared in terms of production innovation, design, and conceptual content.
Art 152A Advanced Studio Topics: Photography
Focused investigation of a range of issues in photographic practice, with an emphasis on developing individual student projects, refining critical thinking, and conceptual framing. Technical topics covered as required. Readings, lectures, critiques, labs.
Spring Quarter 2027 ( March 24, 2027 - June 17, 2027)
Art 1C Art in Context: History, Theory, and Practice
Third in a three-quarter foundation sequence introducing students to a broad range of contemporary art, media, and practice in relation to their 20th-century cultural and historical antecedents. Deals specifically with space and cyberspace.
Note: this class is scheduled for online instruction
Art 40 Beginning Sculpture
The practice of sculpture in the contemporary arts; inclusion of spatial interventions, site-specific and environmental design, appropriation of found materials; techniques in cutting joining, and assembly of wood, metals, and plastics. May include casting, welding, and ceramics.
Art 65A Foundations in Media Design
Provides an overview of media design in the digital age, covering principles of design for different media (2D, time-based, interactive); history of relationship between art and design; and practice in working with different design approaches.
Art 106A Programming for Artists
Programming as a means to create interactive artworks with an emphasis on the integration of video, sound, text, and stills. Topics include basic concepts in programming, understanding the limits of code, working with video and audio files, and interface design.
Art 125 Issues in Photography
Rigorous investigation of photographic practices and critical writings, the relationship of photography to the construction and maintenance of cultural institutions, the circulation of photographic ideas in society, and photography and technology.
About the Department of Art
A heterogeneous group of artists and scholars, the Art Department values inquiry and experimentation over specific ideologies and intellectual methods. The faculty's research and instruction investigate how art is made in contexts ranging from the personal to the collective, from art institutions to broader definitions of the public. The department-affiliated University Art Galleries present public exhibitions of critically engaged art and artists from both local and international art communities. The department's curriculum emphasizes that art is not a freestanding category, but instead takes shape through its intersection with other creative practices, knowledge formations, and social domains. The Art Department has a commitment to cultivating racial justice through artistic production. Current faculty engage in a broad range of artistic practices, with strong emphases on interdisciplinary practice, experimental materiality, performance art, queer theory, post-colonial critique, and political intervention.
Qualifications
Candidate must have an MFA (or equivalent) or PhD, and at least 1 year of teaching experience (or equivalent experience) at the college or university level preferred.
Applicants must submit the following:
- A Cover Letter explaining interest in teaching the class (address letter to "Search Committee");
- Names and contact information for 2 references;
- Curriculum Vitae;
- Copies of 1-3 most recent syllabi; and
- Copies of 1-3 most recent teaching evaluations.
- Optional: Link to a personal website OR portfolio of up to 20 JPEG images or up to 5 minutes of video on a Google Drive link.