Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History and Gallery Director

Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History and Gallery Director

The Department of Art and Art History at Lake Forest College invites applications for a three-year Visiting Assistant Professor beginning in Fall 2026.

The position holds a dual role in teaching and oversight of arts activities and exhibitions at Lake Forest College. The Visiting Assistant Professor and Gallery Director is a multifaceted role requiring artistic vision, operational management, and mindfulness of educational programming related to the college's art galleries and art collection. Duties for this position include teaching three courses in Art History each academic year and overseeing the day‑to‑day activities of the Sonnenschein and Albright Galleries, two satellite student exhibition areas, and other campus artworks.

Required Qualifications:

• A PhD in Art History or related fields. (ABD is acceptable if a degree is conferred prior to the start of the 26-27 academic year.)
• Teaching experience in higher education beyond graduate assistantship rank.
• Two years of art gallery operations and management experience including installation and strike of exhibits.

Additional

Preferred Qualifications:

• A hands‑on approach to gallery management and supervision.
• The ability to teach courses in art history and/or visual culture focused on the global south.

• Curatorial and exhibition management:
  Developing and implementing exhibition programs, curating artwork, and managing all aspects of exhibitions from installation to related publications.
• Operational and fiscal management:
  Managing students, overseeing budgets, tracking expenses, and coordinating maintenance.
• Educational programming and outreach:
  Developing programs and events, fostering relationships with the art community, guiding student projects, and working on collection development.
• Public relations and communication:
  Coordinating marketing of exhibitions, building relationships with college stakeholders, and representing the gallery.
• Collection management:
  Overseeing the care of artworks, managing Past Perfect cataloging software, and supporting the college’s art collections. Developing a system of best practices for collection management. Consulting on the Durand Art Institute and the Krebs Center for the Humanities curatorial decisions and developing ways to unite the cataloguing of the two collections.

Demonstrated interest in building and sustaining inclusive excellence in the classroom, curricular innovation, and pedagogical creativity.

Course assignments will be determined based on the interests and research of the successful candidate and the needs of the department. The hired candidate for this position will be encouraged to explore new course development.

Three courses per calendar year with flexible distribution of the courses during the fall and spring semesters. (Normal teaching load is six for full‑time faculty members).

Attending bi‑monthly faculty meetings during spring and fall semesters. This position does not require committee assignments or student advisory responsibilities.

This position does not require a formal research agenda; however, we encourage the use and utilization of college resources to continue research practices.

All completed applications received by February 22, 2026, will receive full consideration. A completed application includes the following documents compiled into a single PDF document:

• Cover Letter:
  Addressing your interest in working at a small liberal arts college.
• Teaching Philosophy Statement:
  Include a statement about teaching practices in diverse and inclusive environments.
• A list of web links that can help contextualize exhibition experience.

Candidates selected for campus interviews will be asked to provide:

• Unofficial transcripts from higher education institutions.

Applications materials should be emailed directly to artdpt
.

Lake Forest College offers comprehensive and competitive pay and benefits to attract and retain talented individuals to further our mission. The salary range for this position is $60,000–$63,000 and information on our benefits can be found at www.lakeforest.edu/offices-and-departments/human-resources/employee-benefits
.

Lake Forest College is one of the most diverse small colleges in the Midwest with nearly 50% of our student body comprised of domestic students of color and international students. If you are interested in learning more about employment at Lake Forest College, please visit Working at Lake Forest | Lake Forest College.