OPEN CALL: Applications for Director of the Slade School of Fine Art and Slade Professor

The Slade approaches contemporary art practice and the history and theories that inform it through experimentation, imagination, and research-oriented practice. With a thriving and dynamic practice-led culture, staff are practising artists, writers and theorists with notable research outputs and exhibition profiles. The Slade has been a formidable and radical presence on UCL’s Gower Street campus since its inception. We recently celebrated our 150th anniversary and we are one of the world’s leading fine art departments.

The Slade has around 270 students registered for taught programmes across the undergraduate BA and BFA in Fine Art and the graduate MA and MFA in Fine Art and approximately 20 MPhil/PhD researchers. Taught programmes are practice-based, and students develop their own work through tutorials, seminars, crits, lectures, workshops and technical support according to their individual needs.

The Slade Studio at UCL EAST will be the base for our new undergraduate BA Art and Technology programme launching in 2025. This studio will also be used for a 29-week widening participation programme taking place across the academic year and an intensive widening participation summer school for young people in London.

We are committed to the values of equity, diversity and inclusion and our central focus is on creating brave spaces for those from marginalised backgrounds and communities. This includes supporting and championing staff and students inclusive of all protected characteristics.

The Slade’s practice-led research culture facilitates an ongoing commitment to individual excellence in art research while also supporting collaborative research which increasingly addresses pressing societal and cultural challenges. Find out more about our research themes and collaborations here.

About the role
We are looking to recruit someone with a genuine appreciation of how to lead and nurture all aspects of the Slade’s work. The appointee will bring a strong commitment to equality, equity, diversity and inclusion and possess a demonstrable openness in how they engage with students, staff, alumni, and other stakeholders. The new Director of the Slade will bring and will maintain a significant practice and research profile.

Reporting directly to the Dean, the Director is responsible to the Council of UCL, via the President and Provost. This key leadership appointment will help shape the strategic direction and management of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and will contribute to the delivery of UCL’s strategic objectives, ensuring alignment with the UCL Strategic Plan 2022–27.

The Slade Director will develop and implement a robust Diversity and Inclusion strategy and cultural change programme, including curriculum design, research strategy and organisational development. The appointee will foster a strongly collaborative and supportive culture to achieve excellence across all areas and to further enhance the Slade’s standing as an internationally respected art school.

About you
You will be an acknowledged expert in contemporary art and fine art practice with a track record of research and impact.  You will possess outstanding leadership and communication skills, including the ability to champion collegiality within the School. Additionally, you will be committed to accelerating cultural change within the Slade to ensure a just and equitable environment for all.

Application deadline: June 9, 2023, 12pm BST

Interview date: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their vision statement and their practice to all colleagues in the Slade School of Fine Art on Thursday 22 June 2023. Formal interviews will take place on Friday June 23, 2023. A job description and person specification can be accessed here.