Ọfọdunka: November 2017

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Who has seen this El Anatsui work?

El Anatsui, Lace and Kente, 1993

I am seeking information about the location of this work by El Anatsui. If anyone knows, please, please, let me know. Thanks!

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Assistant or Associate Professor position in African and African Diaspora Art & Visual Culture, Queens University

The Department of Art History and Art Conservation in the Faculty of Arts and Science, in conjunction with the Agnes Etherington Art Centre (AEAC), at Queen’s University, invites applications for a Queen's National Scholar (QNS) position at the rank of Associate or Assistant Professor with a specialization in the Arts and Visual Culture of Africa and/or its Diaspora (historical or contemporary). This is a tenured or tenure-‐track position with a preferred start date of July 1, 2018. Further information on the Queen’s National Scholar Program can be found on the website of the Office of the Vice-‐Principal (Research).

Open to scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, preference will be given to established candidates who have as a primary field African and/or African Diaspora arts and visual culture, and a secondary strength in curatorial or museum studies. The successful candidate will have a record of scholarly research and publication; an interest in theoretical or contextual approaches such as Black studies, critical race studies, and/or critical museology; a record of collaborative or community-‐based scholarship and a demonstrated capacity for experiential teaching and learning; and a record of successful curatorial projects. Appointees will teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, participate

in graduate supervision at the MA and PhD levels across the university, and fulfill a curatorial role at the AEAC, which holds an outstanding collection of Central and West African art from the late 19th to the mid-20th century.

This position complements and extends existing research and teaching strengths in the study of art and visual cultures within the Department of Art History and Art Conservation. The successful candidate will establish new, as well as expand current research networks, work collaboratively across departments, and advance the impact of Queen’s research and collections nationally and internationally. At the AEAC, the successful candidate will contribute towards exhibition and collections development, including modern and contemporary arts of Africa and its diaspora, research and programming, and lead student learning experiences including internships, gallery-‐focused seminars, and practica.

Candidates should have a PhD or equivalent degree completed at the start date of the appointment. The successful candidate will provide evidence of high-quality scholarly output that demonstrates potential for independent research leading to peer assessed publications and the securing of external research funding, as well as strong potential for outstanding teaching contributions, and an ongoing commitment to academic and pedagogical excellence in support of the department’s programs. Candidates must provide evidence of an ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and student-‐centered environment. The successful candidate will be required to make substantive contributions through service to the department, the Faculty, the University, and/or the broader community including the AEAC. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. This position is subject to final budgetary approval by the University.

The Queen’s National Scholar Program expects that the successful candidate will demonstrate their ability to provide a rich and rewarding learning experience to all their students, and to develop a research program that aligns well with the University’s priorities. Further information on teaching and research priorities at Queen’s is available in the Queen’s Academic Plan and the Queen’s Strategic Research Plan.

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ persons. All qualified candidates are encouraged

to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

To comply with federal laws, the University is obliged to gather statistical information as to how many applicants for each job vacancy are Canadian citizens / permanent residents of Canada. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or citizenship; however, all applications must include one of the following statements: “I am a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada”; OR, “I am not a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada”. Applications that do not include this information will be deemed incomplete.

A complete application consists of:

a cover letter (including one of the two statements regarding Canadian citizenship / permanent resident status specified in the previous paragraph);
a current Curriculum Vitae (including a list of publications);
a statement of research interest;
a statement of teaching interests and experience (including teaching outlines and evaluations if available); and,
three letters of reference to be sent directly by the referees to Professor Joan M. Schwartz, Department Head at the address below.

The deadline for applications is January 8, 2018. Applicants are encouraged to send all documents in their application packages electronically as PDFs to Professor Joan M. Schwartz at schwartz@queensu.ca, although hard copy applications may be submitted to:

Joan M. Schwartz, PhD, FRSC Professor and Head
Department of Art History and Art Conservation
Ontario Hall 318C
67 University Avenue
Queen’s University Kingston,
Ontario CANADA K7L 3N6

The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodation during the interview process, please contact Diane Platt in The Department of Art History and Art Conservation, at plattd@queensu.ca.

Academic staff at Queen’s University are governed by a Collective Agreement between the University and the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA), which is posted at http://queensu.ca/facultyrelations/faculty-ibrarians-and-archivists/collective-agreement and at http://www.qufa.ca.

Appointments are subject to review and final approval by the Principal. Candidates holding an existing tenure-‐track or continuing-‐adjunct appointment at Queen’s will not be considered.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Christopher Okonkwo's Princeton Lecture:"Why the ‘Achebe’ Gap in Toni Morrison Studies", Nov. 16, 2017

Christopher Okonkwo, University of Missouri-Columbia

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 -

4:30PM TO 6:00PM

144 LOUIS A. SIMPSON INTERNATIONAL BUILDING

In this lecture, Dr. Okonkwo contemplates the premise that much of the scholarship on Toni Morrison continues to operate as though it has never heard of Chinua Achebe or the extraordinarily complimentary things Morrison has said about him relative to her own work and thought.

Dr. Christopher Okonkwo is an Associate Professor of English with tenure and a doctoral faculty at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His major fields of research and teaching are 20th through 21st century African American literature and culture, African literature in English, and post-colonial and modernist theories. Professor Okonkwo’s first book, A Spirit of Dialogue: Incarnations of Ợgbañje, the Born-to-Die, in African American Literature, was published by the University of Tennessee Press. In his review, Ernest Emenyonu describes this study as “the first of its kind in terms of in-depth focus, profundity of research, and resplendent analysis of targeted African mythology in contemporary African American literature." Dr. Okonkwo’s essays have appeared in Callaloo, Research in African Literatures, African American Review, CLA Journal, African Literature Today, MELUS, and Contemporary Literary Criticism. He is completing a second book titled Kindred Spirits: Chinua Achebe and Toni Morrison.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Photos of the new Louvre Abu Dhabi

Here are photos of the new Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel, and some installation shots from the permanent collection. I hope to find some time for comments on both the building and the collection. If not, just simply enjoy the images!