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Vacancy: Part-Time Lecturer in Performance Art

Call for Applications: Part-Time Lecturer in Performance Art

The Department of Fine Arts at the Wits School of Arts is seeking a dedicated Performance Artist and educator to join our teaching team as a Part-Time Lecturer. We invite applications from candidates with a strong record of Performance Art practice and significant knowledge of its Art Historical, theoretical, and contemporary contexts. This position offers an exciting opportunity to introduce First Year Fine Arts Students to Performance Art as a powerful medium of contemporary Art practice, enabling them to explore the body, action, time, and space as essential artistic tools.

Course Details:

Module Title: FINA1004A, Fine Arts IB, Fourth Quarter, Semester 2: Performance Art
Level: First-Year Undergraduate Students
Duration: One quarter
Dates: 15 September – 28 October 2025 (with one week examination period: 3–7 November 2025)
Total Contract Hours: 105 (includes contact teaching, administration, and assessment)
Remuneration: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Qualifications and Experience:

  • Education: A Master’s degree (MA) in Fine Arts or a related field is required.
  • Specialisation : Demonstrated expertise in Performance Art, with a strong portfolio of practice and research. Ability to situate Performance Art within broader Art historical and theoretical frameworks is essential.
  • Teaching Experience: 1–3 years of university-level teaching, mentorship, or relevant professional practice. Experience teaching or working with introductory level students is an advantage.

Responsibilities:

  • Teaching and Engagement: Introduce first-year students to the fundamentals of Performance Art as both practice and discourse, ensuring a balance of experimentation, conceptual grounding, and technical skills.
  • Weekly Contact: 10 timetabled hours per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays), including lectures, demonstrations, studio-based activities, workshops, and small group or one-on-one consultations.
  • Practical Explorations: Lead students through exercises that engage the body, voice, gesture, space, and time, while fostering critical awareness of Performance Art as a medium.
  • Critical Discourse: Guide students in developing the vocabulary to analyse and contextualise Performance Art, drawing on key histories and global contemporary practices.
  • Project Development: Support students in conceptualising and realising short Performance Artworks suitable for formative and summative assessment.
  • Final Outcomes: Facilitate the preparation and presentation of Performance Art based projects for assessment.
  • Administration: Manage course documentation, maintain the Ulwazi (Canvas e-learning) platform, take registers, communicate effectively with students, and liaise with the First-Year coordinator where necessary.
  • Assessment: Conduct and grade assessments, provide clear and constructive feedback, and upload marks according to university processes.

Areas of Expertise:

Candidates should demonstrate proficiency in:

  • Performance Art Practice: Knowledge of diverse approaches in Performance Art, including live art, durational work, site-based actions, participatory practices, and interdisciplinary strategies.
  • Foundations of Performance: Ability to introduce beginners to fundamental tools such as embodiment, presence, improvisation, and basic dramaturgy.
  • Art Historical and Theoretical Contexts: Familiarity with key histories of Performance Art, including global and South African perspectives, and the ability to connect these to contemporary debates.
  • Integration of Practice & Theory: Ability to connect technical, conceptual, and contextual knowledge into accessible and stimulating teaching.
  • Student Engagement: Experience in creating inclusive, supportive, and experimental learning spaces appropriate for First Year undergraduate students.
  • Contemporary Relevance: Understanding of Performance Art’s role in broader cultural, political, and social contexts, including its intersections with identity, activism, and digital practices.

If you are passionate about Performance Art, committed to teaching, and eager to inspire young Artists at the beginning of their studies, we encourage you to apply.

Application Details:

Deadline: 1st September 2025
To Apply: Submit the following to info.fineart@wits.ac.za

  • Cover letter outlining your teaching philosophy and Performance Art practice
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Portfolio of your work (documentation of Performance Artworks, publications, or links to works)

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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