The Department of Arts and Culture of the Faculty of Humanities has a vacancy for a Special Professor History, Theory and Sociology of Graphic Design and Visual Culture (Wim Crouwel chair).

The Wim Crouwel Special Chair has been established in the Faculty of Humanities by the Wim Crouwel Institute (WCI), through a decision of the Executive Board of the UvA. The WCI aims to encourage research and education in the field of graphic design and visual culture in the broadest sense. The rich heritage of Dutch graphic design plays a key role in this.

The Wim Crouwel Institute collaborates closely with the Allard Pierson of the University of Amsterdam, which houses the archives of prominent Dutch designers, and with the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, which holds the masterpieces of Dutch graphic design. Together, they curate the largest and most important collection in this field in the world.

The Wim Crouwel Institute and the chair are supported by Algemeen Sociaal Fonds voor de Grafimediabranche (‘general social foundation for the printing media industry’), Pictoright and the Association of Dutch Designers.

The chair will be designated by the Wim Crouwel Institute. That is why it bears the name ‘Wim Crouwel Special Chair’. The namesake, Wim Crouwel, is one of the foremost 20th-century Dutch graphic designers.

The special chair is focused at the study of modern Dutch graphic design and visual culture within a broad historical and sociological context.

The focus areas of history, theory and sociology of graphic design and visual culture are barely, if at all, represented at the university level in the Netherlands. This special chair will be designated as a means for emphasising the societal importance of graphic design and visual culture and enhancing the visibility of this discipline in the Netherlands and abroad. The special chair is responsible for initiating, executing and supervising research into the field and for teaching, with due regard for current affairs in design and the connectedness thereof with other disciplines in an international perspective.

The Wim Crouwel Special Chair in the History, Theory and Sociology of Graphic Design and Visual Culture is part of the department of Art and Culture and has been incorporated into the Book Studies capacity group (for more information, go to the FaceBook page of Book Studies)  The department includes also: Art History, Cultural Studies, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Musicology and Theatre Studies.

Teaching and research

The professor by special appointment will contribute to the courses offered in the relevant field of study and will give lectures in Dutch and English. In addition to options in the Bachelor’s and Master’s/Research Master's programmes, the professor's tasks will also include thesis supervision. He/she will also play a stimulating role in attracting and supervising doctoral candidates and will participate in various academic and professional networks for relevant research.

The professor by special appointment will conduct research in the relevant field of study and publish the results in journals and the media in order to reach a wider audience. The research will be carried out at the Amsterdam School for Heritage Memory and Material Culture (AHM), which is part of the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR).

Tasks

The professor by special appointment will be charged with the following duties:

• teaching in the field of the history, theory and sociology of graphic design and visual culture;
• supervising theses, and any other end products in the area of ‘artistic research’;
• conducting research and supervising doctoral research projects;
• applying for research grants jointly or individually;
• contributing to initiatives of the Wim Crouwel Institute to raise funds to finance its academic activities;
• acting as a mediator between the aforementioned foundations and the UvA;
• actively enhancing the chair’s image and visibility through his/her actions within and outside the UvA;
• informing parties in the relevant professional field with some regularity about the relevant education and research;
• helping to promote the field;
• creating connections between the practice (including the practice of design) on the one hand, and education/research on the other;
• contributing to the use of the graphic design collections held by the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Allard Pierson of the UvA for educational and research purposes.

The professor by special appointment must satisfy the following job requirements:

• excellent research abilities, as evidenced by an academic dissertation, high-profile international academic publications and other activities;
• broad-based and demonstrable expertise in the field of the history, theory and sociology of graphic design and visual culture;
• the capability, as evidenced by his/her research and/or academic activities, to study the history, theory and sociology of graphic design and visual culture within international and interdisciplinary frameworks and a comparative context and to relate this to broader debates;
• maintain relevant contacts with the design sector;
• maintain close international relations with other scholars in the field of the history, theory and sociology of graphic design and visual culture;
• demonstrate a very good command of English and Dutch; deficiencies in either or both of these languages must be eliminated within two years of the commencement of the professorship;
• good teaching skills (i.e. an enthusiastic, inspiring and appealing lecturer) in Dutch and in English, as evidenced by the relevant work experience at an education and research institution and by a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) obtained from a Dutch university (candidates who are not yet in possession of a UTQ must obtain this qualification after taking up the position);
• very good interpersonal and organisational skills and leadership qualities;
• ability to function as a unifying and inspirational force in a fragmented professional field;
• ability to function as a link between the aforementioned foundations and the UvA.

Fixed-term contract: five years.

The professor by special appointment is available on average one day per week in order to perform the tasks associated with the position. This professorship by special appointment will not lead to employment at one of the aforementioned foundations or at the UvA and does not have a formal salary. However, to cover the costs associated with the performance of the tasks, a sum of no more than €20,000 per year will be available, to spend in consultation with the Curatorial Panel. It is also intended to guarantee the availability of the professor by special appointment. The professorship by special appointment is not compatible with a fixed term of employment at the UvA Faculty of Humanities. The professor by special appointment will be appointed for a period of five years at a time.

The professor by special appointment will be selected by the Curatorial Panel of the special chair. The Curatorial Panel, which may seek the assistance of one or more advisers during the selection procedure, consists of the following members: prof. E.A. Kuitert (on behalf of the Faculty of Humanities), R.A. Huisman MA (on behalf of the Wim Crouwel Institute) and prof. C.M.K.E. Lerm-Hayes (on behalf of the Executive Board).

The Curatorial Panel will submit a nomination to the Board of the Wim Crouwel Institute, which requires the ultimate approval of the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and the Executive Board. The selection procedure may include a public trial lecture.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

Faculty of Humanities – Department of Arts and Culture

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strongly international profile in a large number of disciplines in the field of language, history, and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the Faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutions in the capital city. Almost 1,400 employees are affiliated with the Faculty, which has about 7,000 students. The Faculty of Humanities consists of eight departments.