"3D Design Practices and Woodworking (Tenure Track)"

3D Design Practices and Woodworking (Tenure Track)

Company: The Evergreen State College

Job Location:

Category: Art

Type: Full-Time

The Evergreen State College seeks a broadly capable designer, craftsperson, or artist to teach design thinking and design methodologies within Evergreen’s interdisciplinary, liberal arts curriculum. This faculty member will also participate in Evergreen’s growing woodworking and furniture design programs—conveying skills, principles, and an understanding of historical, contemporary, and environmental contexts for woodworking and related careers. This is a full-time, regular (i.e. tenure-track) faculty position in the school of Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE) at The Evergreen State College, starting in the 2026-27 academic year. PaCE classes take place during evening and weekend hours. Some non-studio classes are offered online.

Design in the PaCE Curriculum:

Roughly half to three-quarters of the curriculum planning and teaching duties will be in offerings that present Design as a continuum of broadly based, interdisciplinary, problem-investigation and problem-solving methodologies. This faculty member will develop and teach solo and team-taught offerings that pair design ideas and tools with natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, business, or the arts. Offerings may incorporate design thinking, research, ideation, writing and graphic communication (including drawing and CADD), public engagement, and community building skills.

Design and Fabrication in Wood:

The other quarter to half of this faculty member’s curriculum planning and teaching duties will be centered on woodworking design and fabrication offerings. They will lead undergraduate woodworking and furniture design studio classes as part of Evergreens Foundations of Woodworking: Craft, Culture, and Sustainability Certificate sequence, and they will take an active role in the ongoing assessment and development of the Certificate program. They may teach additional woodworking design and construction offerings depending on their expertise, and they will work with other faculty to support and develop the wood studio curriculum generally.

The ideal candidate will have knowledge and experience in furniture design and construction and be able to teach a wide range of wood design and fabrication practices including relevant digital technologies. They will be prepared to address the larger social, environmental, economic, and cultural contexts of working with wood, and they will be skilled in guiding students through the specialized procedural and safety challenges of working with tools in collaborative studio settings.

Interest and expertise in teaching other art or design related offerings is welcome, e.g., large metals, observational or design drawing, sculpture, environmental art, CAD, professional practices, etc.

In general, this faculty member should be committed to undergraduate teaching, be able to teach diverse students with a wide range of academic skills and abilities, have an active record of creative practice, and be able to write and speak effectively about their own and others’ work. They should be intent on conveying the work and worth of design thinking and hands-on 3D making as scaffolding for thinking critically, sustainably, and culturally within a liberal arts education, while also serving as pathways to professional success.

Job Expectations

Classes may be offered fully online, in-person, or in low residency/hybrid formats (with both remote and in-person elements). Synchronous instruction takes place during evening or weekend hours. In the first year of the contract, faculty will have partial release from teaching to help with the design and development of new certificates and curriculum in the school for Professional and Continuing education. Faculty will be provided with opportunities to increase their skill in online curriculum development.

Evergreen uses written narrative evaluations in lieu of grades, and faculty are generally responsible for writing evaluations and conducting in-person individual meetings with 25 or more students at the end of each quarter. Faculty are also responsible for advising students as they reflect on their learning process, develop a pathway of study, and prepare for post-graduation academic and career goals.

Most faculty will teach in full-time, team-taught, 16-credit programs connected by a particular theme or line of inquiry. Faculty are generally responsible for evaluating 25 students/quarter, though their programs may include up to 50-75 students, depending on the size of their teaching team. This arrangement allows for in-depth, interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and the building of strong learning communities. Faculty are also responsible for advising students as they reflect on their learning process, develop a pathway of study, and formulate their own areas of concentration.

Our teaching is student-centered, which means we are interested in helping students develop strong skills in critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaborative work. Because over 80% of our students come from underserved and marginalized groups, we are particularly invested in approaches to teaching that emphasize diversity and equity, that provide opportunities for challenge and growth, and that foster a learning environment where all are welcome and all can learn from each other.

A complete list of faculty responsibilities can be found in the Collective Bargaining Agreement

About Evergreen:

Evergreen is an innovative, public, liberal arts college emphasizing integrated interdisciplinary study and collaborative team-teaching throughout the undergraduate curriculum and in three graduate programs. Teaching is the central work of the faculty at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Successful teaching at Evergreen requires broad-ranging intellectual curiosity, the ability to formulate interdisciplinary questions, and the pedagogical skills to support our diverse student population.

About PaCE:

Evergreen’s school of Professional and Continuing Education provides transformative education for working adults and lifelong learners seeking a bachelor’s degree or a certificate credential, and it also attracts traditional age undergraduate students. The curriculum combines theory with practice and is offered during evenings and weekends in multiple teaching modes (in-person, online, and hybrid). Accordingly, we seek highly collaborative colleagues who are interested in career-connected learning and creative online instruction for diverse learners. Due to our campus’ interdisciplinary nature, faculty should also be prepared to address broad social themes and explore transformative pedagogical approaches to learning and teaching.

Instructional Facilities and Support:

The College has well-equipped art and design studios for a wide variety of 2D and 3D practices, as well as computer-equipped classrooms and support for teaching 2D and 3D design and modeling software and basic 2D laser and 3D modeling skills. The College’s 3D teaching and studio spaces include a large and well-equipped Wood Shop and Bench room, maintained and staffed by a full-time Instructional Technician, who also oversees the College’s Large Metals Shop, coordinates student aides, and provides support for all Olympia campus programs focused in these areas. Woodshop equipment includes a full range of hand tools, hand-held power tools, chop saw, 14” and 8” jointers, 20” planer, 30” thickness sander, 3 SawStop table saws, 4 smaller band saws, 2 large re-saw band saws, 3 lathes, hollow chisel mortising machine, horizontal boring machine, milling machine, drill press, an extensive range of clamps, downdraft sanding table, full dust collection system, and large spray booth. A small laser cutting and engraving set-up is a recent addition to the Shops.