How to Balance Family and Art History

Capitoline Wolf, either 5 th century BC or 13 th century AD Art history is dynamic! New scholarship and ideas are coming forward all the time! I don’t recommend “taking a break” from your involvement in art history.

Ways to stay involved in art history, even from the home Join CAA Art history publications, such as Art Journal or The Art Bulletin JSTOR access Art history blogs This is one of the quickest ways to get news and information Attend lectures at universities and local museums Many special presentations and art history lectures are open to the general public Twitter Follow discussions on hashtags like #arthistory and #art This is also a quick way to get news and information

College Art Association

Art history blogging

I’ve found it helpful to do the following: Give myself research assignments and deadlines Review recent publications Write about topics that I would like to cover in a future lecture with my students

Follow the #arthistory hashtag

Who to “follow” in Twitter

The job hunt Get as much experience as you can before you leave school. Complete internships at museums, work as a teaching assistant, and present papers at conferences. If you have an opportunity to teach, do it! It has recently been reported that the odds for getting a job in the humanities compared statistically to the chances of someone winning the lottery. At the beginning of 2010, the American Historical Association reported that for every history position posted in the United States, there are 84 job seekers with Ph.D. degrees that are interested in that position. You need to make yourself stand out somehow, either through your experience or your specific interests (e.g. specialization).

If you are interested in landing a teaching position, do not wait around for jobs to post online. (Although, granted, you should still look for postings.) Make contact with local universities by sending your resume (or CV) to professors and department coordinators. Attend art history lectures that are sponsored by art history programs, and be sure to introduce yourself to the faculty. Both the museum industry and academic world rely heavily on contacts. My husband landed a job at the Seattle Art Museum through a contact, and I landed one of my teaching positions because I introduced myself to faculty members. I know that many people use LinkedIn as a way to network and make contacts. Contacts and networking

“Art History Jobs” lists openings in art history around the country. CAA also has an employment page on their website.

Adjunct Teaching As an adjunct professor, you are usually responsible for one to three classes per semester/term, depending on the needs of your university. With a young child at home, I find adjunct teaching to be an ideal situation for me at present: I get to teach and interact with students, but I do not have the administrative responsibilities that are required of my colleagues. Although I would not mind to be more heavily involved in my department when my son gets older, I find that I have more flexibility and time at home as an adjunct. Some career options that have worked for me

Teaching online (either as an adjunct or a course “facilitator”) Online teaching is great in many ways, since it allows for a flexible work schedule. However, online teaching isn’t as easy as it appears. I believe that in order to effectively teach an online class, a professor needs to have continual interaction with students. I currently teach an art history survey course using Blackboard. I record myself giving lectures on my laptop, and then combine the audio with PowerPoint presentations. I then convert the PowerPoint presentations into QuickTime videos for students to watch. I was able to learn a lot about Blackboard through my experience as a TA at BYU. Some schools, such as the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, will train qualified professionals to use educational software.

If you want to be an involved parent and stay involved in art history, you will need to make some sacrifices. I try to focus my attention on my son when he is awake, and then I rush to grade, prep lectures, and do research as soon as I put him down to sleep (either for a nap or in the evening). Be prepared to give up social or “fun” events, at least once in a while. Teaching evening classes is ideal for a mother who wants to stay home with her children while her husband is at work. I have taught evening classes before. I would stay with my son during the day, and then my husband and I would “swap” places when he came home. Have a supportive spouse! How to Balance Family and Art History