UPDATED 03/29
In a follow-up email circulated among glass artists, William Carlson, head of the University of Miami art department, has put on hold his preliminary search for a replacement for glass program instructor Brent Cole, who is leaving for a position at Ball State University in Indiana.
Though the position was never officially posted, Carlson had been seeking to identify potential candidates. In an email that circlulated among glass artists last week, Carlson wrote: “I expect this opportunity to be entry level with a focus on hot glass expertise. The successful candidate should also have expertise in the broader 3-D area which includes sculpture and clay. We prefer an artist who has had experience beyond graduate school and with professional visibility.”
In a follow-up letter this weekend, Carlson wrote that the plan had changed for now. “Unfortunately on Friday [March 26TH] there was a change in the University’s course of action,” his email read. “Our search for a new Glass faculty member was suspended by the College of Arts and Sciences. This change was unexpected and unfortunately puts a hold on any Glass position activity.”
A professor and chairman of the Department of Art and Art History in the University of Miami’s College of Arts and Sciences, Carlson has received a Distinguished Educators Award from the James Renwick Alliance. He moved to University of Miami in 2003, after 25 years at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he was professor of art and program chair of glass, clay, and sculpture at the College of Fine and Applied Art.
Editor’s Note: This posting has been modified to reflect the new information that has come to light in Carlson’s second email. The original posting on the morning of 3/26 stated that an official job search was imminent. The posting has since been adjusted to reflect the newest available information.