Posted: 12-Nov-25
Location: Farmington, Connecticut
Type: Full Time
Categories:
Overview
Miss Porter’s School has long stood apart for its profound and enduring commitment to the visual arts. In 1880, Sarah Porter appointed the esteemed American painter Robert Brandegee to teach at her school in Farmington. Though not the first art instructor at Miss Porter’s, Brandegee’s tenure established a lasting tradition, one in which the visual arts are taught by practicing artists who model technical mastery, creative inquiry, and pedagogical expertise.
From the studios of Farmington have emerged generations of women who have gone on to shape the world of art and culture, including Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis ‘47, whose lifelong advocacy elevated the arts in the United States, and Agnes Gund ‘56, a renowned philanthropist and champion of contemporary art. These are only two among countless alumnae whose artistic lives were inspired by the exceptional teachers of Miss Porter’s.
With the retirement of longtime instructor Grier Torrence at the end of the 2025–26 school year, Miss Porter’s seeks the next artist-educator to join this extraordinary lineage.
Miss Porter’s School is a progressive institution devoted to helping students broaden their perspectives, pursue their passions, and think across disciplines. The next visual arts instructor will be expected to ensure that those drawn to the arts receive rigorous, professional-level training while also working to infuse creativity across the school’s entire curriculum. We seek an artist and teacher who can guide students in traditional visual arts practices and who also embraces the evolving, interdisciplinary nature of contemporary artmaking.
Responsibilities
- Miss Porter’s uses a modular-block schedule where full credit courses are taught intensively within a trimester; a full time teaching load is two courses per trimester.
- Classes will include drawing, painting, and print-making.
- Upkeep of the school’s galleries including displays of student work and professional artists rotating throughout the year.
- All teachers are assigned co-curricular responsibilities based on interest and expertise, these include participation in the afternoon program and residential program.
- Teachers are on a weekly duty team 5-6 weeks per year.
- Teachers serve as advisors to a group of students.
- Attendance at school events including evenings and weekends is required.
The ideal candidate will be:
- A practicing artist with deep knowledge of traditional media and techniques.
- A master teacher who inspires young artists to explore and refine their craft.
- A forward-thinking educator eager to integrate emerging technologies, new media, and cross-disciplinary collaboration into the studio.
This is a rare opportunity to carry forward a distinguished legacy of arts education while shaping the next era of creative learning at one of the nation’s most storied independent schools.