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My daughter's art teacher has suggested she start keeping a portfolio of her best work in case she decides to apply either to art school or as an art major or minor. Does anyone have any tips or ideas on what types of things she should be keeping for a future portfolio? Her art teacher was a little vague.

Also, I know we've discussed this before but if anyone has any thoughts or information on art majors at liberal arts colleges and smaller universities (suggestions for good programs, etc.) let me know. I'd also be very interested in any summer art programs for high school students that you could recommend.


Thanks.

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 09:49 pm: Edit

Carolyn, one thing you might look at is the AP Studio Art page. There you can see what they expect for the portfolios. But yes, if your daughter is considering an art major she would be wise to begin putting this together.

Do you have AP Studio Art offered at the school? If so, that instructor should be well informed and be a good help.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 09:56 pm: Edit

Ah, excellent idea. Unfortunately, no, we don't have AP Studio Art, only art history. But it occurs to me that one of her favorite middle school teacher's wife teaches AP Studio art at another school - perhaps she could give some suggestions.

I'm not really sure if this is something that is going to "stick" --- she's always talked about minoring in art but after her disastrous experience with AP Euro History this year, she's now talking about a possible art major a bit more strongly.

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 10:21 pm: Edit

Not only can she give suggestions, but she could even assist your daughter in turning in an AP portfolio if you daughter is interested. I just looked at the college board site some more, and I can't find pictures ... in the past they've had examples of the art submitted.

By Aparent4 (Aparent4) on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 10:28 pm: Edit

There are some excellent threads on That Other Board. My s submitted a portfolio and we did a lot of asking around beforehand. The main thing that we were told was that the liberal arts colleges and universities are not looking for the usual drawing of a sneaker, etc. that are so often done in high school art classes. They don't really want to see a bunch of random pieces, although it is good to show some variety. Ultimately, assuming the technical quality is there, they are most interested in seeing a strong personal style...something that conveys a student's identity as an artist.

AP Studio Art is interesting in terms of portfolio development. It is taught differently in various schools. In many schools, all of junior year is spent doing high-school-type assignments. Then in senior year (too late for most apps) the students focus in on a main area they develop(I forget what they call this)-- a particular medium or subject or style. For the portfolio, the latter is pretty much what you are looking for. At least, that was true where s applied.

I would definitely recommend looking on the websites of the individual colleges where your d applies and seeing exactly what each of them says about the portfolio. Also feel free to contact them directly; gives you a great sense of what they're after.

You don't need a lot of pieces for a liberal arts college portfolio;about a dozen should do, in our experience. Some teachers will photograph the pieces for students, but we found a commercial studio that did the slides quickly and reasonably and they came out looking beautiful. One less hassle lol.

S also included an artist's statement in the envelope with his slides. There are examples of these all over the Net in online galleries; the artist speaks candidly about his or her sources of inspiration, techniques, even struggles. I think this is especially effective when you are sending to a liberal arts program; after all, the adcom may not be able to evaluate the slides, but the artist's statement conveys a thoughtful, intelligent visual artist.

Good luck! Have fun!

By Digmedia (Digmedia) on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 11:05 pm: Edit

Carolyn -

I know nothing about this, but will add something anyway (never stopped me before). This is an idea from the apps for film school.

Film schools are looking for a Portfolio List (like a kind of art resume), listing projects/shows/works completed. The film schools are not only looking for film work, but any artistic endeavor.

For example, my S has been asked ("commissioned" is a fancier word, but no pay was involved) to produce the artwork for the regional science fair posters; over one thousand are produced and distributed throughout the various school districts (with his name on each as the copyright holder). That's an art "accomplishment" and copies of the art (with and without the text portions of the poster) make good candidates for his portfolio.

And there are many other examples of things like this..

But this is very different than the portfolios being described above, so now I'm confused (as usual). For art school, the portfolio is used to help judge ability and potential. I think that Aparent4's insight above may be right on target for an art major (vs. a film major).

But the collection of "accomplishments" (awards, participation in shows, publications, etc) shows another side - that the student has had some success (recognized by others) in the art realm. Maybe both might be appropriate?????

-digi

By Sac (Sac) on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 11:19 pm: Edit

Carolyn,
You are wise to look for a summer pre-college art program for your daughter, as they often include a session on how to put together a portfolio. I think I remember you live in California. Has your daughter done CalArts? I believe that CCAC in Oakland (which has now merged with the SF Art Institute) has dorms for summer students. They have a very good summer pre-college program. My daughter did it for two summers and, as a result, had a portfolio to submit to UCLA which she would never have had from her high school art classes. That was all she did in art (no contests, no awards, no shows) though she did initiate a mural project and participate in another one. After she got advice from two teachers (contradictory advice, but we went with the more serious artist) on which pieces to include, we photographed them and she wrote up a list of titles. I'd guess that colleges would offer some direction on how they want this done, since from my son's experience with music, there are often instructions on the departmental sites.

By Mistrale (Mistrale) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 12:36 am: Edit

Your daughter could go to a portfolio day to get an idea of how others put together their portfolios and to get some feedback from art school representatives, even if she doesn't plan on attending an art school ultimately.

http://www.npda.org/tips.html

By Momrath (Momrath) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 01:56 am: Edit

My son is a freshman at Williams. Although he won't declare a major for another year yet, most likely he will choose Art Studio/Art History. Williams has excellent departments for both.

Son submitted slides of his artwork. He submitted 24 slides which showed a range of media -- drawing (both pen and charcoal), painting, photography, and some multi-media pieces. Many schools have specific information on their slide requirements, both for presentation and subject. He found everything he needed on the colleges' websites. He had the slides taken by a professional photographer. It was worth it.

Although I only can give you anecdotal evidence, it appears the schools really like drawing and especially self portraits. They are looking for technique and potential.

In addition to the slides, son attached an art resume and a recommendation from his art teacher. The resume outlined classes, awards, art related travel and activities, plus a personal statement. The art teacher recommendation was not required by all schools, but since it was positive, he included it.

By Aparent4 (Aparent4) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 08:29 am: Edit

Ah, yes, Momrath (wow! art and art history at Williams! I'm impressed...), the self-portrait. This is a great idea, comes very naturally to adolescents, and is very nice to have when it comes time for the interviews. S carried along a self-portrait and it was a real conversation-starter!

By Lizschup (Lizschup) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 11:25 am: Edit

I'd just like to add one piece of advice in thinking about art as a major and that is to think about it in a broader context than fine art. I suggest looking for schools that offer both fine art and more practical career oriented fields that require talent as an artist: such as graphic designer, advertising art director, film art director, illustrator, and so on. Most of these majors require classes in painting and drawing so there is still opportunity to develop these skills.

My husband started out in the fine arts department of his school and switched to graphic design and art direction because he did not feel he fit in with the personality and thinking of the fine artists. I on the other hand was not allowed to pursue fine arts in and of itself. My mom had a mother who painted and was a well regarded local painter but she wanted me to have more practical career goals using my art talent and that was a good move. My only regret is not having a broader knowledge of all the different avenues within the field of design.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 02:22 pm: Edit

Wow. I am so grateful for all of the ideas and information (especially the National Portfolio Day). I am going to print it all out for my daughter.

By Lizschup (Lizschup) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 05:23 pm: Edit

Mistrale, that really is a great resource. For anyone interested in majoring in art, the site has a great list of colleges throughout the U.S. that offer art and design.

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 05:58 pm: Edit

Our son attended a National Portfolio Day (and I recommend you attend these early on in high school) and did find it helpful, even though he ultimately decided that he didn't want an art school. You can have different people view your daughter's art. (One person raved about our son's work, and I had to remind myself that all the people there ARE in the business of recruiting students!)

By Mauretania (Mauretania) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 12:59 pm: Edit

Carolyn,

Portfolios
My daughter's school has a weak art program (it's a very small private girls school). She worked on her portfolio during the summers she spent studying Architecture at UT-Austin and sculpture/design at RISD, this past summer. From this she learned portfolios should contain only drawings/art from life (not pictures) and schools like to see a self-portrait. We haven't taken slide pictures, yet but I liked the tip above about using a local professional photographer. Also, as mentioned earlier, each school/art department has specific requirements for the portfolio. My D is having to do completely different home tests, as part of admission requirements for Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Sketchbook
Have your daughter start carrying around a sketchbook that she can draw ideas/subjects wherever she is. This is important as art school admissions will want to see this. All the admissions reps that my daughter met with, asked to see her sketchbook.

National Portfolio Day
My daughter attended Portfolio Day, as a junior to get a feel for what it was all about. She was very glad that she did. This past fall, she attended again but knew what to expect and was prepared (had made a list of the schools that she wanted to see, ahead of time, as the more popular schools attract long lines). Remember to bring the sketchbook.

A really good site to read is:
www.wetcanvas.com
click on forums, then "studentsdorm"
This forum is full of discussions about art departments in LAC's and art schools. The emphasis is more on fine arts as opposed to design (industrial, fashion etc).

PS Southern Texas Schools
Even though I live in NW Houston, I don't really have any personal experience with colleges. Although I have heard the same things about SMU that the others mentioned (rich, fashionable, frat/sorority students!). SMU is expensive, my nephew was accepted, this past fall, but declined as even though he was offered a scholarship, it did not make much of a dent in the tuition costs. Oddly, I have never heard about Southwestern except having read about it in books. I remember reading that they have a summer symposium for professors from Ivy-League schools.

Also, my daughter did a Landmark Volunteer program one summer. Her roommate was from California and wanted to go to a southern school. She's currently a freshman at Vanderbilt and apparently loves it (I was impressed that she has kept in touch with my D after starting college, by snail mail!).

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 02:47 pm: Edit

Mauretania - Thank you so much for your comments. The art department at my D's high school is probably the school's biggest weakness so I appreciate your suggestions in particular.

By Aparent4 (Aparent4) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 03:45 pm: Edit

Mauretania brought up something that is super important: the work in the portfolio is supposed to be from life, not from photographs. This is a point S's art teacher emphasized again and again. Art people can recognize a mile away (well, almost) whether something was done from life or from a picture.

A school such as Lizschup describes is Washington University (St. Louis). A young artist friend attends and finds the program amazing. It offers fine art but also many other things.

By Mistrale (Mistrale) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 11:39 pm: Edit

Mauretania and Aparent -- I hope that it's at least okay to use a photo to aid in drawing the self-portrait? Otherwise, drawing from a mirror could drive the artist nuts. (Is that what Van Gogh did?) Also, how about drawings that emerge entirely from the imagination of the artist. Any place for these?

By Over30 (Over30) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 12:08 am: Edit

Carolyn, I got my laugh for the day when you, the resident college guru, asked a question about colleges. I looked twice to make sure the question was really from you. You always have such in-depth and wide ranging knowledge about different colleges and always give such great advice. I suspect a lot of students (and families) chose college lists based on your advice. Thanks for all your information. That said, unfortunately I know nothing about art. In fact, I don't know why I even read this thread.

By Mauretania (Mauretania) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 10:25 am: Edit

Mistrale
Apparently it's not okay to use a photograph. My daughter used the bathroom mirror. I have no idea what Van Gogh did, but I'm rather art-illiterate I would assume drawings from the imagination would be fine, as well. Drawing from a photograph is frowned upon due to it being one dimension? I *do* know how to pronounce "Van Gogh" properly, though

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 12:14 pm: Edit

Over30 - how do you think I've gotten a lot of my information? By asking questions...

My daughter has always talked about art as a minor, not a major. It's an entirely different world of colleges when you start looking at art programs. I think she never realized until this year that there are JOBS if you get trained in something like graphic arts or animation --- and now she's starting to think that maybe she can make a living out of something related to art.

By Chinaman (Chinaman) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 12:22 pm: Edit

Since ARt is not my forte, I am asking some q? I can rad a peom and it may be moving or listen a music, it may be very soothing.

What makes a are project look excellent? I guess I am not an art lover. So when I visit a musueam I look a pice I can not say I like one over other? My question is what factors makes an artpiece look great?

By Sac (Sac) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 12:34 pm: Edit

Carolyn,
I'm sure you and your daughter will investigate the different programs. Of course, the first decision is art school versus university or LAC. Some universities and LACs have serious art programs, while others simply have courses. Then, some art departments are more technique oriented while others are more theoretical. But, if your daughter is already thinking about something like graphic arts or animation, that is likely to be found within design, not art. At UCLA, for example, these two separate departments are very separate and it is difficult to take classes if you are not in the department (that's how they keep their classes so small). Design departments will be very computer oriented. You must apply directly to the department, so she would need to look at the portfolio requirements for design which might be different than for art.
If you are looking beyond art schools, Carnegie Mellon is a college I've heard mentioned in this regard.

By Marite (Marite) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 12:48 pm: Edit

Carolyn:

Some time ago (may be 15 years?) a young man who was good at graphic arts chose to attend Syracuse because of its program. I remember you have some ties with Syracuse. It might be worth looking into it.

SAC is right. Fine arts and graphic arts are in separate departments, and sometimes schools.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 12:55 pm: Edit

Sac, I do appreciate your thoughts and comments. Actually, what you've said elsewhere about your daughter's experiences at UCLA has been most helpful. It's interesting because just looking at what's available at most of the smaller LAC's she's expressed an interest in, it's clear that she's going to have to look at slightly larger schools if she wants much choice in terms of career-related courses or even concentrations. If you get a chance, would you ask your daughter if she has any suggestions for smaller schools (well smaller than UCLA and USC) in Calif. that might fit the bill? Loyola Marymount's programs look good and it's big enough to allow for a variety of concentration options within the BFA.

Marite - Syracuse does have an excellent art school. I have some personal friends who graduated from there and also took a few classes myself as an undergrad at Syracuse. It might be a bit large (and far away) for my daughter but you never know.

By Sac (Sac) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 02:12 pm: Edit

Carolyn,

My daughter never looked at anything other than a UC. One application, five boxes. I do know that Mills College in Oakland has some reputation in art and offers some practical as well as fine arts classes. I don't know whether your daughter would consider a women's college, but I think students can take some classes at UC Berkeley as well. It's a pleasant campus and I've heard they give good financial aid. A friend of my daughter's transferred there from UCLA's art department and another of her friends transferred there from RISD.

CCAC doesn't fit your bill of an LAC, but it's a good art school and expanding into San Francisco from Oakland. I'm sorry I don't know about art at some of the So. Cal. schools, but it occurs to me that somewhere within the Claremont consortium there might be a decent pooling of facilities and faculties. In the UC system, UCSC has some wonderful art facilties. I don't know what they offer in terms of graphic arts, but because of the college system there it doesn't feel quite as big as UCLA. I know someone who is a graphic artist and animator who graduated in art from UCSB. He got his start on summer jobs through his professors, though I think he ended up somewhat ambivalent about his college experience and might have preferred a smaller school.

As you might have gleaned from my other posts, my daughter is only now thinking about the transition from fine arts to something more practical. She's taking several evening classes at community college, learning computer skills she'll need for any type of design she goes into, and adding to her portfolio. What she's discovering looking at MFA programs, is that most of what she wants in design is not offered at the MFA level but at the BFA level -- there's not much overlap between undergraduate art classes and undergraduate design classes. She doesn't want to get another bachelors, and so hopes to accumulate enough courses or skills in other ways to head into an MFA in some sort of design or illustration. Still, I don't think she would have traded what she got out of her college experience for a more direct route to a livelihood. The liberal arts classes, the year abroad, the full time job after graduation -- it's all good growing up time.

By Angstridden (Angstridden) on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 03:41 pm: Edit

My daughter does not plan to major in Art..though possible minor in it..but because she has strong skills and won an honorable mention in it from the State we decided to include info in college apps that allowed for it.
She and her art teacher took photographs of a variety of her art pieces. They took them on a bright day using a black background.
They selected which pieces together. We tried to get a good visual representation of her body of work. Then I took the film (you must use special slide film available at drug stores) to a very good photographer to develop.
There I purchased slide holders.
Once the slides were developed we arranged the photos in the slide holders to make a nice arrangement. Each slide holder holds so many slides and we filled it by about 1/2
Then she typed up her name and social security on computer and put that in one of the slide holders..
We submitted it along with her applications to the schools that were open to it.
Some schools just dont want it.

By Sac (Sac) on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 04:06 pm: Edit

You remind me that, though we took the photos ourselves (outside, against a sheet pinned up on the garage door), we had asked an artist/photographer for advice. She had told us where to take the slides to be processed, a specific local photo shop that does very high quality work. I think she might have also told us what to ask of them in the processing, though I've forgotten that last part.

By Angstridden (Angstridden) on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 04:24 pm: Edit

Right d. art teacher recommended we get slides processed at a professional photo studio. To ensure they a. did not get lost and b. we got the best quality.
The results were excellent. We also ordered the copies upfront. The slide holders were sold by the shop. It was not that expensive. We got extras in case we wanted to include one in a scholarship packet.
Several schools admitted they did NOT want slides nor would they look at them..so we have a few left over should she want them down the road.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 07:06 pm: Edit

http://www.npda.org/
I think they have already held them for this coming year applicants but still can be helpful
My daughter participated when she thought she wanted to attend emily carr design school

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 08:59 pm: Edit

sorry I have a little screen I didnt read up

By Robart (Robart) on Friday, February 20, 2004 - 09:23 pm: Edit

Fashion Institute of Technology(NYC) has an excellent "Summerlive" program for highschoolers-lots of art classes taught by professionals as well as dorm space. Send your kid there for 3 weeks in July.

By Mackinaw (Mackinaw) on Friday, February 20, 2004 - 10:12 pm: Edit

Regarding summer precollege art programs -- excellent ones at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art), CMU (Carnegie Mellon), and School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My daughter attended the last of those. She also attended (and graduated from) RISD.

There's a lot of good advice offered above. Just one comment to add about portfolios. When the art programs suggest drawings "from life," they don't just mean "from life as opposed to from photos," but they also mean "from life as opposed to from the imagination." None of the work should be from photos. Most of the submitted work should also be "from life" in the second sense. Also generally speaking portfolios should be diverse, showing different media if possible but the most important thing is that they show your strongest work which generally speaking is your later work. If a student does a lot of work, this will generally be materials produced in last part of junior year or early senior year.

However, the suggestion of keeping sketchbooks is also very good. Some items in the submitted portfolio can also be from the sketchbook. (My daughter did this.)

Finally, they don't necessarily expect to see sophisticated work but they do want to see the applicant's basic ability. Figure drawing is a big plus. A self portrait or two is really valuable. (My daughter submitted two of them, one from her sketchbook, and another an oil pastel.)

Portfolio Days can be very helpful ways to get advice. They're constructive, not competitive. Check both http://www.npda.org and http://www.aicad.org.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Saturday, February 21, 2004 - 06:14 pm: Edit

Mackinaw, Thank you for your input. What did your daughter concentrate on at RISD? And what is she doing now?

By Mackinaw (Mackinaw) on Saturday, February 21, 2004 - 06:49 pm: Edit

My daughter majored in industrial design. She is now working (interning) in New York.

By Vfg (Vfg) on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 05:43 pm: Edit

Hello,

I graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Got a BFA.

One thing to consider is that different art schools have different overall emphasis, and weaker and stronger depts.

SAIC: strong emphasis on art theory and critical theory. Strong sound dept(though very small, hard to get into the classes) and strong photo, film/video depts (even if they are underfunded). Good design dept. too. I also took some
painting and printmaking. Wasn't as impressed with those.
If you want to pursue a fine arts career, it's a great place in a bustling city. You can take classes in any dept. You don't even need a car here. It's also attached to a world class museum.
But enough of the PR: if you want a job quickly after graduation, your best chances are with the design dept. Or even better: not in the arts.

Cal Arts in Valencia, CA:
Also a strong theory school. Bigger film and animation dept (from its Disney past) The sound dept. seems more of a music dept (but that's just from browsing the catalog). A lot of people I know go to SAIC for a BFA, then Calarts for an MFA. I think it has better funding than SAIC and it's even more expensive. It's in a suburb of LA, so you'll need a car.

Art Center School of Design in Pasadena, CA:
the art school you go to if you want a job in design or industrial design. A lot of corporate ties, with parts of the school funded by mercedes, mattel, samsung, etc. Smaller beautiful campus. Very expensive.

RISD:
Stronger emphasis on design. Don't know all that much about it now. All four of the above schools are prestigious, with all kinds of well-known artists teaching. Accordingly, they are all pricey, but most kids get loans, grants and scholarships.

UCLA:
Strong painting dept with famous faculty.
Big commercial film school, but I've also been told that undergrads don't touch any film equipment at all! That sounds a little crazy.

Yale:
I've heard they have strong photo and painting dept, but more conservative overall. Not cheap.

Otis in LA:
More into design and toy design. Not as strong in theory. Not a lot of MFA options. Ties to commercial enterprises, so better chance of jobs.

Cooper Union: free tuition, very hard to get into.
Also in NYC which is $$.

Most art school curriculums require very determined students, or the student won't get much from it ( though they still have to pay the tuition). Is your kid the kind that's always reading, drawing, taking photos, checking out huge stacks of art books, or compulsivelly making short videos and sound experiments with their friends? They'll do well in art school.
If your son/daughter isn't totally sure about gowing into the arts or isn't showing that much commitment..maybe they could go to community college for a semester or two, join the local art museum to study in their library and view the art materials free, get an entry level art-related job (like a photo printing place or museum art shop) and transfer to an art school later. Make sure classes are transferable of course! It'll save a lot of money a lot of art school kids are transfer students.

Good luck!
I love what I got from my education. I'm thinking of getting an MFA from UCLA
or Calarts in a few years.
About work: right now i'm interning in an audio
post-production place. I also show art in major cities and several countries regularly. Though hardly any money from the arts yet.
One last thing: as an artist, make friends with a lot of artists. That's how you get to show art work. Contact other artists. Go to screenings, art shows, etc.