Most seniors are stressed about applying to college. So many parts exists to applying such as filling out the common app, filling out Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and college essay; However, art students may have even more stress.
People who apply to art schools need to create a portfolio, an edited collection of the artist’s best artwork. This portfolio could make or break whether the artist get into that particular college of their choice. Because artists pour their hearts into their pieces it could be devastating if a college does not like your portfolio. When your portfolio gets rejected, that means they are saying your personal style of art, that you have been developing for 2-4 years, is not good enough.
Since I am a prospective photo student, I understand this pressure. What really helped me out was going to National Portfolio Days. The National Portfolio Day Association puts together numerous events around the country and Canada during the fall months where a plethora of art colleges meet and perspective art students come together to get their portfolios reviewed and to collect brochures and pamphlets from different schools. All events are free and all you have to do is register online. I have been going there since I was a freshman (I am now a senior) and I have learned so much.
At the portfolio critiques, I learned that some of the pieces that I thought were golden should be buried six feet under. Since I have been to five reviews already, have been taking photo at Woodland for all my years in high school, and I have taken summer photo classes at Fashion Institute of Technology for four summers, I now feel I know what these colleges are looking for and it calmed my nerves.
A portfolio should be seen as one piece of artwork made out of multiple pieces and multiple medias.
“ A portfolio is like a child,” says Woodland Senior, Ana Mulinski. She has been developing her “serious” portfolio for about 3 year, but she always keeps her work no matter what. A portfolio is just not something you could make overnight.
For Ana it is all about how the portfolio is arranged. She looks at the composition, the quality of the pieces, and the color. She leaves her best pieces for last and as she is putting them in order, she keeps the composition in mind. She will place them in a specific order depending on the leading lines of the piece. If the piece leads your eye to the right then she prefers those pieces to be towards the front and vise versa.
The classes and the teachers at Woodland are great tools to use. Woodland Alum, Lauren Lombardo took full advantage of everything the school offered. She is currently a graphic design major at the University of Hartford. The University of Hartford has a well known fine arts program and they will be hosting a portfolio day on October 21st where they will also be offering campus tours. Throughout her high school career, Lombardo had been taking art classes, but she did not realize till the end of her junior year that she wanted to go into the arts as a career. Because she had been taking art class at Woodland for four years, she wasn’t in any rush when it came to building her portfolio because she had many pieces with different medias. Also, all of the teachers were willing to help her with her portfolio.
Even though most art students are developing their portfolios specifically for college, this is not the only time you will need one. For example, Woodland Alum and UConn graduate, Taylor Byrnes needed a portfolio when applying to different schools to become a high school photo teacher. Even though her current portfolio is not exactly the same as her high school portfolio, it still consists of some of the same pieces. She made sure her portfolio showed her voice and that her pieces have an artistic intention. She showcased a wide range of media to show off her plethora of skills. Since she was a photo major and a minor in sculpture, her portfolio mainly consists of those two medias, but drawing from observation is important to most colleges.
When it comes down to it, there are many people and events that could help you build the right portfolio that represents your best work and your skill level. The Woodland Fine Arts department is hosting an after school event on October 12th where a few fine arts colleges come together and the students are able to ask them questions. It may be rough when someone does not like a piece because your portfolio feels like another appendage, but remember they are saying this to help build your work and to help you reach your potential.
