Demystifying the Art portfolio
Whether you are enrolled in an AP Art Class or you want to pursue a career in art, you will be required to create an art portfolio. Unlike most liberal art applications, art schools require a student to submit a portfolio as part of their admission process to identify the skills, abilities, and potential of the applicant.
An art portfolio includes your strongest and most current work. It should show both your technical skills in a variety of media and your conceptual ideas and individual voice. Each art school has their own special requirements; it is important to do your research early and make notes on each school's guidelines for portfolio applications. Several art schools, like RISD, even require that students create a few artworks specifically for their application on top of the portfolio.
At FHS, we are committed to helping our art students, and their parents demystify the portfolio process. In addition to offering resources for documenting and digitizing work, we also offer one-on-one portfolio reviews and annual trips to National Portfolio Day in Boston. Each year we also welcome college admission representatives from top art schools to come into our classrooms and speak with our AP and Portfolio students. See the Events and Announcements link for upcoming portfolio events.
The most important thing to remember when building a portfolio is that it takes time. Don't underestimate how much time and labor is involved and assume you can do it all senior year. If you are serious about pursuing art demonstrate your willingness to commit by taking a variety of art classes both in and out of school.
