Calling all High Artistic Schoolers!
You’re wondering what it would be like to go to an art college to major in any art-related field, or even if you don’t plan to be an art major, National Portfolio Day can help provide lots of insight into how to make the best fine art portfolio to use for scholarships, or just to make your work the best that it can be.
Courtesy of the National Portfolio Day Association
Who Should Attend?
National Portfolio Day is an event specifically for visual artists and designers. It is an opportunity for those who wish to pursue an education in the visual and related arts to meet with representatives from colleges accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
Representatives will be available to review your artwork, discuss their programs and answer questions about professional careers in art. High school students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and college transfer students are encouraged to attend. Visit with counselors, admissions team members, and faculty from art and design schools for a review of your portfolio before applying to colleges or universities.
What are the Benefits?
National Portfolio Day serves a variety of purposes. Most importantly, it is designed to help further the artistic development of young artists by bringing together experienced college representatives to review artwork and offer feedback. We understand that some people make certain kinds of art more successfully than others. Don’t be discouraged if you see work that is “better” than yours. A National Portfolio Day may be the first time you have seen so many people in one place who all share a powerful commitment to the arts. The experience is a small taste of what a professional art program can be like.
Is This a Competition?
National Portfolio Days are also about the exchange of information about your work, yourself, your college plans, and your concerns. This is not an examination or competition. The college representatives are pleased to talk about their programs with you and can be most helpful when discussing your artwork. Your portfolio should include your best and most recent work, but it can also include works in progress, sketchbooks and tear sheets. You’ll hear many different opinions of your work. Don’t hesitate to explain how you develop your ideas and where you want to go with them. No admissions decisions or scholarship awards will be offered to you at National Portfolio Day. Some colleges represented may accept your portfolio as the visual portion of your application. Other colleges have restrictions that prohibit them from making a definite portfolio decision at the time of your review. We urge you to discuss your work with as many representatives as possible.
Learn about possibilities…
Never considered majoring in art before? Even if art school for college not for you, it’s cool to have the chance to ask questions about what majors are offered at various art schools, as well as what kind of careers its graduates can look forward to.
Looking forward to hearing how it went for Art Steps teens!
Here is a link to the San Diego portfolio day: https://nationalportfolioday.org/schedule/nov-19-sandiego
Here is a link to the Los Angeles portfolio day: https://nationalportfolioday.org/schedule/nov-20-losangeles
National Portfolio Day is free for students to attend from anywhere around the world! Register now at:
https://nationalportfolioday.org/schedule?category=Undergraduate&tag=Virtual
The virtual days are October 14, 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM PST, December 4, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM PST.
This can be a life-changing experience. Looking forward to hearing how our Art Steps teens enjoy the day!
—Hilary Key is the owner and Director of Art Steps, fine art studios serving over 1000 students per week. Her team of dedicated artists and art teachers has also developed a world-class online program for ages 7 through teens. She lives in Orange County, CA with her husband, two sons, dog Bella and cat, Hazel.