As an applicant to The University of the Arts College of Art and Design, you are required to submit a portfolio of original artwork. We look for individuals who are highly motivated and who provide evidence of visual experiences that demonstrate the ability to succeed in a highly competetive visual arts program. The portfolio you present will vary based on your own experiences, interests, education, and training. You may submit a broad-based portfolio containing examples of work from a variety of media or a more focused portfolio.

Creating your Portfolio

An artist’s portfolio is like an actor’s audition - a way to present your talents, express your individuality and tell us something about your formative creative visual experiences. Ideally, we would like to see recent, original work that demonstrates your strengths and experience in the visual arts. The selection of pieces in your portfolio will tell us a great deal about you. Choose thoughtfully and carefully those pieces you think best demonstrate your talent and potential for further development in the art and design professions.

Just as all talents are different, so are the backgrounds of all students. The Admission Committee keeps this in mind when reviewing your work; we know that applicants’ portfolios may reflect a wide range of experience.

If you’ve been enrolled in a school with an extensive art program, your portfolio will be very different from that of someone whose school did not focus on the visual arts. If your experience has been in photography and film, you may not have developed the same skills as a student who has concentrated on drawing and design. While there are no “right” or “wrong” pieces to include in your portfolio, there are certain elements we need to see in order to evaluate you.

The Freshman Portfolio

Among freshman applicants we look for evidence of your ability to successfully undertake the first-year studies in the Foundation Program. The pieces you present in your portfolio are evaluated on the breadth and depth of the work presented, as well as an objective rating of your abilities in the following areas: Color sense, composition, spatial and structural concepts, working from observation, experimentation, craftsmanship, presentation, and creativity.

The Transfer Portfolio

If you seek admission to The College of Art and Design at an advanced level, above that of a transfer freshman, the faculty of the major department to which you apply will evaluate your portfolio. We assume that students seeking advanced standing within a major department have completed preparatory studies at the college level similar in content to The University of the Arts’ Foundation Program. Your portfolio should include work from these courses in addition to work directly related to your intended major and give evidence of your readiness to engage in advanced level studio.

Presentation Options

All portfolios must consist of 15-20 pieces of recent, original work. All portfolios must include more than one medium for admission evaluation – we recommend a minimum of three.

Two-dimensional work examples:

• Drawings: charcoal, collage, ink, pastel, pencil, watercolor, sketch books, storyboards
• Paintings: acrylic, or oil
• Prints: etching, digital, lithography, monotypes, relief and silkscreen
• Photography: black and white, color, digital
• Graphic Design: abstract forms, advertisements, posters, typography, web site graphics

Three-dimensional work examples:

• Sculpture: metal, plaster, stone, wood
• Crafts: Ceramics - expressive objects, pottery, vessels; Fibers - textile design, wearable art, weaving; Jewelry - metals; Wood - furniture; Glass - functional ware, stained glass, abstract objects
• Industrial Design: product design, exhibition design
• Extended Media: architectural models, claymation, mixed media, model construction, set design

Time-Based Media work examples:

• Animation Production: individual and/or collaborative productions
• Film Production: individual and/or collaborative productions, film editing
• Video Production: individual and/or collaborative productions, real-time production, digital video editing
• The portfolio submission may include: VHS, DVD, or streaming video
• Include a short description with your animation or film/video submission indicating your role in the production, whether it was created as part of a school organization-based project, or done entirely on your own

Interactive Media work examples:

• Web Site Authoring: webmaster experience, site design, site graphics
• Flash or Director Animations or Interactive Productions
• Interactive CD-ROM or DVD

Work combining more than one art form:

• Book Arts, Graphic Novels, or Magazine Publishing: combining image and text
• Performance Art: incorporating elements such as objects, movement, sound and text
• Installation: site specific objects in the environment

Methods of Presentation:

• On-Campus Review
  You should contact the receptionist in the Office of Admission at 800.616.2787 ext 6049 or 215.717.6049 to arrange an appointment for your portfolio review. A review can only be scheduled after the Office of Admission has received your application. If you are a transfer applicant, we will contact you to schedule a portfolio review after we have received all transcripts and a list of course work in progress.
  
• Electronic/Digital Submissions
  You may submit your work on CD-ROM or USB flash drive. Images submitted for review must be either .JPG or .GIF file formats. You must provide documentation with your files including a description indicating the concept, project or problem involved. You should also indicate if the project is Macintosh or PC based. The submission must be selfcontained and not require special software to be viewed; for example, a Director piece should be a “projector” and not the original file. The documentation can either be printed, or included as a Microsoft Word file, or Text file on your disk or CD. Please do not assume that our offices can launch your digital project. Any interactive pieces should have an embedded or runtime program included with your files.
  
• Online/Internet Submissions
  Freshman and transfer applicants may submit their portfolio on-line via www.highschoolportfolios.com or www.deviantart.com. Complete instructions are available through the websites. Please notify the Office of Admissions when your portfolio is available for viewing.
  
• Films/Videos/Animations
  Work may be submitted on VHS format videotape, or DVD. Videos or DVDs submitted must be in NTSC format. Both films and videos must be no more than 5 minutes total running time. Your submission must be clearly labeled with your name, social security number, and running time. Include a short description of your role in the production and how you feel it expresses your abilities. If you have a script or storyboard that you followed in making the film/video/animation, please include it.
  
• 35mm Slides
  Slides must be clearly labeled with one piece of work per slide. Print your name and social security number on each slide and place a dot in the lower left hand corner to ensure correct orientation. It is important that you number each slide and include a separate list of descriptions. Indicate size, medium used and briefly explain the concept, project or problem involved. Slides must be presented in an 8 1/2” x 11” clear plastic slide file sheet.

Presenting Your Portfolio

While the presentation of your portfolio needn’t be elaborate, it should demonstrate the respect you have for your work. If you show us your portfolio in person, you should be able to talk about it—what each project involved, how you made design decisions, what you learned from the experience and how you feel about the finished piece.

It is not necessary for you to mount or mat your work as long as it is presented as a neat and coherent body of work. Group the pieces in a specific order, such as by medium, by size, by date completed, or by subject matter. Both you and your interviewer will then have an easier time grasping the full import of what you show. Work done in charcoal, chalk or pastels should be sprayed with fixative and covered with a clean sheet of paper to protect it.