u1004425@warwick.net on mon 15 sep 97
Hi everyone!
I'm hoping that someone, probably many of you, will be able to help me
with a request that a student has made of me. This young woman is in her
senior year of high school, has wanted to be a potter since age 3,
finally took her first wheel throwing class with me in my private studio
last year. Now, in order to gradute high school, it's time for her to put
together a portfolio, do something called independent study, and then use
this portfolio to apply to art schools, maybe even Alfred, she hopes.
She and her family distrust the advice offered to her from her high
school, which amounted to taking a camera, shooting some slides of
uncentered work, and be done with it.
Would any of you please share with me advice about applying to a
college properly? Do any of you know what independent study is supposed
to accomplish? What do colleges want to see in a portfolio, or in any
type of submission? Is it too presumptuous of me to call the admissions
office, and request this info, on behalf of this student?
I thank you in advance, and hope that my fear of institutions isn't
showing too much!
Thanks again,
Marilyn Dale
Dannon Rhudy on tue 16 sep 97
Marilyn,
She should call or write every school that she is interested
in, and ask for a catlog and entrance requirements. After she
has looked at some of the information, and narrowed down her
preferences, she can research the schools more closely. She
should choose a place that teaches and supports her
area of interest (so that she does not end up in a situation
that discourages her). Schools ALWAYS are interested in students
who have some passion for what they do. To find them is not
common, especially fresh from high school. So she is already
a step ahead, as it were.
At the undergraduate level, schools are relatively easy to get
into, even the ones that have limited openings. Even Alfred
recruits students.
Whenever possible, she should visit the actual school, talk
with potential instructors, look at facilities. Do it early
enough to give herself time to consider, think it over.
She does need some decent slides, but they do not have to be
professional quality. They just need to show the work clearly,
against a neutral background. This can be done pretty easily with
a 35 mm. camera, some slide film, and an overcast day. If you
help her or advise her: center the work in the frame, and FILL UP
THE FRAME; otherwise, work is diminished. Do several slides of
each work, in case she mails the slides off. Cheaper than having
duplicates made, and faster. For background, a piece of neutral
gray melamine or large neutral paper, curved across a table top
up on to the wall. If only the work and the background show,
the work will get the attention. Try not to do shots which
include clutter of any kind - look in the magazines to see what
has been done. It is not necessary in this case to have the
graduated dark-to-light background of many professional slides.
If photographed outside, and overcast day is ideal (no harsh
shadows). If indoors, get the right film for the light being
used (ask at the photography store).
She should be not in the least intimidated - they want her as
much as she wants them. But she should start now, because
catalogs and applications and stuff take a lot of time.
Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com
Marilyn Dale
Buck and Laurita on tue 16 sep 97
u1004425@warwick.net wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi everyone!
> I'm hoping that someone, probably many of you, will be able to help me
> with a request that a student has made of me. This young woman is in her
> senior year of high school, has wanted to be a potter since age 3,
> finally took her first wheel throwing class with me in my private studio
> last year. Now, in order to gradute high school, it's time for her to put
> together a portfolio, do something called independent study, and then use
> this portfolio to apply to art schools, maybe even Alfred, she hopes.
> She and her family distrust the advice offered to her from her high
> school, which amounted to taking a camera, shooting some slides of
> uncentered work, and be done with it.
>
> Would any of you please share with me advice about applying to a
> college properly? Do any of you know what independent study is supposed
> to accomplish? What do colleges want to see in a portfolio, or in any
> type of submission? Is it too presumptuous of me to call the admissions
> office, and request this info, on behalf of this student?
> I thank you in advance, and hope that my fear of institutions isn't
> showing too much!
> Thanks again,
> Marilyn Dale
Hi Marilyn - I'm a painter lurking about the clayart group because I
learn so much and because I decorate tiles and want to do more with them
(like MAKE them!) One of my helpers has just started in the interior
design dept. at Mt. Vernon college - good place to go if you want a
design degree - she had finished a 2-year art school and had decided
from on the job observation that design is for her. My husband and I
called the school for info., went down with her for her initial
interview, helped her find her way through Washington D.C., and did
whatever else we could to get her into school and settled. We thought
about the presumptuousness issue - then realized that we were using what
we know that she didn't know and her parents didn't know to help
encourage talent, which is precious. Hope I'm not being presumptuous in
thinking this experience is applicable! Think of it as
cross-pollination.
Laura Chandler
Laura Chandler Decorative Painting
laurachn@erols.com
millie carpenter on wed 17 sep 97
Marilyn,
when you write for the catalogs as Dannon suggested, also ask if the
school will be at an open portfolio day. I don't know where you are,
but almost all the school go all over the country to hold these things.
when my daughter did this we were able to go to the ones at both the
Corcoran and Maryland Institute, College of Art, as they were held on
Sat. at MICA and Sun. at Corcoran. the Kids came with everything from
really organized portfolios to open boxes of papers and things. all the
schools were very approachable.
the thing that really really was interesting was that the people who
were looking at the portfolios were giving the kids really good feed
back as to telling them what to do to improve their porfolios prior to
sending the slides or going to the school for a formal interview. also
some of the kids (mine was one) were given provisional acceptance by the
schools on the spot. the people doing the reviews were the admissions
people and alumnni and they were able to tell the kids a lot about the
schools that you don't always get from the catalog.
good luck!
millie
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