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A portfolio of artwork is required for admission to the BFA program. The purpose of the portfolio is to help the Committee on Admissions understand an applicant’s artistic potential. Therefore, portfolios are not always evaluated merely on the basis of demonstrated skill. Students who have had significant access to studio art instruction are expected to show greater skill than those whose exposure to art training has been relatively modest.

Portfolios should show the applicant’s current level of ability in such areas as drawing, composition, design, and the manipulation of media. Of at least equal importance, a portfolio should demonstrate personal initiative, creative imagination, and artistic interests. Applicants with questions about requirements are encouraged to contact the Admissions staff for counseling on the preparation of their portfolio.

All applicants must submit a hard copy of their portfolio. Students who live less than 200 miles from Washington are also asked to attend a portfolio review in person. Be ready to discuss your works and processes at an interview. Mailed portfolios (from applicants who live more than 200 miles from Washington), may be presented in standard 35 mm slide format or digitally.

DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
Digital files may be submitted on a CD or DVD. Please do not submit the portfolio as an e-mail attachment or as a PowerPoint or digital slide show.

Acceptable file formats (with pixel dimensions of 800 x 600 or smaller) are:

TIFF and JPEG (high quality)

Video clips may be in QuickTime format or on a DVD.

Each CD/DVD must have the applicant’s name and address printed on it. DO NOT SEND YOUR ONLY COPY. Please check your disk to see that the files are readable before submitting.

A mailed digital portfolio must be accompanied by a written inventory list detailing the names of the files on the disk. For each piece, please give the title, describe the file type (for example .jpg, .html, etc.), indicate if the files were generated using a MAC or PC, and list the medium used, dimensions, and date created.

Example: PatMcArtschool.jpg, MAC, “Self Portrait in Pink.” mixed media 24” x 36” May 2010

35 mm SLIDE PORTFOLIO
Please be aware that our office will convert 35 mm slides into digital images before they are viewed by our Admissions committee. We strongly recommend students submit a digital portfolio. However, at this time, we are still accepting 35 mm slides.

35 mm SLIDE FORMATTING
Label the front of each slide with your name and the artwork’s media and size, and number each slide to correspond with an inventory list included with your portfolio. In the right-hand corner of the slide, indicate the top of the piece with a small arrow. Write directly on the slide—do not use labels.

Assemble the slides in order, according to the numbers assigned to each, and place in a clear vinyl slide-protector sheet. Clearly label the slide-protector sheet with your name and address.

Candidates for admission to Freshman Foundation Year: Freshman level applicants to the Foundation year must submit portfolios of 12–20 finished pieces of artwork. A variety of media is preferred. Drawing media could include pencil, ink, charcoal, or pastel. Painting media could include watercolor, acrylic, or oils. Ceramics, photography, mixed media, collage, and digital output are other possibilities. Sketchbooks may be included to help demonstrate a student’s working process and technique.

About half the portfolio (6–10 pieces) should consist of representational work done from personal observation, not from photographs, other artworks, or imagination. Examples of real-life observation subjects include still lifes, portraits and self-portraits, figure studies, landscapes, and interior studies. Where possible, these should be full-page compositions that measure at least 18" by 24". Some of the work should be in color and include a variety of objects or figures portrayed in relation to each other. In other words, not all of the representational works should be single objects centered on a page.

The balance of the portfolio may be works of the student’s choice, including other media such as sculpture, digital art, photography, design pieces, abstract representations, or creative imaginary works.

 

DIRECT-ENTRY PHOTOGRAPHY CANDIDATES
Direct-entry photography candidates are asked to submit for admission a portfolio of 15 to 20 prints in black and white, color, or both. These prints may be silver-based, commercial or digital. Students residing within 200 miles of the Corcoran are required to present a portfolio of prints in person. All students must submit a copy of their portfolio on a CD or DVD or in 35 mm slide format, to be retained by the Office of Admissions.

The print portfolio should be accompanied by:

  • A typed, double-spaced, one-page statement of the student’s interests and ambitions in photography
  • A list of works specifying title (if any), date, medium (e.g., b/w, digital), who made the print (e.g., yourself, a lab), and caption, if any, for each image
Successful portfolios will demonstrate a commitment to the photographic medium and creativity in depicting one’s subjects. This encompasses a basic mastery of camera controls and composition, evidence of imagination, and a concerted exploration of a particular photographic theme.

Advanced Standing Applicants: Candidates for admission as Advanced Standing (transfer students at the sophomore or junior level) must apply for a specific major (Digital Media Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Photography, or Photojournalism). Applicants applying to the sophomore year should present a portfolio that demonstrates a level of competence equivalent to the completion of the Foundation Year at the Corcoran. Applicants applying for admission to the junior year must demonstrate achievement equivalent to the completion of the sophomore year in the department of choice. The Committee on Admissions and the faculty of the relevant department will determine advanced standing admission and credit transfer.

Transfer applicants to the sophomore year should present a portfolio of 15 to 25 works of which at least 12 show an equivalency to the completion of the Foundation Year. These include observational drawings, design, and color work, as well as three-dimensional projects such as sculpture or ceramics.

Transfer applicants to the junior year must demonstrate competency in Foundation-level skills (design, drawing, composition, etc., as noted for sophomore applicants) and in addition, present a significant body of work within their intended major.