junior portfolio review

instructions & information

Definition of Portfolio Review (from the ASU Catalog):
All art majors are required to submit their work for a review by the studio faculty after the completion of the following courses: ART 1520, 1530, 1211, and 12 additional hours of studio art course (21 hours total). Portfolio Reviews are scheduled on the day after the last day of classes of the fall semester. The Portfolio Review must take place the academic year preceding the year of graduation. Passing the Portfolio Review is a prerequisite for ART 4998 and ART 4999 and a graduation requirement. If the Portfolio Review is not passed it must be repeated and passed during the following fall semester.

Download the required form: Portfolio Review Application

How to apply for Portfolio Review:

- Select your best work from the range of art studio courses you have taken thus far. Ideally, the faculty would like to see that you can handle a variety of media and concepts, especially drawing. The faculty would like to see at least 15 works. You are welcome to submit more. In most cases, you would be highly advised to submit more. But don't just submit hundreds of sketches without going through them first. Show us your best work and leave the rest at home. Do you need advice about which works to submit? Make an appointment with an art professor, and bring your work in. We'd be glad to help!

- Fill out this form: Portfolio Review Application

- Turn in your work and the form before the deadline. Tip: All work should be clearly identified as yours.

Drawings and other works on paper can be in a portfolio. No need to matte or frame. Please fix drawings so they don't smudge. The faculty will meet to consider all of the portfolios on Friday, December 2nd. We will not be able to tell you the results that day. You may pick up your work on the date notated on the application. (not before that hour). The Department of Art's Office will be able to tell you when results are ready.

Some commonly asked questions about Portfolio Review:

Q: I don't really want to take Portfolio Review this fall. Do I have to?
A: If you want to graduate in the spring a year from now, you have to take Portfolio Review this fall. If you are not sure when you want to graduate, and you're not sure whether you are ready for Portfolio Review, ask an art professor. We'd be glad to give you a personal consultation.

Q: I want to graduate this spring, but I haven't taken Portfolio Review yet. What can I do?
A: Sorry, you've missed the deadline. Take Portfolio Review this fall. Then you will be eligible to graduate a year from this spring.

Q: I want to graduate spring or fall of next year, but I haven't yet taken all the art courses I'm supposed to have before this December's Portfolio Review. What can I do? A: Talk to an art professor. This does happen sometimes to students who have transferred in to our program, or who are behind on taking some of their art courses. Basically, your choice is to go ahead and do Portfolio Review this fall, hoping you can pass and be allowed to take Senior Exhibition in Spring semester - or you can decide not to take Portfolio Review until next December, which will push back your graduation date by a year. But generally we advise students to go ahead and take Portfolio Review now. If you don't pass, you can go through Portfolio Review next year. If you don't pass, a negative mark does not go on your record.

Q: I'm a little freaked out. What if I don't pass?
A: Most people do pass. But why don't you go talk to an art professor about it? Perhaps he or she can help you put your worries to rest. If you don't pass, the art faculty will tell you exactly why in the special meeting you'll have after the Portfolio Review. You will be allowed to take Portfolio Review again later, in the following fall. If you still don't pass, it's time to declare another major.

If you pass "with reservations," this means that your portfolio shows some significant weaknesses. Art faculty will explain to you exactly what this means. You will still be allowed to enroll in Senior Exhibition for the following spring. However, it is possible that you could fail your Senior Review (covered as part of the Senior Exhibition course). Failing Senior Review means that you can not graduate.

Some students may "pass with reservations" and find that they have been cleared to pursue the BA degree only, not the BFA degree as they had hoped. Again, your art faculty will explain what this means. The BFA degree is a pre-professional degree with high standards here at ASU. The BA degree is a general-purpose liberal arts degree with a major in art. Both are good degrees, but each has its own focus. If you are cleared for the BA degree after Portfolio Review, but you still want to pursue the BFA, you can go through Portfolio Review again next fall - perhaps you will succeed then. Your art faculty can give you advice about this.

Please note - whether you pass or not (or if you pass "with reservations") does not appear on your transcript. But passing Portfolio Review is a pre-requisite for gaining permission to enroll in the Senior Exhibition class.

Q: I hate red tape! What's the point of Portfolio Review?
A: We hate red tape, too, so we're trying to keep this simple. Portfolio Review answers the question: "Is this student on the right track to pursue an art degree here at ASU? Or is an art degree a waste of time for this person?" We are looking for evidence that you have achieved a level of knowledge and skill in artmaking that is appropriate for the junior level. We don't want you to reach your senior year and suddenly find that you are not ready to graduate. Any good college art program has a similar review.

Q: How do I figure what work to submit?
A: Try to select your best work from the range of art studio courses you have taken thus far. Ideally, the faculty would like to see that you can handle a variety of media and concepts, especially drawing. The faculty would like to see at least 15 works. You are welcome to submit more. If you're still not sure what to submit, ask an art professor to look at your portfolio in advance. We'd be glad to help.

Q: I hate drawing, and I don't think I do it very well. Do I really have to submit drawing?
A: You really should submit some drawings. Even if drawing is not your strongest area, we can tell a lot about what you have learned in our program by looking at your drawings. Don't panic. Submit your strongest work in any area, but it's in your best interest to also submit some drawings. We have seen quite a few cases in which a student's strongest area was not drawing, but the student still passes Portfolio Review with flying colors. If you have strong worries about any aspect of Portfolio Review, see an art professor.

Q: I spend a lot of time in Sculpture and/or Ceramics, and that's where I do my best work. Do I really have to drag all that three-dimensional work up to 151 Washington Hall?
A: No. You can submit your work in the Sculpture Lab or the Ceramics Lab. Talk to Brian or Raoul about this. Turn all your work in to the same place, though - we don't want to look for your drawings in TBA and your sculpture in the Sculpture Lab. It should all be together.

Q: I'm not sure which of my work is the best. What do I do?
A: Your best bet is to show us a good-sized sampling of your stronger work in various areas, especially including drawing. Your portfolio looks better if you show us selected strong work, and not just everything you have done (i.e. not every sketch you have ever made in a drawing class). If you're still confused, see an art professor. He or she will be glad to take an advance look at your portfolio and advise you about the strongest work.

Q: What's the deal with the forms? Do I really have to turn those in? And I don't know my GPA.
A: Yes, you have to fill the forms out completely and turn them in with your work. No forms means you don't pass. The Registrar's Office and any art advisor can help you find your GPA and exactly which art courses you took and when. You must get your advisor's signature on the Application form (this means you must seek out your advisor before the last minute). The mention of a scholarship on the form is an indicator of the fact that we award a number of art scholarships on the basis of the work we see in Portfolio Review. Download the required form! Portfolio Review Application