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adventures behind every easel!
an easy "a"… no longer!
An intense prep-course for serious junior and senior high school students
- skills reinforcement, portfolio preparation, scholarship applications.
Not all schools are blessed with AP art classes and regular classes are dominated with students still thinking an easy “A” will appear on their report card. Art teachers, must be overwhelmed – 25 kids, and 4 are serious – it is impossible to focus their attention on students who need to obtain the portfolio required by top schools.
Colleges of art, be it graphic or fine, have become very expensive and extremely selective in the students they admit. Admissions committees like to see an understanding of historical art, knowledge including a wide range of materials, and work that reflects basic skills. Working from observation both in still life and figure studies is a major plus. This also applies to the graphic students, giving them the ability to think creatively but also critically – their composition on a computer is improved greatly.
In an article appearing in the “Record” by Liam Otten, she addresses this challenge for top high school students:
“These kids are so intrigued and have such enthusiasm, but a lot of them would be at a disadvantage applying to art school… They don't have portfolios, they don't have a lot of strong sample projects, they don't really have a sense of what it would take to do this as a living…we want them to get to the point where art school seems like a real possibility…”
An excerpt from “ON EDUCATION; College Admissions, A Study in Fine Arts” by Michael Winerip who focuses on students from upscale neighborhoods where there is a full curriculum of AP classes, yet students still are tutored to help their chances with the top art schools:
College bound Kristin C, is taking privates to really polish her work–as Kristin learned on a recent early portfolio review, schools require certain types of subject matter and media for the different majors in the art field. Few would realize that a portfolio for teens interested in animation should have a number of still life drawings and paintings. Why? They can really see if you know how to draw!
“The one hope…the one chance at salvation when you’re in a top suburban district with so many bright and hard-working students, is to have one thing that will help you stand out among all those deciles of A’s…I’m hoping for my painting to make me stand out…everybody has to have their little something to stand out, which is hard around here, everyone has their little something.”
I have had the great opportunity to help a student get into the school she wanted, plus receiving a 30,000.00 scholarship... her portfolio stood out!
© 2010, East Side Center for the Arts, All Rights Reserved