Folio presentation
The first rule of preparing your portfolio is not to get bogged down with what we will expect. Remember it is a documentation of your current Art Practice.
We do however want to know about two kinds of skills: your technical abilities and your ability to develop ideas and to plan and work towards finished artworks.
If you are or have recently been at secondary school you will certainly have developmental drawings and workbook drawings that show how you arrived at a finished work. Your folio may be impossible to photograph in detail but a single image of it will tell us something about how you organised it so it is worth including a photograph of it.
The first step is to clear a large space and get out all your artwork, including finished work, previous folios, works-in-progress, sketches and rough drafts.
Start by putting them into three piles:
- Things you love and are proud of and definitely want to include.
Stuff that you consider OK. This pile should also include older works - as we grow so our styles develop, things you did 10 years ago may be irrelevant to your current art practice but may be part of your development as an artist.
Hideously embarrassing things that you wouldn't even show your family and friends.
Discard pile 3 from the equation. - Consider how many works are in the first pile - you are aiming for between 12 and 18 works. Add the best from pile 2 until you reach the right number, remembering that they do not all have to be finished works - you may select works-in-progress that you know show your potential. If you work in 3D, i.e. sculpture, ceramics, jewellery etc, you can have a number of images taken from different angles. However the more individual works you include can show the diversity of your abilities, although 18 works showing different paintings of spoons for example can become tedious - be ruthless = select only the best....!
- Take images of your chosen works. This is good practice as so many works can be borrowed by friends, given away at Christmas or sold and as an Artist you need to start documenting your works - now!. We recommend photographs but colour photocopies are acceptable, just remember that the quality of the reproduction can affect the impact they have on the viewer. CD Roms are also acceptable and in this digital age are an easy option - make sure that both the CD and jewel case are clearly labelled with your name and address.
When you have the copies processed put them in a clearly labelled A4 Clear File. It is a good idea to mount the photographs onto paper writing the title, medium, size and year of production underneath.
Preparing your portfolio should be a fun experience - there is no correct formula for producing the 'perfect' folio. If in doubt ask... if you are still in school ask your teacher, if in Dunedin come and see us or alternatively contact us and we may be able to recommend someone in your area to help you. Seeking advice is all very well but it is important that you be the final judge of what work you want to represent you.
For assistance in preparing your portfolio see our Tertiary Portfolio Submission information.
Together with the Portfolio you need to complete the Otago Polytechnic Application Form and the School of Art Questionnaire.
Applications are now open for the Bachelor of Visual Arts Programme.