Carnegie Mellon portfolio review

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

<p>I'm going to Carnegie Mellon this sunday for an on-campus portfolio review for its School of Design. I found some information about it from this site but it was posted four years ago, probably when they didn't accept digital portfolios brought on your own laptop. It involved putting work on the floor, which can't exactly be done on a computer, so I think it's changed by now.</p>

<p>I've never been to any portfolio reviews of any sort so just wanted to find out what it's like. What do they ask and how long do you get to talk? Where/how do you show them your work?</p>

2

<p>Well, I don’t know much about Carnegie Mellon, but I have been to Portfolio Reviews a couple of times. Here is the knowledge I have gained from experience:</p>

<p>Your Work:</p>

<p>Whenever I have gone to a review, I always brought my original pieces. I have never seen a college specifically ask to see the work on a computer or with prints. With that in mind, It’s important that you have something easy to carry all of your work around in. The big portfolios you can buy for crazy money are nice, but I, being an art student, decided to duct tape two large pieces of cardboard together and save some gas money. I like to organize my portfolio with a “wow” piece in front, then order them from weakest to strongest after that. This takes care of your physical portfolio.</p>

<p>What you say:</p>

<p>When you open up your portfolio, you should initialize the conversation. This lets the reviewer know that you have meaning behind your pieces and he/she will want to know that! Tell him/her the title, what medium you used, why you used what you used, and the overall goal of the piece. Remember, if the reviewer is just flipping through your pieces, it’s your responsibility to slow them down and show them your ideas. DON’T be rude or aggressive, just make it clear that you want to discuss your work. </p>

<p>What the reviewer says:</p>

<p>Be ready for some great reviews and some discouraging ones. I have had a college rep flip through all of my pieces, close up my portfolio, and say “this isn’t the kind of work we are looking for, Next!” Then, the next reviewer I went to accepted my portfolio on the spot. You never know what they will say is my point, and you can’t take what they say to heart. They are there to give you advice and critique, not fill your head with confidence if you don’t deserve it. Also, maybe bring a pad and paper to write notes down, this shows that you value what they are saying.</p>

<p>Overall, just remember to go into the review with an open mind and take a few deep breaths. Whether the review is awesome or horrible, it will be a learning experience and something that will only improve your view on art. PM me with any questions. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Petaweda, that was really helpful! Thanks so much!</p>

<p>But they do say on their website that large works that can’t be carried can be shown on a laptop that you bring, as well as any digital pieces. I have a lot of digital photographs and a few websites I designed that I’d like to show them. Also, I read before that you leave your art on 3’x3’ squares on the floor for the reviewers the look at while you go on a tour of the facilities, then come back for a 10 minute interview. With digital, I don’t know if they still make you put everything on the floor, and 10 minutes seems like a really short time to talk about my art. Just wanted to find out some details if anyone knows.</p>

4

<p>I hope this isn’t too late for OP to see. My S did his review last year at CMU and yep…they did lay everything on the floor in a top room in the beautiful old fine arts building. He had a computer with some of his other pieces digital and all of his animation. Some kids only brought photos and/or a computer but most had at least some pieces with them.</p>

<p>In my son’s case they started with the art on the floor and then looked at the animation…which was his strong suit and basically said, the digital and animation would have been sufficient but nevertheless, they looked at both and he had really positive responses but also lots of questions about what he was disappointed in and why, what he thought was successful and why, etc…they want to see if you have reflected on your own work…sometimes they asked if he was inspired by any particular artist, etc. CMU was nice because the students could also see each other’s work and interact. Best of luck. Make sure you get a tour of the campus as well as the art facilities.</p>