Studio Art
Art and Art History
Degree Requirements
Major Assessment
Pre-Conservation Curriculum
Senior Assessment
Annual Student Art Exhibition
Tentative Two-Year Schedule
Honors
Major Assessment
Deadline
for Portfolio: February 9 All Majors Must Submit a Portfolio by Their Junior Year
Assessment Coordinator: Professor Carole Garmon
***Portfolios Will Not Be Accepted After the Deadline***
The Major Assessment is an opportunity for Studio Art faculty to assess your progress in the program. No later than spring of your junior year , you must submit a slide portfolio quality images on a CD of your best work completed in UMW studio art classes. At the time you submit your portfolio, you must also decide upon your choice of Senior Assessment (exhibition or portfolio).
Submitting Your Portfolio
Your
portfolio should present the best examples of work done in a core area--ceramics,
painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture. It should be organized
in loose-leaf notebook or binder, with slides in a plastic sleeve. The
following items must be included:
- slides of 10-15 works total, properly numbered, labeled, and organized* or CD
- a typed slide list (in order of presentation & with label information)
- a completed Major Assessment cover sheet
If you have not completed courses in a core area by the submission date, please include examples of work done in an any Studio Art course. Studio Art faculty may choose to comment on the work, but only pieces from a core area are assessable.
*Consult with your major advisor when preparing slides (and not with the Assessment Coordinator).
Preparing Slides
How you photograph your work and present your slides can make or break your portfolio. They are the viewer's first and often only impression of your work.
Photographing
Learning how to "shoot" your work successfully is an invaluable skill. A slide photograph should capture a piece at its best and activate it as much as possible through the camera's eye. It often takes much practice to experiment with the lighting, the backdrop, the position of the piece, the angles of the lens, etc. to get a high-quality image, so plan on more than one shoot.
If you need images quickly, student photographers are sometimes available to photograph work. (Check with the Assessment Coordinator for names.) If you choose to pay for your slides, you are encouraged to work closely with the photographer to better understand the process.)
Developing
Many faculty and students develop their slides at Richmond Camera in town. Whichever business you choose, be sure to mark your original slides with an "O" and store them in a protected place. "Dupes" or duplications of your best slides can then be made from the originals.
Labeling 
Once you have chosen the slides for your portfolio, they should be numbered and include the following the information:
- Slide number
- Artist's name
- Title of piece
- Medium
- Dimensions of piece
- A small dot indicating orientation of the slide (lower left-hand corner)
- Year piece was created
Slide Workshop
A workshop on how to "shoot" and prepare slides may be held during the year. Watch for department fliers.
Quality images on a CD will be accepted.
Portfolio Review
The Assessment Coordinator will present all portfolios to the Studio Art faculty at a given time. The committee will assess works based on the criteria outlined on the Major Assessment form, and all comments will be forwarded to students' respective advisors.
To
obtain and discuss the results of your assessment, you must
arrange to meet with your academic advisor. A copy of your
review will be provided at that time.
Take note!
Newly declared majors - do not wait until the deadline to plan for your portfolio. Contact the Assessment Coordinator or your major advisor well in advance to discuss the process.
Scholarship applicants - some scholarship applications in Studio Art require that your major portfolio be completed at the time of scholarship application. Do not risk the chance of being disqualified for a scholarship by postponing your major assessment.