MANAGING THE ART ROOM

This studentʼs mixed-media composition showcases originality and a range of techniques.

Trina Harlow and Bob Reeker

Having been an art teacher for several years, I remember how difficult it was to prepare and inspire high-school students for art in college. As chair of the University of Nebraska at Kearneyʼs art scholarship committee, I have garnered insights that I wish had been shared with me back then.

The following tips will help art teachers lead their students to success in applying for art scholarships.

Get Outside Opinions
Students typically seek opinions from their peers on their artwork and accept their judgment as the truth. To counter this, encourage students to submit their work to every art competition, student show, and portfolio review out there. Also, invite local artists, art instructors, and art professionals into your classroom and to attend your school art shows. This will help students think critically about their portfolios and enhance their identities as artists.

Scholarship reviewers try to get a sense of the person behind the work so they can award students who are willing to work hard and show originality.

Pick the Right Pieces
There are so many emotions, struggles, and celebrations that go into every piece your student has made that determining which ones to include in a portfolio is a daunting task. Here are some ideas to help with the selection of works:

• Beware awards: plenty of portfolios include artworks that have ribbons and other certificates attached to them. Sometimes, these awards are won in competitions of hundreds of students; other competitions include only one submission. While you don’t want to disparage any organization or group’s art competitions, encourage students to consider the awarded piece’s value in the portfolio overall.
• Include observational work: the basic skills of examining, measuring, and comparing are invaluable in a portfolio. Reviewers want to see that art students possess these abilities.
• Include pieces that demonstrate a range of skill sets and techniques, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that variety of media trumps quality of work. While it’s important for students to try as many media as possible, when it comes to portfolios for scholarship, it’s better to include the student’s very best work.
• Avoid including pieces that were assigned to build technical skills but lack originality (e.g., a one-point perspective drawing of the bedroom or hallway). Encourage students to be daring and original and to take the assigned work to a new level.
• Tailor the content to the program being applied to. If the portfolio is for a painting program, fill that portfolio with paintings. Get to know the faculty and their work at local colleges so you can help students determine which schools their work will harmonize with.

• Do not include your shadow, feet, pet, desk, or any other distracting background material in your photo. If you’ve gotten something in the shot, crop the photo before you submit it.
• Do not include pieces that are torn, folded, punctured, stained, or otherwise unintentionally damaged.
• Use a clean white or black backdrop near a window for natural light.
• Digitize it correctly. If an image is small enough to be texted, it is not big enough to go into your portfolio.

William Cavill, Jr. is a career and tech education supervisor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney in Kearney, Nebraska. cavillwd@unk.edu