The purpose of the Portfolio Assessments is to track better the progress of our students in the creation of a professional portfolio, which is the primary requirement of all graduating art majors in preparation for employment or graduate study.
The department does not require a portfolio review for acceptance into the art program. However, students must exhibit growth, dedication and artistic maturation during their first two years to remain in the program. Successful students will be asked to stay in the program. Students who fail to demonstrate these qualities will be prevented from continuing in the department, or in their chosen concentration.
Student growth, dedication, and artistic maturation is gauged via seven portfolio assessments. Each year all art students will be assessed, based on their work and presentation of their work in the portfolio assessment. These assessments are based on where the student is in the program. The student and his or her work are assessed on of five core competencies (see below). Depending upon when the student entered the program, his or her assessment will take place either before Spring Break or just after Fall Break.
Students are responsible for preparation of work and signing up on time. They are notified through Canvas, emails, and postings in the Theater, Art and Graphic & Animation Design Department.
A more detailed explanation of the Portfolio Assessments follows.
As a graduation requirement, all students must participate in, and pass each of the five levels of the Art Department’s portfolio assessments. At each of the five assessment levels, students must present work that is predetermined by the faculty. The assessment evaluations are scored as either pass, fail, or conditional fail. See "Evaluation scores explained" for definitions of each evaluation score.
Evaluation scores explained
A common rubric is used by all studio concentrations. The Assessment rubric is included in every course syllabus, and the rubric is reviewed by each studio art and art history faculty every semester. Please address any questions to your art faculty advisor.
As a condition for passing the Third-year Portfolio Assessment, all Art majors must exhibit work in the annual Junior Show.
As a condition for graduation, all Art seniors must exhibit their Senior Project at the annual Senior Show.
Each student must register for the appropriate zero-credit class for each level of assessment. The zero-credit classes are used to prevent students who have failed an assessment from continuing to take either Art classes (in the case of First-year Assessment) or in the student’s area of concentration(in the case of Second-year Assessment). Since the class is zero credit, it does not affect the student’s GPA. Each student will register for the appropriate zero-credit class when they register for classes in each of their Assessment semesters. Beginning with the Second-year Assessment, students will register for the appropriate section of the zero-credit class in their area of study.
ART 183 – First-year Assessment
ART 283 – Second-year Assessment – choose the section specific to the student’s area of study.
ART 383 – Third-year Assessment – choose the section specific to the student’s area of study. Participation in the Junior Art Show is mandatory to pass third-year Assessment.
ART 423 – Fourth-year Assessment – choose the section specific to the student’s area of study.
ART 483 – Senior Project Final Assessment – choose the section specific to the student’s area of study. Participation in the Senior Art Show is mandatory to pass Senior Assessment.
The five levels of assessment progress as follows:
At each of the next four assessment levels, art education students must present work that is predetermined by the faculty.
You will find our handy Art Assessments and Professional Presentation Standards (pdf) helpful as you prepare for assessments.