Visual Arts and Art History - Admission to Bachelor of Fine Arts in Computer Arts

ADMISSION TO THE BFA PROGRAM/Computer Arts in Animation

Fall 2008 Portfolio Review

October 17^th, 2008

Portfolio Drop off dates and times

Boca Raton Campus, AH 118, Department of Visual Arts & Art History: Monday, October 13^th; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Tuesday, October 14^th, 10:00 a.m. -12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Ft. LauderdaleCampus, AT 812, Dean’s Office: Monday, October 13^th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Tuesday, October 14th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Portfolio Pick-Up dates and times

Boca Raton Campus, AH 118, Department of Visual Arts & Art History: Monday, October 27th, 10:00 am - 12 noon & l:00 pm - 4:00 pm; Tuesday, October 28th, 10:00 am - 12 noon & 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Ft. LauderdaleCampus, AT812, Dean’s Office: Monday, October 27th, 10:00 am -12 noon & l:00 pm - 4:00 am; Tuesday, October 28th, 10:00 am - 12 noon & 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Students should bring the portfolio and application to the Department or designated drop-off location on the Ft. Lauderdale campus, on the designated days. Once the review is completed, pick up portfolio promptly by the schedule provided. Portfolios will not be stored after that period. The Department of Visual Arts & Art History has no responsibility for this work after this time and unclaimed portfolios will be discarded.

If you have any uncertainty about whether your GPA is high enough for you to be eligible for portfolio review, contact the Department Chair (Professor DiCosola, 561-297-3870) or one of the College advisors (on the Boca Raton campus, make an appointment with Ms. Lent by calling 561-297-3800; for an appointment on the Davie campus with Ms. Owen, call 954-236-1101).

Spring 2009 Portfolio Review

March 13^th, 2009

Portfolio Drop off dates and times

Boca Raton Campus, AH 118, Department of Visual Arts & Art History: Monday, March 9^th; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Tuesday, March 10^th, 10:00 a.m. -12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Ft. LauderdaleCampus, AT 812, Dean’s Office: Monday, March 9^th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Tuesday, March 10th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Portfolio Pick-Up dates and times

Boca Raton Campus, AH 118, Department of Visual Arts & Art History: Monday, March 23rd, 10:00 am - 12 noon & l:00 pm - 4:00 pm; Tuesday, March 24th, 10:00 am - 12 noon & 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Ft. LauderdaleTowerCampus, AT812, Dean’s Office: Monday, March 23rd, 10:00 am -12 noon & l:00 pm - 4:00 am; Tuesday, March 24th, 10:00 am - 12 noon & 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Students must apply for admission into the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program in Computer Arts in Animation. Admission is based on a required minimum GPA and the faculty’s review of your application and a portfolio of work in your foundational and introductory art courses. You are not automatically admitted to the BFA program when you are admitted to FAU; you are not automatically admitted to the BFA program when you declare yourself as an art major. All art majors begin as BA majors and have to apply for admission to the BFA if they want to pursue that degree.

· Students who were admitted to FAU as freshmen should apply for admission to the BFA soon after they have completed the Core Program Prerequisites.

· Community college transfer students should apply as soon as possible after they are admitted to FAU and after Core Program Prerequisites have been met.

Why to apply

If you want to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree, you must apply for admission to the BFA program.

Your application for the BFA must include a portfolio of your work from Core Program Prerequisites. Once you have passed the portfolio review, you will be admitted into the BFA program. The purpose of the portfolio review is to be sure that all students admitted into the BFA have the background to succeed in this particular discipline of visual art.

If you do not want to pursue a BFA in Computer Arts in Animation, you can get a BA degree in Studio Art with a primary area in Computer Arts in Animation. A BA degree is not the same as a BFA. The BFA is a specialized degree that focuses primarily on a single artistic discipline. The BA degree is a generalist art degree that requires that you study in three different artistic disciplines: a maximum of 16 credits in your primary area of concentration and eight credits in each of two secondary areas of visual art. The BA does not require an application or portfolio review.

When to Apply

You should apply for admission to the BFA program after you have completed your Core Program Prerequisites: Art Appreciation; Design; Drawing I; Color Fundamentals; Drawing II (Figure Drawing); Three-Dimensional Design; Graphic Design I; 3D Computer Modeling for Animation.

We recommend that students who were admitted to FAU as freshmen apply in the term after they have completed ARTC 2623, 3D Computer Modeling for Animation.

We recommend that students who transfer from a community college apply as early as possible after they have started at FAU, preferably in their first or second term at FAU and after having completed all Core Program Prerequisites.

Applications are accepted and portfolios are reviewed during the middle of Fall and Spring terms. Dates and procedures are publicized widely to students in VAAH classes at FAU; they are also posted on the department’s website (www.fau.edu/vaah) and in the Department Office (Boca campus, AH 118) as well as the advising offices on the Boca Raton (AH 213), Fort Lauderdale (AT 813), and Davie (LA 421) campuses.

Eligibility to Apply

Students are eligible to apply to the BFA program if they have (a) completed their Core Program Prerequisites and (b) have a 3.0 or higher GPA in those courses. All applications are initially reviewed to be sure that applicants have completed their Core Program Prerequisites and have the required GPA. If you have not completed the Core Program Prerequisites, your application will not be considered. If you do not have the required minimum GPA, your application will not be considered.

Your GPA is calculated through the following method:

If you were admitted to FAU as a freshman, the Department would look at your GPA for all 1000 and 2000-level studio art Core Program Prerequisites in which you earned a grade of C or higher. The Core Program Prerequisites for the BFA in Computer Arts in Animation are: Design, Drawing I, Color Fundamentals, Drawing II (Figure Drawing), Three-Dimensional Design, Graphic Design I, and 3D Computer Modeling for Animation.

If you transferred to FAU from a Florida community college with an AA degree in Visual Art, we would look at your GPA in the comparable set of studio art courses at the community college.

If you transferred to FAU from another university or college, a review of your transcript will have established which of your non-FAU studio art courses are going to be counted towards your degree; those will be the courses on which this GPA will be based.

If you do not know whether you have met the minimum GPA, please contact the Department at arts@fau.edu and ask about your eligibility. Please give us at least ten days to respond before you follow up, as it takes time to access your file and do the calculations.

How to Apply for Admission

You apply for admission by submitting an application and a portfolio.

I. Application

Your application includes the following 7 items. They should be in a 9” x 12” plastic binder with plastic sleeves. On the outside of the binder, put your name and the BFA program to which you seek admission. Clip the binder to the outside of the portfolio.

The binder should have the following items in it:

(1) Checklist of items in binder (see Item E)

(2) Brief resume

If you have never written a resume, see Item A, at the end of this document

(3) Transcript. An unofficial transcript is acceptable.

(4) Statement of Intent/Artist Statement: one typed page

At the top of the page, put your name and the name of the BFA program to which you seek admission.

The Statement of Intent/Artist Statement explains why you want to study for a BFA and what you intend to do as an artist. It should:

· describe your specific artistic interests

· explain how your artistic interests are reflected in the submitted artwork

· include a statement of your goals as an artist

Print the statement in Times Roman, 12pt, double spaced with l” margins on all sides of an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper.

(5) Writing sample: no more than two typed pages

In this writing sample, evaluate one of your portfolio pieces in a 200 word essay.

At the top of the page, put your name, the name of the BFA program to which you seek admission, and the number of the portfolio piece that you will discuss.

Include the following in your writing sample:

a description of the purpose of the assignment (goals, objectives, criteria);

the process that you used to develop ideas for the piece;

the impact of the piece (including concept and creative approach);

the design principles and organization of the elements.

Identify the work’s successful aspects and explain why they are successful; identify the unsuccessful aspects and explain what you would do to improve the piece. If you are writing about a series, discuss how the items in the series worked as a system.

Use an appropriate design vocabulary in your writing.

Be accurate in spelling, grammar and word usage. Print the essay in Times Roman, 12pt, double spaced with l” margins on all sides of an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper.

6) Project Description Sheet: a numbered list of every item in the portfolio.

Use the form provided in Item B, at the end of this document.

(7) Recommendations from two different faculty members. (Please put each of these, unopened, in its own plastic sleeve).

These must be submitted in sealed envelopes and on the forms provided (item C, at the end of this document).

Recommendations must come from professors who have taught you in one or more of the following courses: Design, Drawing I, Color Fundamentals, Drawing II: Figure Drawing, Three-Dimensional Design, Graphic Design I, 3D Computer Modeling for Animation.

· If accessing electronically, print two copies of the reference form at the end of this document or please make one copy of the Reference form attached in hard copy of Student Information Packet available in Department or College Advisors Office. Fill out the first lines of the form.

· Sign one of the statements at the bottom of page two of the form, indicating whether or not you waive your right to read the letter at a later date.

· Give the forms to your professors along with letter-sized envelopes.

· Remind your professors that the forms must be put into a sealed envelope and that the faculty members must sign over the seal, to be accepted.

· Pick the form up when the professors have completed them or provide each of them with a stamped, self-addressed envelope in which to send the sealed recommendation to you for submission.

*Reminder: the faculty are very busy, so we recommend that you ask for these letters no less than a month before the portfolio is due.

Applications that do not include all of these items will not be considered.

II. Portfolio

A. Contents of the Portfolio

The portfolio should include 20 pieces of original work, selected as follows:

Design, three pieces;

Drawing I, three pieces;

Drawing II: Figure Drawing, three pieces;

Color Fundamentals, three pieces;

Three Dimensional Design, three pieces;

Computer Modeling for Animation, three pieces.

The remaining pieces may come from any of the courses listed above or from other 1000 or 2000-level courses such as painting, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, or photography. If you have questions about what is appropriate for the portfolio, please contact the Chair of the Portfolio Review Committee (Professor Walter Hnatysh, hnatysh@fau.edu) or the Department Chair (Professor DiCosola, mdicosol@fau.edu).

All pieces in the portfolio must have been completed in 1000 and 2000 level studio courses.

Multiple pieces from one project will be considered as one piece.

B. How to Construct the Portfolio

Craftsmanship and presentation are important in the portfolio. You are applying to a BFA program that prepares you to be a professional artist, and you need to show an appropriate level of professionalism in your portfolio.

I. Select/Create and Label the Portfolio

You should use a standard style of portfolio. The portfolio must be 24” x 36.” Be sure that it is the correct size to enclose your work. You can purchase a portfolio at any art store. This should be considered an investment in your art career. On the outside of the portfolio, put a label with your name, the BFA program that you wish to enter, and your contact information (telephone number, address, FAU email).

II. Label Every Piece in the Portfolio

Label the back of each piece with all of the following information:

1. Item number (1-20, as listed on Project Description Sheet, provided below)

2. Your name

3. Course prefix, number and title

4. College or University at which you did the work

5. Medium/materials

6. Instructor

7. Year executed

Be sure to label CD’s, DVD’s or tapes with all of this information for numbers of all items that are included on them; attach a separate sheet if necessary.

III. Use the appropriate format to present your work.

Do not include any loose works. All work must be mounted or matted with cover sheet, overlay or sleeves.

1. Acceptable formats for non-digital work:

Include only original work unless the work is larger than 24” x 36” or if work is three dimensional. Large work and three-dimensional work can be represented by 8” x 10” photo documentation. Please label photos as specified above in BII.

Three dimensional and large scale work should be represented in 8 x 10”color prints.

All two-dimensional work should be matted or mounted

Rendered stills should be printed and matted or mounted, 8”x10”, color prints

Color printouts may be submitted if they are matted or mounted

2. Acceptable formats for digital work done in ARTC 2623 (rendered stills, Quicktimes, avi’s, etc.):

Data disk of scene files and textures used and any of the following:

VHS, BETA, CD (with necessary plug-ins)

Data DVD (with any necessary plug-ins)

Movie DVD (make sure you test it for broad compatibility)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What will the faculty be looking for when they review the portfolio and application?

The BFA program is designed to identify and to cultivate emerging professional visual artists. We wish to nurture original creative thinkers and capable artists. Our BFA students are expected to be effective visual and verbal communicators, committed problem-solvers, respectful colleagues, and scholars who are aware of their historical and contemporary context. All BFA graduates of our department will be expected to bring new things to the discussion in their fields, expanding and enriching those fields in the process.

You should choose your portfolio material to show that you have the talent, skill, and commitment to be a BFA student. Your portfolio should reflect your interest and abilities in Computer Arts in Animation as well as display a developing aesthetic, a focus of interests and evidence of commitment exceeding the minimum requirements of the art courses taken.

In evaluating the portfolio and the other application material, the faculty will want to see that you have met the basic professional standards in all of the following areas. They will evaluate your suitability for the BFA by using the checksheet in Item D (at the end of this document). If your overall level of accomplishment in all of these areas is unsatisfactory, you will not be admitted to the BFA.

Foundation Skills:

· Design skills

· Color mixing and use

· Observational drawing

· Figure Drawing

Fluency with Materials and Visual Problem Solving:

· Technical skills: craftsmanship

· Manipulation of surface and space

· Diverse and appropriate materials and techniques

· Evidence of good revision of work in progress

· Work ethic and commitment to the work

Critical Thinking and Commitment:

· Connection between visual form, construction and concept

· Development of interesting and original ideas

· Innovation and imagination

Historical and Contemporary Context:

· Evidence of art historical knowledge and reference

· Respect for traditional approaches

· Awareness of contemporary concerns

· Knowledge and appropriate use of personal sources

Professionalism:

· Complete knowledge of discipline-specific technical and safety concerns

· Professional presentation and documentation of work

Who has to submit an application and portfolio in order to be admitted to the BFA program?

If you entered FAU during or after Fall of 2006, you need to submit an application and portfolio in order to be admitted to the BFA program.

If you declared your major in Studio Art, Graphic Design or Computer Arts in Animation at FAU before Fall 2006, you do not need to submit an application and a portfolio for review unless (1) you took a significant break of three consecutive terms or more in your enrollment at FAU and returned after Fall 2006 or (2) you want to be admitted to the BFA in a different track. For example, if you declared a major in Graphic Design when you entered FAU in Fall 2005 but then took three consecutive terms off (Spring, Summer and Fall of 2006), you would need to apply for admission to the BFA. You would also need to apply if you want to switch from a major in Graphic Design to a major in Studio Art or if you wanted to get a second BFA degree (i.e., BFA in Graphic Design and a second BFA in Computer Arts in Animation).

If you are uncertain about whether you need to apply, email arts@fau.edu for clarification.

What happens if I don’t submit an application and portfolio for review? Can’t I just take the courses for the BFA and get the BFA degree?

You will not be able to graduate with a BFA unless you passed the portfolio review and were formally admitted to the program. If you are not admitted to the BFA program, your graduation check will be done on the basis of the requirements for the BA degree in Studio Art. The BA has different requirements than the BFA. The BA degree requires you to take several upper division courses in three areas of visual arts rather than primarily concentrating on a single area; BA students also take a different senior seminar than BFA students. For more information, read the description of the BA degree. The BA is designed for a general education in the visual arts; the BFA is designed to train artists in a particular discipline.

I don’t have a 3.0 GPA in my lower-division studio art courses, but I really want to earn a BFA. Is there anything that I can do to have my application considered?

Generally, if you have a low GPA, you should retake one or more lower division art classes and/or take additional lower division art classes to pull up your GPA. Your basic skills have to be strong in order for you to succeed in the BFA. Make an appointment to talk about your options with the Department Chair (Professor Dicosola, 561-297-3870) or one of the College advisors (on the Boca Raton campus, make an appointment with Ms. Lent by calling 561-297-3800; for an appointment on the Davie or Fort Lauderdale campuses with Dr. Provost or Ms. Owen, call 954-236-1101).

What if I don’t pass the portfolio review?

(1) Submit a revised portfolio within a year.

You can submit a revised portfolio for review as early as the next term. If you need to submit a revised portfolio, you might need to: present different examples of your work; create a better statement of intent; develop a better writing sample; or offer a more professional and clear presentation in the portfolio itself. You will receive feedback on your first portfolio that will be helpful to you as you prepare the revised portfolio, and we recommend that you seek the guidance of one of your primary art faculty.

You must submit your revised portfolio within a year of your first portfolio. If you submitted your first portfolio in Spring, you must submit your revised portfolio no later than Spring of the following year. If you submitted your first portfolio in Fall, you must submit your revised portfolio no later than Fall of the following year.

(2) Consider whether you might do better in the BA program. The BA program does not require a portfolio review.

What if I haven’t saved enough work from my 1000 and 2000 level classes?

If you took your 1000 and 2000-level classes at FAU, you should have been told to save your best work for use in the portfolio. If you did not follow those instructions, you will have to submit a portfolio that does not conform to the guidelines. You may not be able to provide the number of pieces requested in each category. If that is the case, please do your best to provide us with a broad and representative range of available work in the 20 pieces that you submit. Please include a brief statement explaining the situation. If your portfolio is missing the required number of pieces in each category, please include a brief explanation of why the work is missing and what you have included to replace the missing item.

If you took your 1000 and 2000-level courses at another college or university, you might not have saved your work. If that is the case, please do your best to provide us with a broad and representative range of available work in the 20 pieces that you submit. We would like to see some design work, some different kinds of drawing, some work on color and three-dimensional design and, of course, some animation. If your portfolio is missing the required number of pieces in each category, please include a brief explanation of why the work is missing and what you have included to replace the missing item.

If you have questions about what is appropriate for the portfolio, please contact the Chair of the Portfolio Review Committee (Professor Walter Hnatysh, hnatysh@fau.edu) or the Department Chair (Professor Angel DiCosola, mdicosol@fau.edu).

The portfolio should include the following:

Design, 3 pieces;

Drawing I, 3 pieces;

Drawing II: Figure Drawing, 3 pieces;

Color Fundamentals, 3 pieces;

Three Dimensional Design, 3 pieces;

Computer Modeling for Animation, 3 pieces.

The remaining pieces may come from any of the courses listed above or from other 2000-level courses in areas such as painting, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, or photography.

I’m worried about the writing sample? What if I don’t remember why the professor gave us the assignment that resulted in the work that I want to write about?

We want you to tell us what you were asked to do in the assignment: what were you working on in the class? What were you supposed to learn through the assignment? What was the standard that you were supposed to meet? If you took your 1000 and 2000-level classes at FAU, you should be able to use the syllabus to explain the purpose of the assignment. You should also explain how your intent and interpretation resulted in the piece that you are analyzing.

If you did not take your 1000 and 2000-level classes at FAU or you do not have your syllabi from those classes, do your best to explain what you think the professor’s objectives were for the assignment. Also explain your intent and interpretation of the assignment.

I’m transferring to FAU from a local community college. May I submit my application and portfolio during my first term at FAU?

Sure! The Department will accept your application and portfolio if you have completed all Core Program Prerequisites. The sooner that you complete the application and portfolio review process, the sooner that you can be admitted to the BFA program. Once you are admitted to the BFA program, you will be able to get advice on how to meet the BFA requirements in the best possible way – and you can be confident that you will have the chance to take all necessary courses in the major that you have chosen.

I have taken some upper division courses. Can I include any of my work in them as part of my portfolio? Does all of the work have to be from my lower division courses?

We want to see your work in the lower division so that we can compare it to the work of other students at the same level. So, please build your portfolio around work done at the 1000 or 2000-level.

If you did your lower-division work many years ago, we may accept more recent work from the upper division. If you have questions about what is appropriate for the portfolio, please contact the Chair of the Portfolio Review Committee (Professor Walter Hnatysh, hnatysh@fau.edu) or the Department Chair (Professor Angel DiCosola, mdicosol@fau.edu). We will consider your request on an individual basis.

Can I include pieces that I did outside of any class?

No. We want to see your work in lower division classes so that we can compare it to the work of other students at the same level and in similar courses. So, please build your portfolio around work done in classes at the 1000 or 2000-level.

When does the Department of Visual Arts and Art History accept applications for the BFA and portfolios for review?

Around the middle of both Fall and Spring terms, the Department will accept applications and portfolios. Information about deadlines for submitting the application will be sent to students in all FAU VAAH courses via their FAU email addresses, posted on the department’s website (www.fau.edu/VAAH) and bulletin boards, and distributed in classes. It is the student’s responsibility to check on the deadlines for the application and to be sure that the application is complete and submitted on time.

Students have to bring the portfolio and application to the department on designated days and, once the review is completed, pick the portfolio up promptly by the schedule provided. Portfolios will not be stored after that period. After this period of time, the Department of Visual Arts & Art History has no responsibility for this work and it may be discarded.

ITEM A

Resume

Name

Address

Telephone

FAU email

Major

Exhibits

Honors or Awards

Employment

ITEM B

Project Description Sheet Student Name ____________________________

Label the back of each portfolio piece with your name and its corresponding number on this sheet

1 Project Title ___________________________________________________________