Essential questions: What should be in a portfolio? What pieces best show my skills and interests?

Develop an understanding of what “personal voice” means in a portfolio
Expand the concepts behind a student’s work
Specific feedback regarding strengths and areas for growth, individualized attention
Help with skill-building, art techniques and processes
Composition, elements and principles of design
Presentation and sequence of images
Artist’s statement writing
Understand how your art relates to art history and contemporary art.
Verbalizing personal concepts and goals, “elevator pitch” creation and delivery
Analyze winning entries of the Scholastic Arts Competition
Learn about careers in the arts
Tips on photographing your portfolio

National Visual Arts Standards:
8th Grade: Va:Pr4.1.8a Develop and apply criteria for evaluating a collection of artwork for presentation.
High School
VA:Pr4.1.ia Analyze, select, and curate artworks for presentation and preservation.
VA:Pr4.1.iia Analyze, select, and critique personal artwork for a collection or portfolio presentation.
VA:Pr41.iiia Critique, justify, and present choices in the process of analyzing, selecting, curating, and presenting artwork for a specific exhibit or event.

My experience in mentoring students with regard to portfolio development is multifold: 
Visiting critic at Design and Architecture Senior High School’s Portfolio Day (Miami, Florida)
Visiting Critic, High School Young Artists Initiative Program (Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, Florida)
Thesis Research and Writing Professor and Advisor to MFA candidates (Miami International University of Art and Design, Florida)
Visiting Critic, New World School of the Arts (Miami, Florida)
Scholastic Visual Arts Awards Juror (Massachusetts)
Advisor to Senior Thesis students (Lafayette College, Pennsylvania)
Visiting Artist, Irondequoit High School (Rochester, New York)
High School AP Ceramics Art Teaching Practicum, (Massachusetts)

Homework Offered
Homework is in the form of students creating new artwork and refining existing artwork. It is up to the student to decide how much time to invest in making art and portfolio development, as this is a private mentoring session aimed at guiding a self-motivated learner.
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Grades Offered

Students need to have some art experience, particularly drawing. It isn’t necessary to have an existing portfolio but students should have a few examples of their work on hand to discuss as a starting point.