Design Department Admission
Applicants seeking admission to the Design Department must present a portfolio for review. You are strongly encouraged to present your portfolio in person, either on campus during a scheduled review, or to the Cornish representative at any of the National Portfolio Days that Cornish attends. Students not able to meet in person should arrange with the Office of Admission to send a digital portfolio by mail or internet links.
The information on this page is also available in PDF format.
Portfolio Guidelines
Your portfolio should contain from 10–20 works, all completed within the last 2 years:
- Present 5 to 7 drawings from observation. These works should be made from looking directly at the world, NOT from your imagination or copied from other artwork or photographs. Examples of this type of drawing include:
- Figurative works
- Portraiture
- Still-lifes or drawings of objects
- Cityscapes or Landscapes
- Present 5 to 7 pieces of art that are related to one another and form a cohesive body of work. You may use 2-D, 3-D or time based media. Ways in which the pieces might relate to one another include sub¬ject matter, media/materials (ie all paintings, all photography) or concept. If you do time-based or interactive media, you may present work on a DVD or via a URL to your website. Viewing time should not exceed 10 minutes. Printed images of your digital portfolio are helpful.
Optional: you may include additional work that will reflect another view of your art work. Sketchbooks are highly recommended as well as work that shows risk, personal inquiry or unique process. Examples might include:
- Documentation of an installation
- Performance or fabricated object
- Wild cards such as images/objects that are imperfect
- Unfinished or Unresolved
Work that shows additional exploration of ideas or materials outside the classroom can also be included.
Transfer Students:
Studio Art and Design credits completed at other colleges will be considered for transfer dependent upon review by the Design Department. If your course work has covered visual arts concepts, materials or techniques which may not otherwise be apparent, include them with explanations and course descriptions for those classes. For advanced standing (sophomore or higher), your full portfolio should still not be more than 20 images, including examples of 2-D, 3-D, time-based, or digital work. Following an in-person review, Transfer students are required to leave a digital portfolio at Cornish.
Review in person
If you are presenting your portfolio in person, original works are preferable. If your work is too large or fragile to transport, you may substitute reproductions of these pieces in a format of your choice. During your review, we may ask you to discuss the work you present, your experience in the arts, and your artistic goals, but we’re just as interested in who you are and why you think Cornish would be a good fit for you.
On-campus reviews can be scheduled most Mondays - Fridays from 9 – 4 pm.
Call 800.726.ARTS to schedule your review.
Review in your Hometown
National Portfolio Days – www.portfolioday.net Cornish representatives will be traveling to many of the National Portfolio Days hosted in 2012-13. Come meet with us in person when we are in your area. This review can serve as the official review for admission to the college, even if you are not finished with the application process.
Review Online
We strongly encourage you to make every effort to present your portfolio in person. However, if distance prevents an in-person review, you may submit it via CD, DVD or online. Portfolios can be uploaded at http://cornish.slideroom.com. This is the easiest, most secure way to submit online work and it is our preferred method. Do not mail original works.
