By Omina Abdurakhmonova
OH hosted its fourth year of Mini Portfolio Day, giving student artists the opportunity to connect with college representatives, earn feedback and explore future careers in the art field.
“Mini portfolio is essentially where we have a bunch of colleges that are art schools or have art programs come in and review our portfolio so that we can share, get feedback, and improve our artwork,” said OH Senior and National Art Honor Society (NAHS) President Leona Bateman.
During the event, students presented their portfolios and sketchbooks to college representatives, who offered feedback and suggestions for improving their work.
“The lines are actually usually really long because we’re all waiting to get our portfolios reviewed,” Bateman said.
According to Fine Arts Department Chair, Michael Skura, the event has continued to grow since the school first hosted it four years ago. Many students start to attend every year as it grows bigger and word spreads around the region.
“Each year gets bigger and bigger,” Skura said. “That first year we had maybe 90 [students].Now, we’re up to 225.”
Many new students participate every year which increases diversity among the grade levels. Including Avanah Cartagena, an OH sophomore who attended for the first time this year. She received a lot of feedback and got many connections to get into art related schools
“He mentioned things about a summer program that SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) does for high schoolers…and it would give you college credits for,” Cartagena said.
The Portfolio Day gave Cartagena a chance to meet new people and get to know the process of getting into art school like SCAD.
The event is organized through Art ConnectED, a non profit organization involving art educators throughout Illinois. Skura explained that Mini Portfolio Day helps students prepare for a larger event held in April at the Bridgeport Art Center, where students can exhibit their work and meet with college representatives. Other participating high schools include Niles West and Hinsdale Central, allowing the event to reach students across different areas.
For Bateman, this event offers more than an opportunity. She said meeting people in the art field and earning feedback can help students improve their work and prepare for college applications.
“I find it really helpful, because not only does it get you to meet a lot of different people in the art field, but it kind of helps you improve your work,” Bateman said.
For Students involved in NAHS, the event can be an opportunity to connect their passion for art with future educational goals. Participants prepare a portfolio of their artwork and bring questions about future plans they might have. Many representatives from a variety of colleges attend and help students explore their future educational and career paths.
