School of Art application requirements

Portfolio guidelines

A portfolio of current work is required. Applicants who fail to submit a portfolio as outlined here will not be considered. The portfolio should represent your program interest and direction, your best work and your aesthetic sensibility. A significant number of the images should represent work done within the last 12 months.

An artist’s statement is required of all applicants and is a significant element in the portfolio review process. As such, the statement should address your influences, interests and current direction, including your reasons for wanting to study at CalArts. List your name and the program to which you are applying at the top.

Portfolios can be submitted online or mailed to CalArts. Online portfolio submissions are best for static images (slides of paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, installations, etc., or digitally created works) but not highly recommended for video works. Only one submission method (mailing or uploading) may be used.

Online portfolio submissions

Using the online portfolio system to upload your portfolio with digital files is quick and easy, and can be less costly than producing and mailing portfolios. The system allows you to create a corresponding inventory of works, listing for each image the following information: title, date, medium, dimensions and notes. We recommend this method for applicants submitting still images, but not for video. It is possible to upload video works but sound and picture quality will be compromised.

Please go to our online portfolio submission site to submit your work. Once your portfolio is uploaded, it can be viewed and rearranged until the final submission is made. No changes can be made following the final submission of online portfolios.

Mailing portfolio submissions

Label each portfolio piece with your name and the program to which you are applying (first and last names and, for example, the BFA Program in Graphic Design). Include a printed inventory or slide list of works in chronological order, including title, date, medium and dimensions. Notes briefly describing the idea or function of the work may be included. Please include a completed Portfolio Information Form with each mailed portfolio package. Address your portfolio to the Office of Admissions at CalArts using the printable Portfolio Mailing Label. Do not send your portfolio directly to the School of Art. Doing so will cause a delay in the review of your work.

Slides

Send slides in a round pre-loaded Kodak carousel slide tray. Universal Ektagraphic or Transvue 80 Chargeur is preferred, and can easily be found for purchase on the Internet if not available locally. Applicants may also consider online submissions as an alternative to submitting slides. See Online Portfolio Submissions above. Submit professional quality color slides (35mm only), sorted in chronological order ending with the most recent. Mark directly on the front of each slide your name and the slide number. Do not use adhesive labels. Once slides are oriented correctly in the carousel (image should be upside down and backwards), indicate the top right of each slide with an arrow or dot. The dot will be visible near the outer rim of the carousel. Be sure to preview your carousel before sending it. Slides in slide sheets will not be reviewed.

Video/film

The maximum running time for video material should be no longer than 10 minutes, regardless of the amount of pieces submitted. Send time-base works, film and/or video on DVD, VHS or Mini-DV. Label each video with your name, number of pieces on the DVD or cassette, and the title, date and running time of each piece. Include this information on a printed inventory of works, along with your priority for viewing. vhs tapes should be cued appropriately, if applicable. We do not accept work on film or Hi-8 tapes.

Digital portfolios

All submissions must be on a CD or DVD that is Macintosh-readable. We recommend including a duplicate disk or printed examples of your work for backup. Approximately 20 still images may be submitted and should be sorted in chronological order, ending with the most recent work. All 20 images must be placed in a folder named with this convention: LastnameFirstname. Please number your images to correspond with your printed image inventory.

Since they will be viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution on a large projection screen, your formatted images should be sized to approximately 1024 x 768 pixels, with a resolution of about 72 dpi. Do not format images in Photoshop, Keynote or Flash, or include composite images (more than one item or picture per file). Files may be sent in tiff or jpeg formats, or in the following presentation formats: PowerPoint, QuickTime or PDF. All Web sites should be submitted as pdf; do not merely supply us with a URL. Instructions for viewing digital presentations should be  self-explanatory. Technical difficulties will be considered as incomplete presentations.

Program in Art (BFA, MFA)

Submit approximately 20 images representative of your most recent work. When relevant or necessary, submit videotapes, DVDs, texts, audio CDs, etc. Do not send original work. The faculty is interested in what motivates or inspires each individual applicant, and looks for evidence of this in both the portfolio and the artist statement.

BFA applicants
Submit examples of personal work, not class assignments. We want to know what your interests are and how you represent them in your practice.

MFA applicants
Applicants who have passed the preliminary selection process will be notified by mail in mid-February. At this time, candidates will be invited to visit CalArts in March for an interview and to meet faculty and students. The interview is an all-day event and an important component of the final selection process.

Program in Graphic Design (BFA, MFA)

BFA applicants
Submit a portfolio of your current work with a minimum of 20 pieces. These should include examples of graphic design, typography, conceptual visualization (drawing as examples of conceptual thinking) and your level of experience with technology. These examples may range from class assignments and self- initiated projects to professional work. In your artist’s statement, we recommend that you specifically address your interest and knowledge of graphic design as a professional practice.

MFA applicants
Submit a portfolio of your current design work with a minimum of 20 pieces. Additional materials may be included if they further demonstrate your conceptual abilities. Your artist’s statement should concisely address your objectives and goals as a designer in the context of current issues in design practice, as well as how they serve as a basis for graduate-level study. Candidates who have passed the preliminary selection process will be notified by mail in mid-February. At this time, candidates will be invited to visit CalArts in March for an interview and to meet faculty and students. The interview is an all-day event and an important component of the final selection process.

Program in Photography and Media (BFA, MFA)

Submit approximately 20 examples of your most recent work, or a presentation of your practice that is complete and cohesive, and represents what you believe to be your best work. The works you submit need not be purely photographic; we are interested in a variety of media practices and integrations. Edit and sequence works carefully. You may send more than one body of work and more than one media type (video, slides, texts, Web sites, CD-ROMs, DVDs). However, we recommend that you emphasize two or three bodies of work clearly rather than sending a sample of many different projects.

BFA applicants
Submit examples of personally directed work, not class assignments. We want to know what your interests are and how you represent them in your practice. Photographic works can be originally shot in any format (film, 35mm, medium/large format, digital, Polaroid, pinhole, etc.).

MFA applicants
Applicants who have passed the preliminary selection process will be notified by mail in mid-February. At that time, candidates will be invited to visit CalArts in March for an interview and to meet faculty and students. The interview is a full-day event and an important component of the final selection process.