SPRING 2025 NEWSLETTER
Surface Tension (2024), Digital image
Hello from Paris and happy spring to you all,
We are so proud of our students this year, as always!
They have received acceptances from:
US/Canada - Cornell, Roski at the University of Southern California, Savannah College of Art and Design, California College of the Arts, the University of Chicago, University of Virginia, Case Western, Wellesley, Georgetown, UC San Diego, University of Texas, U. of Arizona, U. of Miami, Ohio, U of Tennessee, Knoxville, Syracuse University, University of Washington, Washington University Seattle, Tufts, University of Toronto, McGill, Pratt and Parsons
UK/Ireland - University of Glasgow, University of Cambridge, Architectural Association, UAL BA in Fashion and Architecture, Fashion BA at Westminster, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Bath Universities
France - Institut Français de la Mode, other Preparatoires and Beaux Arts to be announced in June
They will be pursuing Foundation years and BAs in art, architecture, interior architecture, fashion, art education, liberal arts, and Masters in Fashion and Film.
Many of our students were also awarded merit scholarship awards for their outstanding work, ranging from $15,000-$30,000 per year, including a prestigious Dean’s Award from USC.
Incomptus, 2024, charcoal on paper, 31 x 85.8 inches (work from a student recipient of U of Southern California Dean’s Award, applying for BFA in Art)
Now is the ideal time for Juniors to begin working on their portfolios for applications next fall and winter! As always, we are happy to give a free consultation to students and their families to determine what kind of support we can provide.
For independent and self-motivated students, we also offer our thorough one-hour video course that outlines our best practices for students to work on their own. This can be combined with one or two portfolio reviews to provide concrete feedback on their work.
We have added numerous free resources and examples of our student work to our website, and look forward to your responses. Discover more at www.portfolioworksparis.com.
La Llorona, El Chupacabra, y El Diablo (2024), Repurposed jersey cotton t-shirts, foam board, and tape, 77 x 37 cm each
Summer Pre-College Portfolio Development Course
An Online Art Program for High School Students
This concentrated summer program is a great way for students to expand their art learning and dramatically improve their college application portfolios. We work one-on-one with students over video, providing personalized support that outperforms similar programs at schools like RISD, for a fraction of the cost, and organized around the student’s schedule.
Eight individual Zoom sessions will be scheduled with you over the six-week period.
The program includes:
Initial portfolio review of past work and discussion of the student’s goals and interests, strengths, weaknesses, and everything else that makes them who they are.
Personalised assignments and instruction for students to make work leading up to an ambitious final project.
Unlimited email follow-ups, feedback, and progress reports.
The summer program will either kick off a sophomore's portfolio development with a bang; help grow, consolidate, or diversify a junior's existing portfolio; or help seniors create that truly outstanding series of pieces that will crown their portfolios and help get them noticed by any art department or admissions board.
Click here for more information!
Page from the portfolio of a BA Women’s Wear applicant (CSM, London College of Fashion)
Portfolio Process #10
Fragmented Self (2024): graphite, charcoal, ink, cardboard, foam board, foil, upcycled cloth, mirrors,
modelling wire, ( 1x1.5x1m)
As a regular feature of our newsletter, we take you in depth in the process of one of our students. Here, we introduce you to an Undergraduate Architecture applicant. This highly disciplined and focused student chose sciences and maths for her A levels and had not anticipated preparing a portfolio for her application to the extremely competitive Architecture program at Cambridge University, her first choice. Her only prior exposure to visual creative thinking was a GCSE Design and Technology class, where she designed a few household objects.
Nationality: British, London-based
Art training: High School GCSE Design and Technology class
University goals: Cambridge University Architecture BA (also applied and was accepted at UCL Bartlett, Bath, Edinburgh, University of Toronto and McGill with scholarships, and Cornell University)
Package: Junior/Senior
She began working with PW in February 2024 for help producing the work she would need to apply to top architecture BAs. Over the following nine to eleven months (for early and later deadlines), she developed a portfolio that led to acceptances at Cambridge University, UCL Bartlett, the University of Bath, Edinburgh, the University of Toronto (with merit scholarships), and Cornell University. This impressive outcome was a direct result of her notable work ethic and discipline.
Our philosophy that guides our process with all students is to help them make work that is ambitious, critically sophisticated, that checks the techechnical requirements for each school or degree program that they are applying to, and that gives a real sense of who the student is, and what they care about. With Architecture candidates, we also work with them to explore architectural concepts and ideas, exploring and experimenting with form and the body in space, with light and shadow, interiority/exteriority, positive/negative, etc etc. We always encourage students to look to cultural, societal or political questions as well so that they egage with the world around them.
With this student, it was clear from the outset that her greatest challenge would be allowing space for expression and spontaneity. To address this, we focused on experimental work with a variety of materials and explored ways she could apply her scientific mindset to expressive forms. Special emphasis was placed on drawing—both life drawing and general observational drawing—knowing that Cambridge places significant value on these skills, including a drawing entrance exam. She worked with our life drawing specialist to learn the fundamentals, ultimately producing three drawings that placed classical figures in war settings, demonstrating both critical thinking and technical skill.
Bringing the War Home (2024), graphite, ink, (A2, A3)
Her interest in structures led to a series of works studying and drawing existing buildings and then imagining future habitats and architectural scenarios.
She also worked a great deal on on 3D pieces with a range of approaches, from more intuitive work to sculptural abstractions (and drawings) that reimagined the core minerals —cadmium, cobalt, lithium, and copper– powering artificial intelligence to the exploration of structural dynamics like tensegrity interpreted in poetic terms.
Abstracting minerals (2024) Foam board, (300x400x200mm)
Abstracting minerals development (2024), Charcoal, (A5)
Finally, she also worked on a number of photographic works, including a series for which she re-enacted Valerie Export’s beautiful 1972 Body Configurations piece in which she declares that nothing has changed.
New Body Configurations: Nothing Has Changed (2024), digital photographs (500x1000mm)
We wish you a productive end to your school year, and hope to hear from you soon!
Warmly,
Maggie and Allison
Body Language, (2024) plaster, rope, spray paint (178 x 50 x 25 cm)