Visual Arts Residential Application & Audition Tips

Visual Arts Department Tips for Applying to the Residential High School

The first step in making an application to the Residential Program is to send in the three required pieces prior to the audition (please refer to website for deadlines).

The color-based composition is intended to demonstrate the applicant's familiarity with some aspects of color theory. Students might consider a composition using for example, a complementary, analogous, or monochromatic color scheme. Please be prepared to discuss your choice.
The black squares on white paper is a classic design problem involving the use of positive and negative shapes to graphically express the idea tension. We suggest that an applicant be as concise as possible, relying on the arrangement of the squares on the white paper to visually convey the notion of tension. Four equally sized squares can make a very strong solution to this problem. We do not recommend cutting the squares into other shapes, balling up the squares to make three-dimensional forms, or otherwise manipulating the squares. We are looking for a simple and concise solution.
The drawing of two unrelated objects is intended to give us a sense of an applicants drawing ability and also offers us an opportunity to examine the applicant's idea of what "unrelated" means. We recommend that the objects be things which you can observe first-hand, and that students do not copy a photo or other visual resource. Also, consider the idea of things which are unrelated. Avoid drawing objects which at first seem unrelated, but actually have a strong common connection. For instance, while a hat and a shoe might be different objects, they are both protective garments, and therefore a shoe and a pencil sharpener (as an example) might be a better choice.

The next step to the application is the on-site audition. To prepare for this day we suggest the following.

Be sure to have all the required items for the audition.
The research component gives the applicant an opportunity to discuss work that they find appealing from three different time periods. Be prepared to speak about why you are drawn to the artists and how the work relates to the period in which it was created. Printed samples of work cover a wide range of possibilities, but it is important that each student include at least one image for each artist which will be discussed. Please note the websites offered on the requirements page.
The choice of samples of work for the audition is very important. An applicant should not present all their work from home, but should instead be selective and bring only the work that we require. The three-dimensional piece may be small or large scale and of any material, as long as it is easily transported to the audition. Again, simple solutions (clay pots and small sculptures, wire sculptures, or small carvings) often make very good choices for this component of the audition. More complex solutions are not always more successful. Be prepared to talk about the formal qualities of the work (i.e. positive negative relationships, texture, and balance as examples).
The next component is the applicant's choice of a two or three-dimensional piece. Make this selection based on your strengths. If you feel more successful making a two-dimensional piece, bring in a two-dimensional piece for this part of the audition and be prepared to discuss this choice.
The self portrait should be done in pencil, utilizing a mirror as opposed to a photograph. It should be no smaller the 9"x12" and not larger the 18"x24", and the drawing should not float in the middle of the page (that is, use the entire space of the page for this drawing).
The sketchbook component is intended to demonstrate the student's ongoing interest in art and art ideas as evidenced in drawings, images and ideas collected in the sketchbook. The sketchbook is not a portfolio of finished and highly refined work, rather it should show an ongoing interest in images and ideas. Twenty full page drawings should be considered a minimum, and more work will be considered more favorably.

The Drawing Workshop is conducted by a Visual Arts Department faculty, and generally takes place in a drawing studio. It is a two-part exercise comprised of a review and a discussion of the principles of design, and then a drawing segment in which students are instructed by faculty members in the room. We recommend that students review these principles (line quality, positive and negative shapes unity, balance, rhythm, and scale) in preparation for the Drawing Workshop. It is also important that students keep in mind that we are more interested in students who are highly teachable, as opposed to students who draw the best, given the nature of the curriculum in the Residential Program.

Perhaps the most stressful aspect of the audition is the interview component. The main words of advice here are do not panic. Our intent in the interview process is to consider the whole student, and to give the student a chance to convey their specific interests in our school.

The interview also gives the student an opportunity to meet and speak with faculty in the program, and for the faculty to determine the student's commitment to arts training. Applicants should be prepared to talk about their artistic experience and interests, and their aspirations in the arts.

Faculty may ask questions about how the student feels he or she will fit into the unique learning environment of the Governor's School, and interests they might have outside of art. Students should see this as a time to ask questions that they might have about any aspect of the program. They should look carefully at the school website as a way of developing these questions.

We hope these are helpful suggestions for students who are going through the process of applying to our program. We wish you all the best and hope to see you at auditions.