Undergraduate Admissions - Visual and Media Arts

Admissions

A portfolio review is optional of students in Media Arts (Animation, Game Design, Film, Visual Design) and Visual Arts (Art History, Illustration, Object Design, Photography). Media Arts and Visual Arts students are accepted to their declared program upon acceptance to Jacksonville University and will be eligible for academic merit scholarships as part of their standard university application.

For talent scholarship consideration, Media Arts and Visual Arts students must submit a portfolio review. See below for how to submit a portfolio review.

Portfolio Review Dates

Media Arts and Visual Arts portfolio reviews for entry in the 2024-25 academic year will be conducted for review in three cycles. During the process, you will have the opportunity to showcase your talents and to experience firsthand our performance and art facilities. To ensure full consideration, be sure your materials are submitted on or before the deadline for your chosen admission cycle:

• November 8, 2024 - https://apply.ju.edu/register/VMADNOVAUD 
• February, 28, 2025 - https://apply.ju.edu/register/VMADFEB
• March 28, 2025 - https://apply.ju.edu/register/VMADMAR

 

If you are still interested in submitting a virtual portfolio or audition please contact:

• Wesley Chandler, Admissions Counselor
  Email address  wchandl1@ju.edu  |  Telephone number (904) 256-7146

Portfolio Requirements

The portfolio review will be a short, private meeting with faculty members. While an in-person review is recommended, electronic reviews with telephone contact prior to review are also accepted. Your portfolio should consist of 10 to 20 examples (2 to 5 for film) of recently completed artwork, which reflects your interests, experience, and abilities. The portfolio has three parts: Contact Information, Artist Statement of Intent or Director’s Statement, and Artwork Samples or Writing Samples.

Part 1 – Contact Information

Please include all of the following:

• Name
• Mailing Address
• Contact Telephone Number
• Email address

Part 2 – Artist Statement or Statement of Creative Practice

Include a short 150-300 word statement summarizing your scholarly, artistic, and creative interests. Be sure to answer/address the following:

• Name an area of intended concentration chosen from the following list:
  • B.F.A. in Animation
  • B.F.A. in Film
  • B.F.A. in Visual Design
  • B.F.A. in Art – Concentrations include Object Design, Illustration, and Photography.
  • B.A. in Art – Concentrations include Art History, Object Design, Illustration, and Photography.
  • B.S. in Animation
  • B.S. in Film
  • B.S. in Game Design
  • B.S. in Visual Design
• Who are you (who do you want to be) as an artist, scholar, designer, or filmmaker?
• Clarify your media choices (why do you work in your media of choice?)
• What do you look to gain from your undergraduate studies in visual arts?
• Where do you see your work going conceptually or thematically, and what do you wish to communicate through your work?
• For Art History applicants: Share your interest in the history of art and what chronological, cultural, or thematic aspects of visual culture you are interested in studying. What are your future academic and/or professional goals and how do you hope your studies at JU will help in supporting these goals?

Part 3 – Artwork Samples

Physical Submissions

Applicants to the Art History concentration should submit a recent writing sample, which demonstrates abilities in research and writing.

For Visual and Media Arts applicants: when submitting physical portfolios for reviews or when submitting physical portfolios for review, submit 10 to 20 examples (2 to 5 for film) of recently completed artwork and a numbered image list with title, medium, size (in inches or pixels) and date of completion using the following guidelines:

• 2-Dimensional works – physical samples are desired, un-mounted originals.
• 3-Dimensional works, physical samples are desired.
• 4-Dimensional (time based) works – digital files or web links for animations, web design, films, etc.

Note: For all media, if physical samples are unavailable, hard copy digital prints or a digital portfolio/electronic submission, as described below, will be acceptable.

Physical Portfolios, submitted by mail or drop off, are reviewed within the School of Art & Design and returned to Admissions for student retrieval.

Electronic Submissions

If submitting your portfolio electronically, combine works into a single PDF, with high-resolution images.

PDF entitled (FIRST_LAST NAME_PORTFOLIO) Should include: Contact Information, Artist Statement/Statement of Creative Practice, and a Portfolio of Artwork Samples (10-20 digital images in a single pdf file, maximum 10MB; include image captions with media, dimensions, and dates for each image; video files where applicable are acceptable; embed hyperlink in pdf to location of video files, i.e. youtube or vimeo)

If you have a portfolio website, we will review that in lieu of a physical or .pdf portfolio, but the website must have your contact information published with your portfolio.

Email electronic portfolios to: wchandl1@ju.edu (subject line: FIRST LAST NAME_Visual Art Portfolio). Please limit pdf files to 10MB. If necessary multiple emails may be sent to complete application components.

Resources

For added guidance on producing your portfolio, you can view a video tutorial on electronic portfolio production here: https://youtu.be/CdLFMT6kDec and one on saving to pdf here: https://youtu.be/VrMWoyWk_VU.