Submission Guidelines
Your submission must include: a completed application form, a portfolio, image list, and letter of intent.
Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
The Art Exchange: Visual Art Yearlong Intensive program is aimed at stimulating and challenging students on the tools, methods and processes common to a contemporary art practice. As such, we are looking for young artists who are committed to expanding their practices beyond traditional methods and materials. Your portfolio and letter of intent should clearly demonstrate your willingness to experiment and engage in new practices, as well as a commitment to developing your art practice.
Top Tips
1. Make sure to send a complete submission package (including completed application form, portfolio, image list, and letter of intent). Incomplete submission packages are not guaranteed to be reviewed.
2. Aim to include high resolution photos of your work, no larger than 1MB in size each, and title them in the order you’d like us to view them (eg. 01.Emily Carr_Big Raven.jpg, 02.Emily Carr_Above the Gravel Pit.jpg, etc.)
3. Make sure the numbers and titles on your image list correspond to the numbers and titles of your portfolio image file names (see tip 2).
4. If you have any questions, please ask! Email us at submissions@artsumbrella.com
Portfolio
As the program will aim to expand students’ art practices, your portfolio should demonstrate an engagement with a range of mediums such as drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, and mixed media. They can even include experimental and expanded practices like performance, dance, video, participatory art, collaborative projects, and social engagement!
However, your work should primarily show a fundamental grasp of the basics of art and design, including use of colour, shading, line, pattern, texture, composition, and balance. Ideally, this is shown through work that is mostly self-directed and not exclusively from Arts Umbrella or other school related projects. (Hint: your sketchbook is an excellent place to experiment with new materials and tools, sketch out concepts and ideas, or engage in deep studies of elements that you feel need further work such as colour, composition, line, and pattern etc.)
You must include an image list with your artwork title, date it was created, and medium used. Ex. 1. Self Portrait, 2024, graphite on paper.
Letter of Intent
We read this carefully, so please make sure to spend time expressing who you are and why you want to join this program. (Hint for parents: we love to hear from the students themselves and in their own words!). We are looking to make sure you understand what this program actually involves and why you are suitable for it. We also want to know how you in particular will benefit and what you will bring as a participant. It’s also a great space to provide more information on the images we’re looking at in your portfolio! Don’t be afraid to include your personality so we can get a feel for who you are.