Design, paint, cut, present

Last week WSU art students began applying for the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree by setting up portfolio displays. The BFA is a professional degree as opposed to the liberal art degree that WSU offers art majors. The 72-hour credit degree is a crucial requirement for art majors to graduate.
“It’s universally recognized as the optimal professional prep that we can offer at the undergraduate level,” said art professor Mark Biddle.
Similar to other bachelor degrees, the BFA has a list of prerequisites. This includes a set of five core classes from the art department to help students prepare and understand concepts in their emphasis.
Chanel Lichfield, senior applicant, explained how core classes helped.
“It gave me a lot of variety to choose from,” Lichfield said. “I have a couple of big pieces and smaller ones; I’m still not sure which ones I want to use.”
Portfolios require a collection of six to 12 student art projects, and the work is displayed on wall spreads thoughout the Kimball Art Building.
“In some cases students have had sculptures on the floor or outside,” Biddle said. “We even have had performance-oriented portfolios.”
Acceptance to the program also requires applicants to write an artist statement. The statement describes why they consider themselves an artist, their specific process and who influences their work.
The process can be stressful, time-consuming and costly, according to first-time applicant senior Quinn Roberts.
“In visual communications it’s not just hanging up your pieces in a nice way; it’s all about presentation,” Roberts said.
To make portfolios stand out, students have even painted their assigned wall a different color. Students are free to make changes to the wall appearance as long as they restore it to the original condition.
People perceive art as an easy, laid-back degree but a lot of time and changes go into each piece submitted.
“If you just look at organizing the portfolio and setting it up on the wall display, I would guess students spend five to 20 hours just getting their BFA spread ready,” Biddle said.
There is no assigned number on how many students are accepted into the BFA each semester.
“You really don’t go up against anyone; they take people who they think are strong and ready for the program,” Roberts said. “If you’re not ready they won’t take you.”
The faculty looks at the work for good solid foundation, organizational thinking, formal skills, the handling of color and typography.
“We like to see conceptual ideas that are somewhat mature and not clichés or worn out ideas,” Biddle said.
Students who do not get accepted into the program get feedback from faculty and their adviser, are allowed to reapply the following semester.
“Most of the time when that happens, we see a very marked improvement in the portfolio and quality of artwork,” Biddle said.
The portfolios will be displayed in the Kimball Art Building Monday, Feb. 22 till Friday, Feb. 26 and is open to the public. Building hours are Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.