Portfolio Building Workshop with AIGA Link
Guest Lecturer & Event Planner, 2024
AIGA Link connects high school students from the greater Seattle area with artists and professionals to encourage expression, creativity, and self-esteem through innovative workshops and mentorship. After I began volunteering with the organization in 2023, I was asked to lead the Portfolio Building Workshop hosted in January.
This was the first workshop held in person in 3 years, and there was no template or lesson plan to follow. I worked directly with the Program Director of Link to acquire student feedback on what they wanted to learn, how much they already knew, and brainstorm what activities would make the most impact. The event took place on January 20th for three hours with 18 students present.
Agenda
I designed the agenda to include a balance of lecture time and hands-on activities so it was both informative and constructive. Students were most curious about the following:
What do colleges/organizations like to see the most in a portfolio?
How do you take good pictures?
How much variety should I have?
We asked volunteers who had professional experience interviewing and working in a creative field to perform portfolio reviews. We set up a mini photo studio to shoot students’ work in a professional setting and provided materials to practice their observational drawing skills — a medium essential to many art school applications.
Icebreaker: Blind Contour Drawings
10:30-11a
How to Build a Portfolio Presentation
11-11:45a
12-1:30p
Mock Interview Presentation
Breakout Sessions:
Portfolio Review/Mock Interview
Photograph your Work
Observational Drawing
11:45-12p
Impact
“Kaitlan really helped me decide what to do for my career and explained to me more about the design industry”
“I loved the main artist talking about portfolios, all the activities, the time for observation drawing.”
“I thought that the most helpful part was the presentation about what to put in a portfolio and how to structure it.”
“I liked getting my art photographed and making it look professional.”
“Thank you so much for this opportunity! It was super informative & helpful!”