Portfolio Development for HS Students

Level: 13-18

Jan 4, Feb 1, March 7 and March 28, 2020

Saturdays

3-5pm, (if new student, first class runs 1-5pm)

4 Saturdays

Instructor: Nancy McTague-Stock

Instructor's website

Fee: $195 with addl $40 surcharge for new students

This class is designed to help students create a portfolio of artwork, which they may use towards their college application process. Open to teens of all ages, this can be a drawing, painting and printmaking primer for younger teens and a focused, refinement course for older teens closer to applying for college. All students will enjoy learning the art of the positive critique, a helpful tool to have as budding, creative students, and imperative for college-bound students.

With a maximum of ten students, each student will receive personal attention to assist in developing their own personal style according to their interest, while enhancing important classical technical skills and expertise.  Demonstrations by the teacher will be done both individually and collectively.

If new to the class, the first class will be a double session to give students a chance to share their current portfolios with the teacher and classmates. This helps to establish a convivial community dialogue and will assist the teacher in identifying areas of instructions necessary for each student to further improve their portfolios. Younger students should bring work that they love, as well as talk about what they hope to achieve in the class. The instructor will also present examples of work college-bound students will need to round out their current portfolios.  (Note: if a new student, a $40 new student fee will be collected the first day of class)

All other classes will be two hours long. Students will have the time in between each month’s class to further develop their work at home, based upon instruction, refinements and feedback they receive in each class. New directions, media and/or concepts will be developed each session.

Creating new work is fun; whether college-bound or high school bound, students will leave with a stronger portfolio, and a greater sense of self-esteem as young creatives!

Most art supplies will be provided by RAC, however we ask that each student invest in the following:

• One of each of the following drawing pencils: B, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B
•  Staedler brand white eraser, the one with the royal blue wrapper around the middle of it. This brand specifically is important.
• Each student should have access to an inexpensive set of watercolors and one small round, one small flat synthetic hair brush to go with the brush that comes with the set.

Nancy McTague-Stock, MFA has imbued hundreds of creative teens with the education and passion to be successful in their fine art and related creative activities over thirty years.  A highly respected professional artist, teacher and mentor, she has worked with students of all ages at many institutions including, locally, Greens Farms Academy, where she ran the Upper School & AP Fine Art Program, Silvermine School of Art, where she teaches teens and adults, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, where she has served as a Master Printer, The Westport Arts Center & The Aldrich Museum, having taught student and family related programs. She also serves as an independent college advisor. Her teen students have gone on to the finest of Ivy League and fine art universities in the world, and adult students have gone on to fine art careers of their own.  Nancy’s own work is collected worldwide and she has been the recipient of many prestigious honors and awards.

More about Nancy can be seen on her website:  www.nancymctaguestock.com.

Education
M.F.A. in Visual Arts,  The Art Institute of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts (Advisors incl. Judith Barry, Dike Blair, Sunanda Sunyal, Richard Klein)

The Slade School of Art, The University of London, London, England (Fellowship for post-graduate coursework)

Cornell University (Post-graduate coursework)