Seminars and Interview Sessions

University of the Arts London (UAL): Art & Design Portfolio Seminar

Jo Cowell

International Academic Joining us in person

Started her UAL journey from the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, Jo progressed and completed her BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Knit in London College of Fashion, after which she went on for MA Textile in Royal College of Art (RCA) with a full scholarship. Thoroughly skilled in Knit, Jo is a very technical maker and has created works that explore the aesthetic and dogmas around femininity. Having worked as a Visiting Practitioner & Specialist Knitwear Technician in UAL for almost a decade, more recently Jo has taken on responsibilities for interviewing and advising international students for all UAL Colleges and subjects.

All students are required to present an art portfolio when they apply for an art & design programme. What makes a good portfolio? What kinds of works should be included and what shouldn’t? How should you present your portfolio? Should you write an explanation or let the work speak for itself?

In the seminar, Jo Cowell (International Academic) from University of the Arts London (UAL) will introduce all the basics of art portfolios, provide examples and share what expectation art schools have in their students.

• The Basics of Art & Design Portfolio: The sketchbook, How many pieces of work should you include? What kind of work can you include?
• Specific portfolio requirement for different art disciplines
• Examples of outstanding Art & Design Portfolios from the past

University Profile: University of the Arts London (UAL)

One of the world’s most famous and the largest art institution in Europe, for eight consecutive years University of the Arts London (UAL) are ranked the 2^nd best in the world for Art & Design by QS World University Rankings (2019-2026), enjoying a prestigious reputation and status in the Art & Design circle, comparable to what Oxford and Cambridge do in the academia!

With a long history of art education that can be traced as far back to 1854, University of the Arts London (UAL) adopted its current name and form as a university in 2003. Institutionally University of the Arts London (UAL) is made up of six colleges, each has its own characters and specialisms, but perhaps most widely heard of internationally for Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion:

• Camberwell College of Arts
• Central Saint Martins (CSM)
• Chelsea College of Arts
• London College of Communication (LCC)
• London College of Fashion (LCF)
• Wimbledon College of Arts

Apart from these sixth colleges, in recent years University of the Arts London (UAL) has further expanded into digital arts with its very own UAL Creative Computing Institute, while also running the UAL School of Pre-degree Studies that focuses on its Foundation in Art & Design courses and the UAL Fashion Textiles and Technology Institute, a graduate school for fashion. On academic research, it also has it own research and academic departments – the UAL Decolonising Arts Institute and AKO Storytelling Institute.

A Very Very Long List of Star Alumni: British Fashion Designer Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo, JW Anderson, Film Director Mike Leigh and More!

University of the Arts London (UAL) has educated generations of Britain’s world-famous artists, designers and filmmakers! They include star fashion designers like Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo, John Galliano, JW Anderson, as well as renowned British sculptor Antony Gormley, film director Mike Leigh and singer-songwriter Jarvis Cocker. In Hong Kong, notable UAL alumni include well established and budding fashion designers such as William Tang Tat Chi, Johanna Ho, Robert Wun, as well as movie star Barbara Yung Mei Ling.

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