09/27/2021
By Tracey Greene
The New England Undergraduate National Portfolio Day will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021from noon to 4 p.m., at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This event is hosted by the UML Art and Design Department and National Portfolio Day. Please note that this year there is no event in Boston. All National Portfolio Day events are free and open to the public. Register online.
Location: Tsongas Center, 300 Arcand Dr., Lowell, MA 01852
Parking: Tsongas Garage right next to the venue or Ayotte Garage, located across the street. City of Lowell operated.
Public Transportation: The MBTA Commuter Rail serves Lowell from Boston and surrounding communities, or LRTA Bus #1 & #18 go from the Lowell Transit hub to the Tsongas. 1$
COVID rules
Masks are required at all times indoors. We request that each student bring only one non student guest. There are hand sanitizing stations and plenty of waiting room indoors and out. All UML employees and students are vaccinated.
Cancellation Notification: We will update the national NPDA website and UML NPDA websites ASAP in the event of cancellation.
Host contact information: Ellen_Wetmore@uml.edu or 978 934-3494
Local restaurants & cafes can be found along Merrimack, Middle and Market streets.
Colleges and Universities represented in Lowell on Oct. 2
- Alfred University School of Art & Design + Performing Arts Division, Alfred NY
- Boston University School of Visual Arts, Boston MA
- California College of the Arts, Oakland CA
- California Institute of the Arts, Santa Clarita CA
- Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland OH
- Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus OH
- Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle WA
- Drexel University, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Philadelphia PA
- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City NY
- FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles CA
- Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, Hartford CT
- Iowa State University College of Design, Ames IA
- Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, KS
- Laguna College of Art + Design, Laguna Beach CA
- Lesley Art & Design, Boston MA
- Maine College of Art & Design, Portland ME
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston MA
- Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore MD
- Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee WI
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis MN
- Montserrat College of Art, Beverly MA
- Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia PA
- New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark NJ
- Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University, Portland OR
- Parsons School of Design/Parsons Paris at The New School, New York City NY
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia PA
- Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, Lancaster PA
- Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY
- Pratt MWP College of Art and Design, Utica NY
- Ringling College of Art & Design, Sarasota FL
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY
- Salve Regina University, Newport RI
- San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), San Francisco, CA
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston MA
- School of Visual Arts, New York City NY
- Suffolk University, Boston MA
- SUNY Purchase College, Purchase NY
- Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts, Syracuse NY
- The Cooper Union, New York City NY
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth CVPA, Dartmouth MA
- University of New Haven, New Haven, CT
- University of the Arts, Philadelphia PA
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VCUarts), Richmond VA
- Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
What is the National Portfolio Day Association?
The National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA) was created in 1978 solely for the organization and planning of National Portfolio Days. The Association consists of representatives that hold regional accreditation and accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), or Substantial Equivalency status. NPDA is the only organization of its kind and the membership represents the highest standard of visual arts education available in the world.
What are National Portfolio Days?
National Portfolio Days are annual events held in multiple locations across the United States, Canada and Europe. They are designed to provide a unique opportunity for you to meet individually with professional representatives of accredited colleges and universities and receive valuable feedback and guidance on your portfolio before you submit it as part of your application. Not all members attend all events. Visit nationalportfolioday.org for attendees.
No admission decisions or scholarship awards will be offered to you at National Portfolio Days. Some college and university representatives may accept your portfolio as the visual portion of your application. Others have restrictions that prohibit them from making a definitive portfolio decision at the time of your review. All representatives will be happy to discuss their specific programs of study and provide answers to questions about the availability of scholarships and financial aid.
You will not find National Portfolio Days to be an examination or competition, the events are about an exchange of information. The representatives want to learn about you, your work, and your post-secondary plans, all while informing you about their college or university and application requirements. These events may be the first time you have been in an environment with so many people in one place who all share a powerful commitment to art and design. Use this as an opportunity to be inspired, to gain advice as to how to improve or present your portfolio, and to experience a small taste of what it is like to attend a professional art and design program.
What should I bring to a National Portfolio Day?
A portfolio of visual artwork that includes your best and most recent work, but it can also include works in progress, sketchbooks, and tear sheets. Don’t hesitate to explain how you develop your ideas and where you want to go with them. Often sharing the process of arriving at the completed work is as valuable as simply presenting finished products. You will hear many different opinions about your work that will be reflective of the admission requirements of each school. Therefore, we urge you to discuss your work with as many colleges/universities as possible and to bring no more than 15 works. Your portfolio can be presented as original work or on screen, but make note wifi may not be available at all locations. Students who are not prepared to show a portfolio may attend to gather information from college/university representatives.
All National Portfolio Day events are free and open to the public.