Do I have to get my mom to measure all my artwork that's in storage at her house?

October 4, 2012 11:05 AM

When creating an art portfolio for graduate school admissions, which may end up online or submitted digitally, is it completely necessary that I include measurements for all the pieces (especially if the original work is several states away at my parents house)? I am not applying for uber-competitive MFA programs, but arts administration/education/museum studies where the portfolio is usually not strictly necessary but can be helpful, I hear.
posted by dahliachewswell to education (5 answers total)

I would just be approximate, they are just looking to get an idea of scale.
posted by bradbane at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2012 [3 favorites]

Yeah, no one will audit you. Just estimate.
posted by hamandcheese at 11:41 AM on October 4, 2012

I would definitely include at least approximate measurements for every piece, yes. I'm an art cataloger and measurements are a required piece of information for description of a work (which you probably already knew). Including it in your portfolio for arts admin/ed/museum studies might demonstrate to admissions that you have a good grasp on the basics of the profession. It's a small thing and probably won't matter, but it can't hurt to be as accurate as possible.
posted by CheeseLouise at 12:11 PM on October 4, 2012 [3 favorites]

I submitted an online portfolio for my Arts Administration program with just basic measurements and it turned out fine. They mostly want to see that you have artistic experience and some sense of aesthetics and logistics when it comes to visual art.
posted by picklesthezombie at 12:11 PM on October 4, 2012

What CheeseLouise said. Not following directions shows a lack of attention to detail/relevant knowledge. That said, I would be surprised if being off by a couple of inches matters.
posted by vegartanipla at 2:09 PM on October 4, 2012