Graduation Portfolio

All students graduating in the AVA, AVC and VAC programs are required to submit the following:

  1. A PDF portfolio of 20-25 images:
    1. The images should be 72 dpi and no less than 1200px on the longest side
    2. The images should represent your strongest coursework during your time at GCC with an emphasis on thematic development
    3. Video and animation work should be presented in the form of MP4 files
    4. Each image in the PDF should be labeled with title, dimensions, and media
  2. A 150-200-word artist’s statement written for your thematic series or group of related works
  3. A 1-2 page personal statement discussing:
    1. Artists and ideas that have influenced your development during your time at GCC
    2. A summary of what you have learned through completing your program of study
    3. Personal growth and goals influenced by your program of study

All of these files must be uploaded to your Google Drive and the link shared with the Art Department Chair, simmsj@gcc.mass.edu, by the first Monday in May.

Art graduates will be considered for Graduation with Distinction and the Medici Award. Graduation With Distinction will be noted on students' transcripts, within the commencement program and on a certificate of distinction. In addition, students will receive mention that they are Graduating with Distinction during the commencement ceremony.

To graduate with distinction students must be able to:

  • Demonstrate an ability to work hard, in depth, and engage in risk-taking relative to new concepts, content, techniques and processes
  • Express a personal vision/voice through a strong thematic body of work
  • Sustain investigative work on projects over an extended period of time
  • Display growth in their understanding of the visual language, issues, and concepts
  • Demonstrate competence in the manipulation of materials and media
  • Demonstrate a critical way of seeing, understanding, and interpreting space
  • Discuss their own work and the work of others within the context of art discourse and visual literacy
  • Display a level of independence, motivation, and critical thinking commensurate to continued work beyond academia

To be considered for the Medici Award students must have excelled in every art course they took, raising the bar for fellow students.