Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day Returns to Poughkeepsie

November 3, 2023, from 4:00–8:00 PM
Free Admission

Majad J. Nesheiwat Convention Center

portfolio day

The Art Effect is pleased to present the 23rd annual Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, at the MJN (Majad J. Nesheiwat) Convention Center on Friday, November 3rd, 2023, from 4:00–8:00 pm. This event is back in person at a new, exciting venue after pivoting the last three years to a virtual, week-long event in response to the pandemic. 

For more than 20 years, Portfolio Day has provided a unique opportunity for high school, undergraduate, and students from The Art Effect’s Art Institute to meet with admissions representatives from over 25 colleges who talk to students and review their portfolios for scholarship eligibility to major art schools and universities from across the nation. Representatives from major universities and art colleges will be in attendance, including Maryland Institute College of Art, Pratt, and Montserrat College of Art. To see the full list of colleges and for more information, visit thearteffect.org/tae-events/portfolio-day.

This event is FREE to students, teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and interested members of the general public. Students should bring 10–20 examples of original, recent artwork for review and evaluation in order to receive expert feedback on developing a solid college application. Many Hudson Valley youth and students at The Art Effect have discovered their future college at Portfolio Day and gained an advantage in the college application process.

“Portfolio Day gave me valuable critiques, including tips on how to photograph my work better and what I could tweak in my artwork. I am currently attending Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD), which I first discovered during virtual college visits. At last year’s Portfolio Day I spoke with a college rep who really helped me get the application process started,” says Amya West, alumna of The Art Effect & a Portfolio Day attendee in 2021.

Portfolio Day hosts students from throughout the region, from as far as 200 miles away. Students can obtain catalogs, admission policies, and information on scholarship opportunities directly from their preferred schools. The college representatives have remarked on the high quality of art projects they have reviewed from our students.

“Students [from The Art Effect and the Hudson Valley] are doing excellent work,” says a college representative from Pacific Northwest College of Art. “This is one of the best-organized portfolio events I’ve attended anywhere.”

For more information on Portfolio Day and other art courses, college visits, and special events hosted by The Art Effect, please call 845-471-7477 or visit thearteffect.org. This program is partially funded by monies received from the New York State Council on the Arts and is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Attending Colleges:

Alfred University School of Art & Design

Art Center College of Design

Boston University School of Visual Arts

College for Creative Studies

Delaware College of Art and Design

Hartford Art School, University of Hartford
Laguna College of Art + Design

Maine College of Art & Design

Maryland Institute College of Art

Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Montserrat College of Art

Moore College of Art & Design

Parsons School of Design

Pratt Munson College of Art and Design

Purchase College

Ringling College of Art and Design

Russell Sage College

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

School of the Museum of Fine Arts

School of Visual Arts

SUNY Fredonia

SUNY Ulster

Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts

The Center for Cartoon Studies

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth CVPA

University of the Arts

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts

And More!

About the Art Institute: The Art Institute is a year-round, intensive, pre-college portfolio development program for motivated teens ages 14–19. Classes are taught by professional artists/educators with a curriculum that surpasses the New York State Standards of Art Education. The student-centered, holistic program prioritizes personal and professional development through rigorous arts instruction, regular critiques, mentorship, public exhibition, and engagement with college and conservatory programs. Graduates generate an impressive portfolio of original work that demonstrates their pre-professional skills in the visual and media arts.