Admissions committees look for intelligence, passion, curiousity, originality, experimentation and social awareness. Indeed Career Guide explains that visual artists interview questions often ask about the impact art has made on society. Answer this question by sharing your views and describing how you want to continue using art to influence others.
Discuss your long-term goals with a hiring agent or graduate school admissions counselor. Many employers think long-term and want to hire art school undergraduates seeking permanent employment. Even if the job opportunity is an internship, an employer will likely consider you for a permanent position once the intership ends.
Briefly describe required courses of study, electives and academic awards you received. Many employers and nearly all graduate programs require official transcripts from your institution of higher learning, so be prepared to offer those upon request or provide information as to how you intend to submit them.
Anticipated questions related to your current or recently completed schoolwork. Even as an undergraduate, your coursework and educational experiences provide valuable input for a hiring agent or admissions officer. You may be asked questions about specific projects and types of materials used in your art classes.
Express appreciation for your favorite artists when asked about them in an interview. A top visual artist interview question for an art school undergraduate is to discuss how previous artists have influenced your artwork. Familiarize yourself with favorite masterpieces, historical backgrounds and deeper messages, presented by famous artists.
Top tips for an Art & Design interview
Here are our top tips to ace your Art & design interview:
Research the course content again and prepare some specific questions about it so you’re not left surprised if something you weren’t expecting is included in the course.
Also check the interview letter and ensure that you bring everything with you that you need to. Don’t fall at the first hurdle by only bringing one piece of work when you should have bought five, for example.
Make sure you input to discussions
Regardless of whether you have a one-to-one interview or a group interview, the person interviewing you is going to want to hear your thoughts and opinions.
Study the sample interview questions and roughly prepare your answers. You shouldn’t sound robotic but planning some clear, concise answers will help you combat nerves and get your point across effectively.
The one thing you can guarantee is that the interviewer(s) is going to want to talk through your portfolio.
Remember, don’t just talk about what you’ve done, but the why and the how as well. This is where you can talk about what/who has influenced you, the techniques you’ve used, and what you learnt during the creative process.
This is another thing that your interviewer(s) will almost certainly talk about, so make sure you know what you said and be ready to expand on that.
What will happen at an Art & Design degree interview?
All universities have their own interview process and technique, but essentially universities tend to choose one of three different formats for interviews.
Remember, the university isn’t just interviewing you. You’re also interviewing them to see whether the course and the course content is right for you. After all, there’s no point interviewing for a course that mostly covers modern art if you’re actually more interested in fine art.
Here are the three most likely possibilities for your Art & Design interview:
A face-to-face individual interview will generally involve you discussing your portfolio, the Art & Design course, your interests, influences and role models, and your personal statement.
You’ll also have the chance to ask the interviewer any questions you might have.
In some cases, particularly if you’re applying for a course that is some distance away from your home or abroad, you might be invited to have a virtual interview.
Usually you’ll use something such as Skype, but you might also have a telephone interview or at the very least, email the tutor(s) to discuss the course, your portfolio etc.
During the interview you’ll probably take part in collective discussions, debates, and possibly some practical work. The key with a group interview is to make sure you say something. You don’t need to dominate the conversation but it’s important not to stay silent because you’re shy, being polite, or can’t think of something to contribute.