HOWTO

PORTFOLIO

RoyalAcademy of ArtThe Hague

RoyalAcademy of ArtThe Hague

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Who are we?What is a portfolio?Upload your digital portfolioMotivationA look at the KABKQuestions?

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If you are looking at this booklet, chances are you are thinking of applying for an art or design programme at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK). What can you expect if you decide to study at the KABK?

Independent researchersAt the KABK, we want to educate students to become independent artists and designers. We are looking for curious students with an inquiring and critical attitude, conceptual ability and initiative. We provide a lot of room to work on your personal interests and ambitions.

International It is good to know that all programmes are in English. Students come from different backgrounds and countries all over the world. Additionally at the KABK you will get taught by international guest teachers on a regular basis, and there are many opportunities to spend some time studying at an academy abroad. At the KABK you are not only trained to become an artist or designer who can work in the Netherlands, but we train you to become an artist or designer who is ready for the world.

Who are we?

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different directions. Additionally, all students use all workshops. This way everyone can exchange ideas with each other, disciplines can mix and the academy is a versatile and inspiring environment.

Personal attentionThe KABK is a small-scale academy in the centre of The Hague. It is important to us to pay attention to every student. As a student you work in small groups and you regularly have one-on-one conversations and personal guidance.

Craft & innovationThe KABK was founded in 1682 and is therefore the oldest art academy in the Netherlands. The academy is known for its long tradition in the visual arts and design and attention to craft. However, we certainly also focus on innovation, digital media and technological developments. At the academy you have access to many different workshops. Besides a wood workshop, printmaking workshop and a photography workshop, there’s also a hacklab, digital media workshop and a 3D lab.

www.kabk.nl

The academy collaborates with academies such as Aalto University in Finland and Central Saint Martin's in London, places that are hard to get in to without the partnerships of the KABK.

More information about guest lecturers and exchange programmes in other countries can be found on the website.

CollaborationsThe KABK carries out projects with various museums, art institutions, companies and (design) festivals. We also work with many leading partners such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International. We see great importance in prepar-ing you during your study for your professional practice as well as possible. For instance, if you study Textile & Fashion, Interior Architecture & Furniture Design, Photography, Graphic Design or Interactive/Media/Design, you can do an internship at various agencies or labels in the Netherlands or abroad. Examples of internships and partners can be found on the website.

InterdisciplinaryThere are seven different bachelor's and seven master’s programmes, as well as several preparatory courses at the KABK. All different departments are under one roof. This means that a Photography student can run into Fine Artsstudents on a daily basis, just like designers from all

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A portfolio. What is it, how does it work and what does it do? Suppose you have decided to apply for an education at the KABK. We ask you to put together a portfolio, digitalize it and upload it.

A portfolio is a collection of drawings, sketches, photographs, designs, sources of inspiration, sculptures, digital work, paintings, videos, audio, performances, typography, robotics, scans from your dummy, material experiments, and so on. You can add work of all different media that you've made over the past few years.

It is important to know that there are no restric-tions on your digital portfolio with regard to the form and content – besides a maximum amount of mb’s - but to help you on your way, we have listed a few tips and pitfalls here.

Supporting your portfolio we ask you to write a motivation letter, about which you will find more information on p. 23.

What is a portfolio

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CuriosityWith your portfolio you can of course show what you can already do. Certain technical skills or craft can be a basis, but what the admission committee finds more important is to find out who you are. What are your personal interests? Are you curious? Why do you like working with a certain material? What have you already tried out? Which topics do you find interesting? Are you interested in what is going on in the world? Are you critical? Do you like to work with unusual materials? Do you notice things? What is your opinion?

ProcessYou can view your portfolio as a story or 'conversation piece', in which it becomes clear what your thought processes are or how you have arrived at a certain (end) product. That is why it is helpful to show your process in a portfolio. For instance by including sketches, material experiments and sources of inspiration. You can also show alternative approaches and solutions that you came up with when things did not work. This way you show the admission committee that you can be determined to accomplish something.

Indicate clearly in your portfolio what is part of the process and what the end product is. If you have already done an internship and/or want to show a project that you have helped with, then show what your part was in that project.

You can add a few sentences to the images you provide, but keep it short. Your portfolio is mainly about visual communication.

Image qualityHanding in a digital portfolio is the first step. This means that you have to make documentation, such as photos or videos, of all your work that is not digital. Make a number of pictures for each work, and make sure that you can clearly see what material a work is made of. You can also indicate the size of your work, and in the case of audio or video files point out what part the admission committee should absolutely not miss.

Personal assignmentsAssignments you have given yourself or own works are often interesting, because it really shows who you are and what you find important, striking, strange, beautiful, exciting or fascinating. With assignments, from school for instance, you are often tied to a specific theme or material. You can include school assignments in your portfolio, but try to alternate this with work that you have created on your own. In this way your portfolio will be less didactic, and more personal and original.

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VariationDare to show yourself. If you are applying for a specific programme, this does not mean that you cannot include works in other media in your portfolio. You can show much more of yourself with a broad and diverse portfolio than if you limit yourself to one medium. Specialization can be done later.

SelectionDo not be afraid to present a lot of work and to show your sketches and process (see page 12) in your portfolio, but make a selection. When selecting, you can think of the order in which you present your work. Consider which work you want to show first and which one last - this can have all kinds of different reasons. In this way you can take the committee on a kind of journey through your work.

Maybe you already have a website of your work, yet we advise you to make a separate portfolio for admission to the KABK, where you think about what exactly you want to show.

Furthermore, it may well be that you were the craft king or queen of your kindergarten class, this does not mean that what you made then is relevant to who you are now. Therefore, in a portfolio you show the work you made in approximately the past three years.

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You have selected all the photos, videos and process steps of your work and your portfolio is finished. What now?

RegisterThere are several rounds to go through before you are admitted. First you sign up for the study programme that you want to follow. You can do this on the website of the KABK with the pink button: start your application. Here you can read precise instructions and practical matters concerning the admission process.

UploadAfter you have clicked on the pink button, the enrollment procedure continues via Studielink. After following the instructions and submitting your details, you will receive an email from KABK’s Student Administration. 

Note! Please check your spam box if you have not received this email upon registering.  In this email you will find further instructions for uploading your portfolio and motivation letter at the department of your choice. Also, don’t forget to check the deadlines, as the full enrollment procedure will take some time.

Upload your

digital portfolio

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Admission requirements bachelorTo register, you need a high school diploma comparable to a Dutch vwo, havo or mbo 4 diploma. Do you not have this? Then you can take a test at the KABK to show whether you meet the required level. Because the programmes are in English, it is also important that your English is at a sufficient level. On the website of the KABK you will find the exact admission requirements per department.

Admission preparatory coursesAre you interested in studying at an art academy, but want to prepare better for a bachelor's programme, or do you not know exactly which programme you want to follow? You can then choose to do a preparatory year or orientation course at the KABK. The admission process for the various preparatory courses is a little different than that for the bachelor's programmes. You do not have to hand in a digital portfolio for the preparatory courses. Instead you bring a physical portfolio with you during one of the selection days.More information about the admission procedures for preparatory courses can be found on the website at www.kabk.nl/en/programmes.

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Motivation

Part of your application is writing a motivation letter. In this motivation letter you can tell why you want to apply for a specific programme at the KABK. A few things that you can think of are listed below.

Why?It is important that your portfolio is personal, and this also applies to your motivation letter. In a motivation letter you tell your story and why you want to study at the KABK. What do you hope to learn and do at the KABK? And why are you choosing a specific programme?

Inspiration & ambitionIn a motivation letter you can show what your interests are in the broadest sense of the word. What do you think of certain topics? For example, write about your fascination for certain works, specific art forms, materials, or just a philosophical idea, a scientific issue, a social theme, certain styles, subcultures or technologies, you name it.

You can also include something in your motivation letter about your relationship with contemporary visual art and design. Show that you are interested in what is happening around you. You can write about your experiences with con-

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temporary art and design museums, theatre, performances, cultural festivals, art in public space, and so on. Get out there! What effect does it have on you?

As an artist or designer you need inspiration to be able to make things. Who or what are your sources of inspiration and why? How does this affect your work? This may be certain artists and designers, but also certain subjects, materials, techniques, exhibitions, trips, books, etc. that interest you or stand out to you. You can find inspiration in all sorts of ways and it differs from person to person. If you mention names of people, also explain why you name this person as a source of inspiration.

What are your ambitions? This can all change during your years at the academy, but tell us what your plans are right now. What are your dreams? And do you already have an idea of where you ultimately want to end up or what you want to do? This you can also put in your motivation letter.

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A look at the KABK

In addition to the open day, it is also possible to take a look at the KABK at other times, for example during organized tours and open studios. At these moments you can get a good impression of the KABK. During open studios you often have the opportunity to get advice about your portfolio. In addition, the various departments regularly work together with external partners at, for exam-ple, art and design festivals or in museums, and students also organize their own events to show their work. Furthermore, every summer at the end of the academic year there’s the fashion show where year 1 to 4 of the Fashion & Textile department present their work. Next up we host the annual Graduation Festival where all graduating students present their final work.

For a complete overview of the agenda check www.kabk.nl/en/events.

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Questions?

Do you have any questions about your portfolio after reading this booklet? You will find additional information per department on the website. You can also contact the coordinator of a specific department.

Contact details per department can be found on the website of the KABK via www.kabk.nl/en/programmes .

Royal Academy of ArtPrinsessegracht 42514 AN The HagueThe Netherlands

www.kabk.nl/en

Questions about practical matters such as tuition fees, visas and the registration procedure can be asked to the student administration via:

Student administrationstudentenadministratie@kabk.nlT +31 (0)70 31 54 770

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Notes

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Colophon

Published byRoyal Academy of Art, The Hague, January 2019

TextLieke van der Made

Translation Irene de Craen

DesignLin Ven

Photography coverFrederik Klanberg

TypefaceMarr Sans (Commercial Type)

www.kabk.nl