Thanks for sharing your research about artistic portfolio. I found
interesting that you talk about collaboration between artist and prospective
clients. There are at least two interesting aspects: artist participation
in negotiation of meaning of portfolio and discursive character of
negotiation. This is very different from practice of use of portfolio in
schools. Students are not often involved in helping other stakeholders
making sense of their work. Also they don't have "the last say" on what
will be in portfolio. Artistic portfolio represents artist's best work from
the artist's point of view, right. Not so for student's portfolio.
The implications are that portfolio become very different boundary objects
in art practices and in school especially regarding issue of power, agency,
and ownership. This is very interesting!
What do you think?
Eugene
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bonnie Nardi [mailto:nardi@research.att.com]
> Sent: Friday, February 26, 1999 7:13 PM
> To: xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu
> Subject: RE: Portfolio Assessment
>
>
> As part of my research, I have studied graphic artists who do
> animations and
> other graphics. They create a "reel" which is a kind of portfolio
> to show to
> prospective clients. It's a tool of collaboration.
>
> The client evaluates the portfolio to see whether the artist's work is the
> kind of thing they want. Artists invest a lot in the reel,
> sometimes taking
> low-paying jobs that will give them better material for the reel,
> and so forth.
>
> Portfolios are out there as part of collaborative work. Perhaps they are
> what Leigh Star would call a boundary object, to help connect people in
> appropriate ways, and to avoid inappropriate connections.
>
> I just interviewed a visual designer to help me with some software
> prototyping. The designer brought an extensive portfolio along,
> and we spend
> an enjoyable hour watching videos and looking at paper graphics. I was
> evaluating the material to see if the quality was what I'm
> looking for, and
> to see if the general approach matches the needs of my group.
>
> The portfolio represents the designer's accumulated work which has been
> evaluated countless times in countless ways. Our use of the
> material was one
> instantiation of its use an a means of communication and evaluation. The
> designer was justifiably extremely proud of the portfolio.
>
>
> ------
>
>
>
> Bonnie A. Nardi
> Research Scientist
> AT&T Labs West
> 75 Willow Road
> Menlo Park, CA 94025
> (650) 463-7064
> nardi who-is-at research.att.com
> fax:(650) 327-3796
> www.best.com/~nardi/default.html
>