LOR, mix of studio professors and dept chair?

[jldstudio]

I know I want to ask for letters of recommendation from the two professors I had for my senior year studio classes. One is on sabbatical. Other than those two, I have a few others in mind. My department chair who I only had one seminar class with, but she was familiar with my work. A professor I had for two classes (art related and honors but not studio classes), and she is now a department chair at another university. (I get worried about asking department chairs, like they are going to be too busy.)

All of these professors would be from the sculpture department at VCU and I'm applying to interdisciplinary programs with a portfolio that is a mix between drawings, painting and sculpture.

I will probably ask all four professors. Even though I didn't take studio classes with all of them, I think it would be a strong group of people for LORs?

[silverhalide]

I would never write a recommendation for myself. Too much pressure. If a prof told me that, I would move on to the next one. lol

[ellsworthy]

Ugh I'm in the process of writing two of the three recommendations for myself. :-( So fun! One for a museum professional and another for a galleryist that I worked with. On the plus side, it does give you more autonomy over what is said about you and the type of relationship you have cultivated. I also think that writing recommendations is also just as much work so it is a nice gesture to them if you're willing to go ahead and start them and then have them edit it.

[jldstudio]

So far I've heard back with one yes, one no and one no answer at all. Time to send more emails.

It seems strange to me to be asked to write your own letter, but if I was a professor getting all those requests every year I might feel differently. :]

[losemygrip]

It's not totally unusual. A lot of artists hate this kind of work, so they just put the burden on you, the requestor. It suggests they think well enough of you that they're willing to say whatever you like (or that they care so little that it doesn't bother them). Thinking back on it, I believe my main recommender may have asked me to do this when I was applying to PhD programs in art history. It's less common in that field.

[kazoo]

Caus - I've been wondering about the importance of department chair, versus other faculty member for recommendations? If it makes a lot of a difference? I had the same worry for the chair being busy! Seems like you have plenty of good options!

I still haven't e-mailed anyone to ask yet. For some reason, asking for reference letters is one of the most stressful parts of applying to schools!

[losemygrip]

Do not ask a department chair for a reference letter unless s/he actually has good familiarity with you and/or your work. (And in a positive way, not because you were summoned in because of a problem.)