Students showcased their artwork to colleges from around the country to get feedback at an event on Thursday night.

The Art Department hosted the event, where students showed their work to about a dozen admissions officers from colleges like Frostburg State University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Moore University in Pennsylvania.

“The students who are in the show get the opportunity to talk to … the transfer advisors, but it’s very much a two-way street,” said Fiona Enser, a second-year graphic web design student who displayed artwork at the event. “It’s not really an application. It’s more like being able to meet people and get their email and learn about what they do and being able to go further from there. So it’s kind of like a jumping-off point.”

The Art Department has hosted this event annually since 2013.

Laura Pasquini, who organized the portfolio night, said the goal of the event was to teach students what they can do in the art industry.

“What this event does is it teaches them the language of advocacy,” Pasquini, AACC’s visual arts navigator, said. “So many people have a misinformed view of the creative industry and careers that students can obtain in this industry.”

Sophie Dingman, a high school junior who attended the event, said the portfolio night would help her apply to colleges.

“It’s helpful to know what college admissions want,” Dingman said. “That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to come. And also just to, like, see other people’s art.”