Putnam County High School had six students participate in the Advanced Placement (AP) 2D Art and Design program this year, including juniors Levi Piper and Kristina Xiong, with seniors Jonquail Coats, Abigail Hildreth, Dre’Shon Monday, and Evan Nipper.
“I am immensely proud of these students and the effort they put into their art. Not only did they grow and improve in the technical ability to make art, but also in their capacity to create a visual narrative to tell their own stories,” PCHS Visual Arts teacher Nancy Mason said.
The AP art program is designed to challenge high school students to create artwork at a college level and create a portfolio of 15 works, which follow a Sustained Investigation protocol that “demonstrate an inquiry-based sustained investigation of materials, processes, and ideas through practice, experimentation, and revision,” according to guidelines posted at collegeboard.org.
Additionally, by year’s end, AP art students submit five of their best works, with each portfolio graded on a scale of 0-5. Students can receive college credit if they score three or higher. Participants must also provide written explanations of materials, ideas, and processes applied. This process requires students to connect their visual art with deeper meaning while challenging them to develop a voice through the creative process.
All PCHS participants said the experience boosted their confidence in their artistic abilities, helped them hone and improve their skills, and provided a sense of pride in their works being displayed for people to appreciate.
“I was personally challenged by the deadlines as I’m a very slow worker, but it did help me fully commit to my ideas and see them through,” Evan said. “AP art allows me to be confident in myself and my ideas and produce meaningful pieces from it.”
Abigail said she was pleased to recognize how her artistic style changed throughout the course and in better learning how to create meaningful art.
“The most challenging part was describing my artwork and the meaning behind my pieces,” she said. “I feel like I have improved so much in both the quality of what I created and in the thought I put behind each piece. AP art will positively impact my future because it taught me how to plan each piece, which will transfer over to interior design, which is my goal career in the future.”
The AP art experience made Dre’Shon feel like he’s “grown as an artist.”
“I stepped out of my boundaries and did things I wouldn’t normally do, such as adding color to my artwork. Taking AP art has potentially impacted my future in a positive way,” he said. “It makes me more eager to see what other opportunities are out there for me to be a part of.”
Participating in this year’s AP art class also encouraged Jonquail to become more versatile through the use of color and improved his ability to depict human anatomy and facial structure, he said.
“The more I work on a piece, the more strengths I find. Taking AP art has made me a more creative and innovative thinker,” Jonquail said. “I’ve learned to make better quality while being efficient, and it’ll help me with the art minor that I’m going for.”
For Kristina, participating in the PCHS AP art program helped her learn how to use various media to depict and visually explain aspects of her Southeast Asia-rooted Hmong heritage and culture.
“I did not just want to show how bad my culture is, but I wanted to show my saddest and happiest moments within my culture. As an artist in AP, I found more information on gender inequality and Hmong culture topics on credible resources,” she explained.
“I did not grow up around my community, but I always had my parents and relatives willing to help me explore my identity. As a result, I learned to appreciate my beliefs and values. Not only has AP Art allowed me to communicate about my unknown culture, but it has allowed me to think critically and make decisions.”
For Levi, who has always enjoyed artistic endeavors, repeatedly being asked to produce thoughtful artwork was his biggest challenge.
“I learned how to become more efficient,” he said. “I think taking AP art will impact me in a good way for college.”
AP art teacher Mason said the immediate advantages of taking AP art include receiving college credit, creating a portfolio (an asset when applying to art school), skill enhancement, and standing out in college applications.
She added that exploring art forms also enhances creative thinking, problem-solving, and networking opportunities. Plus, studies have shown that students who take AP art are better prepared for college, even if they choose not to pursue art there.