ap art sustained investigation essay examples

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How to Build an AP 2D Art Portfolio (Sustained Investigation Resource)

Updated: Jan 16, 2023

"What type of crop do you want to grow?"

Before the art portfolio was changed, the writing wasn't graded. The images also needed to "look" like they all belonged together--they were a concentration of images. The works needed to look like they were a wheel . For instance, a student could go out and take a whole bunch of images, pick out the best, and probably get a 4 or 5. I had a student go photograph an abandoned house, select the best viewpoints and compositions, and she received a 5.

Now, the concentration has changed to a sustained investigation . The final works need to look like a tree . The inquiry statement is the "seed" planted, and the tree growth and branches are the works that grow from the seed. The final slides need to show process, experimentation, and revision. Instead of a student photographing an abandoned house one time, they would need to explore a question of why the abandoned house? What about abandoned houses is important to you? They would possibly explore multiple abandoned houses, the same abandoned house at different times of day or season, etc. There would need to be exploration.

In addition to the tree visual, I use the garden analogy to break down a sustained investigation to my students. The old portfolio was the best peaches you could grow. The new portfolio wants to see the peach pit, the best peaches, and the peach jam. They want to see what you did to get to that perfect recipe of jam...did you have to revise the amount of sugar added? Why did you use the type of sugar you used?

If my garden analogy has lost you...

Here's the fun language off the College Board website instead:

Sustained Investigation Overview:

Building the Sustained Investigation Section:

Select 15 images or slides that demonstrate your inquiry-based sustained investigation of materials, processes , and ideas . The artworks/slides must show practice, experimentation, and revision.

Images must also demonstrate skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas.

Note that there is no preferred or unacceptable material, process, idea, style, or content.

When uploading images for submission, each image must identify the following:

Materials used (100 characters maximum, including spaces)

Processes used (100 characters maximum, including spaces)-- WHAT design processes did you take to create the artwork? Ex: WHY did you use red? Did you use red to create the emotion of anger? Don't make the same mistake I did my first year, I thought processes were HOW they created the artwork...

Dimensions (height x width x depth, in inches). For work that is flat, enter 0 for depth. For images that document process or show detail, enter NA. For digital and virtual work, enter the size of the intended visual display.

In my APSI trainings, I've seen some really low skilled portfolios get 3's because their writing matched their slides. I have also seen some top-notch skilled portfolios get 3's because their writing did NOT match their slides.

In a nutshell, 3's are much easier to score, but 5's are more difficult to attain. To earn a 5, you MUST have top notch 2D skills that show process, experimentation, and revision in your slides along with your written evidence that EXPLAINS said process, experimentation, and revision.

Process: These are NOT progress images. Photographing a painting from start to finish is not what type of process the portfolio is looking for.

The process is anything specific that is important to how the final piece was created. visual journal pages, behind the scenes images, research, etc., experimentation: did the piece have experimentation of different mediums or times of day that the photograph had to be taken, revision: did you change the final product afterwards, student slide examples: scores of 4's and 5's.

Practice, Experimentation, Revision: How did you grow your peaches? What didn't work the first round? What did you change?

Processes Example(s):

Photography Processes Examples: Processes state what design elements are present in images as well as what process was important in creating the images, including journal entries.

Processes Exhibiting Synthesis of Materials: How do the materials used relate to the inquiry?

The window being displayed on a TV, it symbolizes the false realities one creates and feels trapped.

Written Evidence Example(s): Written evidence MUST match what portfolio slides illustrate. Writing is not docked on grammar or spelling , nor is writing docked on the "depth" of the inquiry. Directly referring to specific slides is not required, but I highly recommend doing this for clarity.

MAKE SURE YOU WRITE PLAIN AS DAY . THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR "FLUFFY AND POETIC" RAMBLINGS. WRITE EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID AND HOW THE ARTWORKS SHOW PROCESS, EXPERIMENTATION, AND REVISION.

I also show my students part of my own sustained investigation in my artistic practice. My style and process changes as my relationship with my daughter evolves as she grows.

Check back for more examples, elaborations, and the breakdown of the Selected Works section as well!

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• AP Portfolio

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Sustained Investigations

Introduction.

Sustained Investigations account for 60% of the AP Portfolio score, and focus on artworks that demonstrate inquiry though “practice, experimentation, and revision” over time. Part-way through the first semester you will complete and submit a Sustained Investigation Project Proposal , which will identify the nature of your sustained investigation in terms of common themes, materials, ideas, and processes that you will pursue within your body of works. You will submit fifteen images total in this category for the portfolio, along with a written statement indicating the ideas, materials, and processes used in each work.

Each image you submit in this category does not necessarily have to be a unique artwork : you may, for example, submit images that document process or detail, or in some cases have two or three images that document practice, experimentation, and revision. Ideally, you will submit 5 to 10 different artworks in this category. The biweekly progress checks you complete for this course are intended to help you curate material for this section of the exam.

An official rubric for the Sustained Investigation section for all 3 AP portfolios can be viewed at right or in situ here (pp. 5-7).

Examples of Sustained Investigation Submissions

As per the above rubric, the maximum number of points one can score on the Sustained Investigation section of the AP Portfolio is 12, with 3 points possible in each of the following categories:

Practice/Experimentation/Revision

Materials/Processes/Ideas

2D/3D/Drawing Art and Design

All sample portfolios (including lower scoring portfolios) can be found in the following links:

2D ART & DESIGN

3D ART & DESIGN

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13+ Dazzling AP Art Portfolio Examples (Plus Tips for Creating Them)

Show them what you’ve got!

Creating an Advanced Placement (AP) art portfolio can be a challenging task for high school students. But it’s also an exciting opportunity to show off their talents. It requires creativity, planning, and a thorough understanding of the requirements set by the College Board. AP art students are typically passionate about art and design, but they’re also often overwhelmed by the portfolio’s complexity. Read on to learn more about the College Board’s current portfolio requirements and scoring criteria, as well as to get tips for creating portfolios, examples of high-scoring AP art portfolios, and insights from the students who created them.

AP Art and Design Portfolio Requirements

The current version of the Advanced Placement (AP) Art and Design Portfolio consists of two sections: Sustained Investigation (60% of total score) and Selected Works (40% of total score). While the previous version required 24 artworks, the current one requires just 15. Until recently, there was a breadth section that demonstrated student range and provided an opportunity for working with different mediums. The intent with Sustained Investigation is to demonstrate practice, experimentation, and revision through a number of images that seek to answer an inquiry chosen by the artist. While students can submit solely finished artworks, they can also include revision and process images as seen with many AP art portfolio examples. The Selected Works portion consists of five high-quality artworks.

There is also a writing requirement, which includes an artist statement of 1,200 words split into two 600-word sections. Additionally, artists have 100 characters to explain the process behind each work and 100 characters to explain the materials used.

While there have been changes to the AP art portfolio requirements in recent years, older, successful portfolios still provide valuable insights.

AP Art and Design Portfolio Scoring

The portfolio, which can be 2D, 3D, or drawing, is submitted digitally and scored from 5 (extremely well qualified) to 1 (no recommendation). A score of 4 is considered well qualified, a score of 3 is qualified, and a score of 2 is possibly qualified. Previous versions of the AP portfolio scoring had different ranges and went up to a high score of 6. A portfolio provides students the opportunity to earn college credit while showing off their talent. The collection of finished artworks and images should demonstrate students’ grasp of design and art concepts while also showing the full range of their abilities. A student’s portfolio should definitely show relationships between materials, processes, and ideas. It will also include written evidence of these things. Check out our tips and AP art portfolio examples before getting started.

Top Tips for Creating an AP Art Portfolio

• Don’t be afraid to revisit artworks.
• Pay careful attention to composition.
• Don’t be afraid to abandon an artwork if it isn’t working.
• Refer to apstudents.collegeboard.org/art-designprogram for the most up-to-date information.
• Show your development as an artist.
• Develop your sustained investigation and theme.
• Take some risks.

Examples From Successful Portfolios

1. a perfect 6.

A perfect score on the AP Art Portfolio is very rare but not completely unattainable. Although difficult, student Ratthamnoon Prakitpong earned every possible point in the different sections of his drawing portfolio. Prakitpong gives loads of good advice while providing examples, including before-and-after examples of different artwork. He also recommends drawing inspiration from unexpected places.

Learn more: AP Studio Art Drawing Portfolio: Tips from a Student Who Gained 100%

2. A 3D Compilation

This video compilation shows a wide variety of finished 3D artworks but also includes photos showing Cyan D’Anjou’s process. D’Anjou said that most of the concentration section of her portfolio was developed during her final year of high school. In today’s portfolio, this would be akin to the Sustained Investigation portion.

3. A Strong Theme

Once student Alina Rhoadarmer chose childhood memories as the theme for her AP art portfolio, she was able to set out creating a wide variety of artworks that fit that topic. Rhoadarmer explained, “I was constantly developing and redeveloping my question and reinterpreting my topic to create new art pieces.”

Learn more: 2020-2021 AP Art Portfolio Showcase ADVERTISEMENT

4. Digital Painting Concentration

This is an example of a 2D AP art portfolio with more of a commercial focus since it centers around character creation and development. Although there are a wide variety of platforms for digital painting, this particular artist used Ibis paint, incredibly, on her iPhone. The artist created many different types of characters and environments, including variations on Thomas Edison. The portfolio expresses the story and concept of the characters while also demonstrating the artist’s range and ability.

5. Three Portfolios, One Artist

While a video compilation of an AP art portfolio is helpful, a video including three is even better! First, we see artworks from a 2D portfolio submitted in 2015 during their junior year. Next, we see a portfolio for drawing from the artist’s senior year. Finally, we see their 2D portfolio from their senior year. Although difficult to do, all three of these portfolios scored a 5 (strong).

6. Artworks With Explanations

Artist/student Conan Gray does a nice job showing his artwork while providing his rationale for each image. Since a still-life can fall flat, Gray recommends incorporating meaning and shares an example of his own still-life that succeeds at that.

7. 2D Photography Example

These images are from a perfect score AP 2D Art and Design portfolio. This artist explores the animal world through photography. As with any good AP art portfolio examples, there is a clear mastery of the chosen medium as well as consistency in theme throughout the works.

Learn more: AP Art Portfolio (score 5)

8. A Perfect Score on a Drawing Portfolio

The artist in this video provides helpful tips and examples for obtaining a perfect score on the drawing portfolio while also being hilarious. This artist used 11 completed works in her Sustained Investigation portion and 4 more revision and process images to round out the required 15 images. She provides helpful tips like using your best works toward the beginning and end and putting your least favorite works in the middle.

Examples of Sustained Investigation

9. theme: femininity and masculinity through the 20th century.

This Sustained Investigation is particularly effective since it not only explores gender but the expression of gender throughout different moments in the 20th century.

Learn more: AP Art Studio

10. Theme: Negative and Positive Effects of Social Media on Self-Esteem

This artist explored the negative and positive consequences of social media on self-esteem. They used color to express positive effects while a lack of color clearly indicates the negative consequences.

11. Theme: Feeling Comfortable vs. Uncomfortable

Looking at artworks on a given theme is helpful, but having the artist explain their processes and ideas is even better. Artist Karina Singh does a wonderful job of explaining her use of composition and materials to explore her topic of being comfortable versus being uncomfortable. Her work shows a thorough exploration of a theme with ideas ranging from female sexuality, COVID, and family to environmental waste.

12. Theme: Nonverbal Communication

Artist/student Sophie Miller chose nonverbal communication for her Sustained Investigation so she could draw “with elevated contrast.” According to the artist, at least half of her drawing time was done during a free period or at home. Her theme is made undeniably clear through her drawings of people with intense facial expressions and hand gestures.

Learn more: AP Art Students Complete Their Portfolios

13. Theme: Phobias

This artist chose a topic that certainly allowed for endless possibilities of subject matter. He showed his range by creating images that represented different phobias while utilizing different materials and mediums.

Learn more: AP Studio Art Concentration Portfolio (Phobias)

Other Ideas for Sustained Investigation

• Abandonment of people and places
• Evolution of illness
• Human influence on the environment
• Effects of social media
• Reflections on  various surfaces
• Close-ups (food, body parts, etc.)
• Effect of corporate advertising on human psyche
• Painting friends in different historical eras
• Modernization of famous fairy tales
• Woodcuts based on Japanese printmaking
• Found-object sculptures
• Exploration of clothing across cultures

Examples of Low-Scoring Portfolios

Seeing examples of high-scoring and well-flushed-out portfolios is helpful, but it can also be useful to see examples of what not to do. The AP College Board posts examples of low-scoring portfolios while including the rationale behind the scores. See below for some examples of portfolios that only scored a 1.

• 2D Portfolio Example 1/AP Central/College Board
• 2D Design Portfolio Example 2/AP Central/College Board
• AP Central/College Board/Sustained Investigation

You can also find examples of complete portfolios that scored high on the 2022 portfolio exam as well as more scoring commentaries at the AP Central College Board website .

Check out our Art & Creativity page for art lesson ideas and activities!

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Sustained Investigation

✦ AP 3D Design Portfolio ✦

What is the sustained investigation.

CollegeBoard defines the Sustained Investigation section of the AP Portfolio as "a body of related works that demonstrate an inquiry-based sustained investigation of materials, processes, and ideas through practice, experimentation, and revision." This involves choosing a unique and personal topic that will be the guiding force behind your portfolio for the next nine months. In the end, you will submit 15 images of your art and its creation. In addition, there is a writing portion in order to delve into your topic and experiences. Below is all of the art and writing I submitted for the Sustained Investigation, portion along with some descriptions and added information.

✦ Written Evidence ✦

Identify the question(s) or inquiry that guided your sustained investigation: (600 character max).

As a lifelong bookworm, I explored the question: What lessons, morals, and skills have books given or taught me? They have given me comfort past my bedtime, allowed me to see new perspectives, helped me accept and embrace change, allowed me to dream big, shown me to find light in the darkness, given me a community and home, challenged my identity, made space for cultivating new ideas, and help me to picture a better future. This portfolio is an ode to the pages that have helped write me into who I am today.

Describe how your sustained investigation shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision guided by your question(s) or inquiry: (600 character max)

The motif of my portfolio is books as a medium and symbol. Pushing paper's limits, my work has eight kinds of paper folding techniques, from basic pleating to complex origami. As an origami creator, I created my own patterns and altered well-known ones like a butterfly and crane. Wanting to add color, I initially used tea to dye the 1st piece. However, it was too weak, so I used colored inks and tested different ways to apply it throughout the pieces, including spray guns, dipping, and brushes. Experimental light was used inside of pages to create a glow or even burn the pages themselves.

✦ Sustained Investigation ✦

All Subjects

4.2 Sustained Investigation Rubric

6 min read • june 18, 2024

Sherry Ross

Scoring Rubric for Sustained Investigation

Requirements and prompts.

Submit 15 images that demonstrate:

Sustained Investigation through  practice, experimentation, and revision (P,E,R)

Sustained Investigation of  materials , processes , and ideas

Synthesis  of materials, processes, and ideas

2D/3D/ Drawing skills (depending on the type of portfolio submitted) State the following in writing:

Identify the  Inquiry or Question(s) that guided your Sustained Investigation

Describe how your Sustained Investigation  shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision GUIDED BY your Inquiry or Question(s) . (1200 characters maximum, including spaces, for a response to both prompts) Questions that guide the Sustained Investigation are typically **formulated at the beginning of portfolio development.**Students should formulate their Inquiry or Question(s) based on their own experiences and ideas. These guiding questions should be documented and further developed throughout the Sustained Investigation.

Scoring Criteria - Let's break it down! 🤔

Row A deals with your  Inquiry , "the process of asking questions in order to seek, to search, and to discover". As you can see, this score point assesses whether or not you IDENTIFY an inquiry and if your work is a visual answer to the inquiry.

For instance, if the inquiry identified is "How can I use the translucent properties of oil paint to represent the beautiful variety of skin tones through underlying colors in portraits of POC?", possible points could be broken down like this:

1 pt: You state your inquiry (Guiding Question) and your visual evidence was unrelated paintings in various media. There might be a portrait in there, there might be an oil, there might be a POC, however, they aren't ALL aligned with your inquiry. You didn't support or demonstrate the inquiry statement with the visual evidence. Alternatively, you don't give an actual INQUIRY, but possibly just wrote something like "I wanted to get better in my art".

2 pts: You IDENTIFY the inquiry and may show art that doesn't necessarily showcase portraits of POC, maybe it's all portraits - but not all POC or all done in oil. It relates but doesn't ANSWER your question. The visual evidence demonstrates awareness and an attempt at showing the inquiry but is not entirely successful.

3 pts: You IDENTIFY the inquiry, and it is clearly evident that the question GUIDED all of the work. Your visual evidence SUPPORTS the idea of the inquiry - there are all oil paintings of POC. but there might be  uneven success  - this means some of the work might be of a better/lesser caliber than others.

Row A counts for 12% of your overall score and is represented by "SI-A" in the self-grading formula above.

Row B deals with Practice, Experimentation, and Revision (P,E,R)

• Practice—the repeated use of materials, processes, and/or ideas
• Experimentation—TESTING materials, processes, and/or ideas
• Revision—making a purposeful change, connection, or improvement Breaking down the score points, please notice Row B seems to dovetail nicely with Row A. If you don't have a sustained investigation (guided by inquiry), you can't practice, experiment, or revise it. Make sense? 😉 😎 For the example above, the things you might address for this row would be things like mixing shades, practicing applying paint in a  glazing technique (building up thin layers of paint to create depth), trying underpainting , posed vs. candid portraits, different compositions and backgrounds, etc.

1 pt: You DO SHOW any or all of the P, E, R, but your work does not show a sustained investigation. Using the example inquiry given for row A, you might have tried a variety of techniques but say you did a variety of paintings - maybe portraits, landscapes or still life, and they might not be in oil.... so it doesn't tie to your Sustained Investigation.

2 pts: Your P, E, or R relates to the SI (notice that you have an SI here, which differs from point 1) AND your written evidence RELATES to your visual evidence. So you have the SI, and it is tied to your visual evidence, similar to the Row A score point 2. So you have an idea, you tried some stuff, but it's still not solid. Example - You try creating different skin tones, but they aren't for POC, it relates.... but it's not the evidence you need for what you wrote.

3 pts: Your P, E, or R is not only obvious but what you learned from it DRIVES the work and you are able to articulate it in the written evidence. Your P.E.R all aligns with and revolves around the different ways you used of oil paint to create varied portraits of POC.

Row B counts for 18% of your overall score and is represented by "SI-B" in the self-grading formula above.

Row C deals with the Materials, Processes, and Ideas (M, P, I).

• Materials—Physical substances used to make works of art and design
• Processes—Physical AND  conceptual  (thought, planning, organizing, etc) activities involved with making works of art and design
• Ideas—Concepts used to make works of art and design (that can be evident virtually or in writing) For this score point, you need to show how you conceptualized the work, what you used to help plan or visualize it, and the physical media you chose to create it.

1 pt:  Little to NO  evidence that M, P, and I work together. So, if you just "paint stuff" - that is the use of a material(M). Simplistic, right? 🤔 It doesn't show that you planned or picked (P) painting for any reason other than you just wanted to paint (no idea). There's nothing tying everything together except a media.

2 pts: Visual relationships between M, P, and I become  evident . Here, let's say you created those same paintings (M) of different things but added sketchbook evidence showing you tried different things as well. That becomes a process (P). You are showing the relationship of M and P visually.

3 pts: The evidence supports that ALL THREE (M, P, and I) components are working together as a result of your choices. This is SYNTHESIS. So, for this.... you created paintings (M), you used your sketchbook (P), and then decided to make them all portraits (Idea - following your SI guided question)

Row C counts for 18% of your total score and is represented by "SI-C" in the self-grading formula above.

Row D deals with your skills. You may review those skills here  2D/Draw or  3D . Please note that this is the only portion of this rubric that really addresses how well you actually DO the art. The majority of this rubric is about how well you THINK, EXPLORE, EXPERIMENT, and REVISE your guiding question. It cannot be understated how important it is that the guiding question comes first, as all SI work should spring from it! 🙌🏽

1 pt:  Rudimentary  (emerging or underdeveloped) skills. Be honest with yourself. If you need to improve, get to work. You can do it! 👍🏽

2 pts:  Moderate  (adequate) and  good  (proficient) skills. Lots of work falls here. Remember, it's a range in each band and this one tends to be big.

3 pts:  Good  (proficient) and  advanced  (highly developed) skills. Like other bands, place yourself where the majority of the work scores!

Row D counts for 12% of your total score. SI - D for the above formula.

Hopefully, this will help you score your work as you go, identify your strengths and weaknesses, using the rubric, to create the best portfolio possible. 🙌🏽 🥰 🎨

Sustained Investigation Examples🥳

Here are some examples provided by the College Board. Practice using the rubric to evaluate them, since you will know the score - it's a great way to see if you grasp the rubric and to figure out what parts confuse you. At the end of each example, the give a rationale about why that work received the score.

As you practice with these examples, it's important for you to remember several things.

• These are designed to demonstrate score points and there is a broad range of achievement within each band.
• They are not listed so you can copy the work. This work is already created. You need to create the work only YOU CAN CREATE. 🥰. Show the what is important to YOU.
• Do NOT compare yourself to these works. Artists come in all different skill levels, work across many media, and deal with different ideas. Don't feel that your work is less than any work shown..... it's just different. Different is good! 🙌🏽 💯 🎨  Drawing Examples

📸  2D Examples

🏺  3D Examples

Key Terms to Review ( 13 )

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Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

AP Studio Art - Beginning the Sustained Investigation

Hannah Cone Follow

Document Type

Instructional Material

Publication Date

Summer 7-28-2019

This UbD unit is intended for use in AP Studio Art classes and guides students through the process of developing ideas for their Sustained Investigations. Beginning the 2019-2020 school-year, all AP Studio Art courses will revolve entirely around the Sustained Investigation. This is a year-long, extended exploration of a student-generated topic of inquiry. By the end of the year, students must submit 15 images of work with coherent focus and demonstrate: practice, experimentation, and revision.

In this unit, students will learn what series are and why artists create works in series. Students will develop and refine ideas for their own series, create and present proposals for their own inquiry topics, and share feedback with one another. This unit can be adapted to introduce a long-range series of artworks in non-AP upper-level art courses.

Repository Citation

Cone, Hannah, "AP Studio Art - Beginning the Sustained Investigation" (2019). Understanding by Design: Complete Collection . 451. https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/educ_understandings/451

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Sustained Investigation: Images

For information on how to create and choose artwork for this portfolio section, visit  Sustained Investigation Overview.

The Sustained Investigation section has two components: Images and Written Evidence. You can start uploading images in the Images tab as soon as you access the AP Digital Portfolio. You can always delete, add, or rearrange images later.

Important things to remember:

• Select  Save  before exiting or switching from one portfolio component to another.
• Only select  Submit Final when   you’re ready to submit the portfolio component as final to the AP Program for scoring. Once it’s submitted, you can’t make edits unless your teacher returns your portfolio component to you before the AP Program submission deadline. 

Instructions

1. open the sustained investigation page and select the images tab..

You’ll see a template containing boxes with fields for information.

2. Upload images

To upload an image, choose a box in the template and either drag your image into the box or click  Upload .

3. Enter the materials and processes for each image.

Identify the following for each image: 

• Materials used (100 characters maximum, including spaces). 
• Processes used (100 characters maximum, including spaces). 
• Dimensions (height x width [x depth, if applicable], in inches). For work that is flat, enter 0 for depth, if applicable. For images that document process or show detail, enter NA. For digital and virtual work, enter the size of the intended visual display.
• Image citation (100 characters maximum, including spaces). Provide proper attribution and/or citation of all pre-existing material. Formal APA or MLA citations are not required.

4. Replace or remove images as needed.

To replace an image of a work, drag and drop or click Upload and select the new image file. To remove a work entirely from your Sustained Investigation section, including the materials and processes, click  Clear All X .

5. Reorder images as needed.

To rearrange your images, change the work number value under Work , or click in the Reorder tab and drag the images into your preferred order.  

6. Review your work.

Click on the Gallery tab to review a slideshow of your images, including the information you’ve entered for each image. 

7. Remember to save changes before leaving.

Select Save before moving to another portfolio component. 

8. Come back to this tab to view or edit your images.

You can make changes any time before you submit this portfolio component as final.

Sign In to the AP Digital Portfolio

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Green and Gray

2020-2021 AP Art Students’ Sustained Investigations

Matea Beadle '21 , Editor March 1, 2021

  Berkshire offers a wide array of Advanced Placement (AP) level courses across academic areas, including the arts. Usually after two or three years of classes in their area of interest, students have the opportunity to move into the AP Art curriculum. Unlike other AP classes, AP Art students do not have an exam administered by The College Board at the end of the year. Instead, students turn in a portfolio of 15 pieces based around their sustained investigation that is graded on the 5 point scale. 

  The sustained investigation is a common idea or story explored by the students in their art, all of which are connected by an overarching idea. Their pieces are meant to show the story of the students progress throughout the year as they explore different media, themes, concepts, styles, and more in their art. This year there are 17 students in the AP Art program, split between 2D studio art, 3D design, digital art and design, and photography. These are the breakdowns of each student’s sustained investigations.

AP 2D Studio Art

Bowen Kittredge ’21: “The mental progression I have made in the recovery from my latest concussion, and what I have learned about myself and the world around me during this time.”

Gavin Lui ’21: Portraying emotions

Cora Brennan ’21: Dreamlike embodiment of feelings

Rachel Boardman ’ 21 : Body image issues in charcoal

Ivanna Lagur ’21: a glimpse of the apocalypse

Michelle Rhee ’21: Pressure

Matea Beadle ’21: Humans and Nature

AP 3D Studio Art (Ceramics and Sculpture)

Mimi Arriaga ’21: “The impact of an abusive relationship on a woman through the usage of symbolism and expression, while exploring mixed media as a means to see this never endless cycle of pain and ‘happiness.’”

Emily Bouvier ’21: Health and Diseased organs in clay

AP Digital Art and Design

Wakaba Aihara ’22: Social issues in the real and virtual worlds

John Fiore ’21: Mock soccer league

McKenzie Doyle ’21: Sneaker culture

AP Photography

Ava Cappella ’21: Relationships 

Hollis Churchill ’21: Identity through photo process

Rylan Kennedy ’21: Time and Age

Marco Wilson ’21: Isolation

Grace Wood-Hull ’21: Grids

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