AP 2-D ART AND DESIGN
Height: 15.5'', Width: 18'' | Idea(s): I like to understand how things work. | Material(s): pen and ink, colored ink wash, some digital | Process(es): Drew in black ink before taking ink wash (2ndary colors) over it, then did bit of digital cleaning | Digital Tool(s) used: Procreate | Curatorial Note: The bold lines and vibrant, layered color in this piece burst with energy, immediately pulling the viewer in. Even before the subject becomes clear, the visual experience is captivating—making the process of discovery as rewarding as the image itself. This is the kind of work that reminds us why art can be so exciting.
STUDENT STATEMENT
What inspired you to choose the inquiry (big idea or question) for your Sustained Investigation?
I underwent a double jaw surgery in August 2024. The recovery process was rather difficult for me, both physically and emotionally. The length of my recovery continued into the beginning of the school year, around the same time I began developing my inquiry. That September, I saw my post-operation X-rays. They made me think about how something’s inside structure affects its outside appearance. I decided to take inspiration from that when creating my inquiry for my Sustained Investigation.
How did your inquiry change, grow, or shift as you created more artwork?
My first few artworks for my inquiry were highly anatomical, from the wings of a bird in flight to the deconstructed parts of a pen. I became dissatisfied with how my inquiry was developing because I was relying on realism as a key part of my inquiry. I decided to expand my question’s scope to include the use of abstract concepts such as time, religious belief, or even the joy that a child might get from the insides of a carved jack-o’-lantern.
How does this artwork connect to the inquiry you explored in your sustained investigation?
I was inspired to create this work after attending an oyster boil in January 2025. This piece depicts a man on a dock, splitting open an oyster with a knife. Below him are more oysters, which are under the water where they belong. In this piece, I wanted to explore how oysters, while protected in their natural habitat from predation due to their hard exteriors, are still vulnerable to humans, who can crack them open and eat them. Even when their shells fail to perform their function, however, the oysters still serve a purpose. They become meals for those who eat them.
How did you revise or strengthen your written inquiry statement while building your portfolio?
When I first came up with my inquiry, it was, “How does internal structure affect external function?” Because of the way I abstracted the subjects of my artwork, I was forced to move away from the mechanical-sounding term “function” in my inquiry. Because I wanted to focus on the purpose of concepts, I changed it to, “How does internal structure affect a thing’s purpose?”
How did you make your short, written statements about each artwork (ideas, materials, process, citations) clearer so others could understand your intentions?
Because the character limit for the written statements was small, I used symbols instead of words in certain places. For example, “and,” “or,” and “with” became “&,” “/,” and “w/,” respectively. I wrote what materials I used in the order I used them. I also made sure to use specific verbs when describing my processes for each artwork. I tried to list words when I could.
In what ways did your art teacher support your growth as an artist?
I began the 2024-25 school year with a highly limited understanding of composition because my previous art classes did not prioritize theory. My teachers, Ms. Theiller and Mrs. Wu, guided me to experiment with movement in my work. I went from creating highly static compositions with a single focal point to creating artwork with a proper balance of negative and positive space and multiple focal points to lead the eye around the page or canvas. Mrs. Wu also placed heavy emphasis on planning out artworks, allowing me to really think about my inquiry question as it pertained to each artwork.
How did your school leaders (like your principal, assistant principal, or counselor) support you as an art student (for example, visiting your class, attending art shows, or talking with you about your goals)?
At my school, the principal and other faculty try to share student work with the rest of the campus. For example, there was an exhibition of student work in my school’s library for a month. Also, they had the photography and AP Art and Design students display their work in the showcase in the front office for any visitor to see.
What advice would you share with future AP Art and Design students about developing an inquiry?
To any future AP Art and Design students, please ask yourself, “What do I like?” What are your interests? Find your topic of interest and, only after that, you can develop it into an inquiry. This is crucial. Keep in mind that you will be creating up to fifteen art pieces in one year. Burnout is a real threat, but when you create what you like, it is less likely to be a problem for you. Art should be something you love to do. Think about what you love, and then you can artistically explore it in ways you would never have thought to do so before.
How does internal structure affect external function?
TEACHER STATEMENT
Jennifer Theiller Coombes
High School Visual Art Teacher
Myers Park High School
How often did your class meet?
We met every other day (alternating A/B day schedules), which meant either two or three times per week for an approximately 80-minute block of time. Most students taking AP Art and Design were also enrolled in a separate, second art elective class with either myself or another teacher.
Please describe the structure of your AP Art and Design Course.
The course runs as one section of AP Art and Design students only (not combined with other classes), but contains a mix of students who are completing all the portfolio types: 2-D, Drawing, and 3-D all in one group. Students can be in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade (mixed ages/levels). Some students may decide to take the course as the AP Drawing option during their 11th-grade year and 2-D Art and Design or 3-D Art and Design their 12th-grade year (or vice versa).
How did you guide students in developing and refining their inquiry statements and portfolio direction during their Sustained Investigations?
I work with students to have them generate a list of ideas, themes, or essential questions that interest them (typically, 10 to 15 different ideas). I then have them circle or indicate which ones they feel the most passionate about and have them start to generate any potential project ideas or visions they have for pieces along those ideas/themes. Usually one will emerge naturally that seems to hold the most possibility and viability. I think it’s important when conferencing with students about their ideas to have them consider their personal connection to that topic and why they are drawn to it. If students can find a strong personal connection to their inquiry topic, there is a very unique student voice that naturally emerges in their work, and things flow more easily in their exploration because of that authenticity. I think any time students can find a point of inquiry that is a filter for their personal experiences or perspectives, their investigations have so much more depth. The other thing I try to tell my students is not to stress out if they get partway through the year and realize they need to pivot in what they thought their inquiry was about (or if they have trouble choosing a direction). Sometimes students may get stuck or realize they need to change their inquiry because it’s too narrow/too broad, but if they look through their body of work, there does tend to be another theme or pattern that starts to emerge, and it becomes easier to reframe their inquiry with a fresh perspective, if needed.
How did you scaffold writing into students’ art making and thinking processes?
Students keep a process journal throughout the year, which includes written self-reflections for every piece and formal written art critiques of historical or contemporary artists using the four-step critical method (describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate). In their self-reflections, I ask them to explain the process of how they created their piece and reflect on how their choice of materials connects to their idea, what aspects they felt were most successful in their artwork, and what areas they would like to improve upon or wish they had done differently. These written assignments help students organize their thoughts and practice articulating their ideas. As students move toward completing the written sections of the AP portfolio, I have them write an initial draft, read their work aloud to a peer or small group, and then edit several times before submitting their final draft for the exam.
How did you use critiques and peer interaction to support growth in both Sustained Investigations and preparation for Selected Works?
The cohort of students taking AP Art and Design typically have known each other for several years through other art classes, and that does help because they have an established rapport with one another. My students typically sit at tables of three to four, and are often giving verbal feedback and suggestions to each other throughout the process of ideation and creation. When students are at a crossroads, feeling stuck or unable to decide between several compositional sketches, they will often ask each other for opinions. There’s a lot of opportunity for students to connect and interact during class time as they are making art. We typically will have a critique the day a piece is due (sometimes we will do in-progress critiques also), and students will give feedback to each other in small groups first, before coming together as a full class to discuss some of the key takeaways from their discussions. These full-class critique days are usually focused on work created for students’ Sustained Investigations, our main focus for the year. When it comes time to choose pieces for their Selected Works (closer to the exam deadline), students will conference with each other during class time, with me, and with other art teachers in the school to get a variety of feedback and select the works that represent their “best of the best.”
In what ways did you integrate digital tools or technology into students’ creative processes?
Some of my students enjoy working digitally with drawing tablets as something they’ve explored on their own outside of class, other students have digital skills from having taken a digital art elective course, and some students have never worked much with digital tools. Given the range, I work with students individually where they are at to further their skills. However, I try to show all my students that even if the end output is in a more traditional art media (such as acrylic or watercolor painting), they can still use technology in a variety of ways to support their craft. I demonstrate things such as improving the contrast and cropping of their reference photos or using programs such as Adobe Photoshop to do some rough composites of reference photos, which can help them with their compositional planning sketches. This helps all students learn to use technology as a tool in addition to exploring it as a media unto itself.
What advice would you offer to other AP Art and Design teachers?
Try to balance structure with creative freedom, and guide your students through questions that challenge them to stretch and explore as they investigate their topics. It helps to have students prepare either the year before or over the summer prior to the course to begin thinking about themes they may want to explore in their AP portfolios so they can dive in sooner once the course officially begins.
LEADERSHIP STATEMENT
Myers Park High School
What are you most proud of regarding your school’s AP Art and Desleadeign program, students, and teachers?
We have a committed team of art educators (10 total) who are passionate about their jobs and dedicated to the success of all students. Alden is a talented young artist with goals to continue her education at a university or college that prepares students for a creative profession.
What do you do to support visual arts programming in your school?
We offer visual arts courses to students beginning in the 9th grade. Through our visual arts, media arts, photography, and film programming, students can take as many as four classes in any one year, which is particularly helpful when creating portfolios. Our students can take beginning, intermediate, proficient, advanced, AP, and International Baccalaureate courses. Our teachers are well trained to support students at all levels between grades 9 and 12. Students served by our Exceptional Children and Multilingual Learner programs are encouraged to participate in art education coursework.
What is your advice to other school leaders on how to support an AP Art and Design program?
Hire talented and dedicated teachers and allow the teachers to have input in the master schedule. Some highly artistic students are not always able to fit one block or section into their schedule. Our teachers provide input on how their classes are scheduled. By doing so, they open more doors to students by creatively combining levels while creating unique opportunities for collaboration.
Alden Faherty