AP DRAWING
Sallie Thoroman
Mom Said We Have Food at Home
Columbia High School, Maplewood, New Jersey, USA
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Height: 24”, Width: 36” | Idea(s): Lack of appetite when looking within the fridge, emphasized by the muted cool color palette. | Material(s): gouache, colored pencil, white gel pen | Process(es): Used blue underpainting to bring out cool tones; cut paintings to size and connected to fridge | Curatorial Note: A highly developed painting that thoughtfully explores how muted color can influence appetite. The work demonstrates strong control of light and shade, spatial depth, and surface texture, transforming a familiar setting into an emotionally subdued and visually compelling environment.
STUDENT STATEMENT
Does your art connect to or take inspiration from any past or present art styles, techniques, or traditions? If yes, how?
My work draws heavily from realism in painting, but I wanted to take a slightly different approach to this than I usually would have by shifting the colors of the objects toward a bluer color palette and incorporating my paintings into the physical object of the fridge.
Which elements of art were most important in this artwork, and how did you use them to communicate your ideas?
I was really interested in pushing shape and form with this artwork. I wanted to do something beyond painting a fridge on a conventional canvas, so I chose to incorporate an actual minifridge into my work by using it as the base for a collection of smaller paintings. I set up a scene within the actual fridge, and recreated it in one larger painting attached over the doorframe, along with a group of smaller paintings that I cut to the size and shape of the actual objects and placed inside the shelves of the door. I think this helped me express the idea I wanted to convey with this piece—that the fridge was filled with food that felt thoroughly unappealing to eat.
Which principles of design guided your choices in this artwork, and why?
I wanted to focus heavily on color. I was looking back at a computer graphics course I had taken in my first year of high school, where we learned about how graphic designers used the psychology of color in logo design for restaurants. Warm colors are considered colors that stimulate appetite, while cool colors, especially blue, are known to suppress appetite. I wanted to incorporate these ideas into my artwork, using the color blue to suppress appetite and express the feeling of looking into a fridge full of food and finding nothing appetizing.
Material(s): Graphite, colored pencil, gouache | Process(es): sketching different ideas, trying under painting and playing with color schemes, practicing gouache
Living with sensory processing issues, I am acutely aware of how our senses can shape how we view the world around us, for better or worse. This led me to explore how color can be used to influence appetite, or how juxtaposition can depict contrasting attitudes towards food.
In what ways did your confidence in art making grow during AP Art and Design?
Being surrounded by other artists and makers in a classroom setting helped me view myself as a legitimate part of an artistic community and learn to take myself, my skills, and my ideas seriously.
What kinds of critiques and feedback did you receive in AP Art and Design, and how did they help you strengthen your use of design and/or drawing skills?
My teacher would meet with us regularly to review our progress and discuss our ideas, which was so helpful for conceptualizing and improving pieces during the process. We would also have group critiques with our peers after our work was complete, which was so beneficial for learning where to improve and develop my portfolio and future pieces.
What advice would you share with future AP Art and Design students about building drawing and/or design skills?
Don’t be afraid of critique. Seek out and use feedback from anyone and everyone; it is invaluable to your growth, but also know when to trust your own intuition and ideas over others’ suggestions.
TEACHER STATEMENT
Alexandra Paholke
Teacher
Columbia High School
How often did your class meet?
Students meet daily for 45-minute class periods. Students also have the opportunity to work in the art studio during their study hall, their lunch hours, and our “zero” period, where teachers hold office hours for students to seek support in their classes.
Is AP Art and Design taught at your school as a separate course, or is it combined with other art classes?
It is a separate course.
Please describe the structure of your AP Art and Design course.
Our AP Art course is mixed between junior and senior high school students. Students apply for the course via a portfolio. Their portfolios are evaluated by the AP Art teacher and scored using the College Board scoring rubric as a guide. Students are selected based on their scores. There are no prerequisite courses required for entry into AP.
How did you guide students in developing and refining their inquiry statements and portfolio direction during their Sustained Investigations?
Students have weekly and biweekly reviews with the teacher and with each other, not just on their artwork but also on their inquiry. I ask students to get opinions from each other on whether their artwork is legible to a broader audience, whether their inquiry and investigation are apparent, and how to plan for their experimentation. Students are encouraged to research artists and materials that will enhance the meaning of their work and to think outside of the box.
How did you use critiques and peer interaction to support growth in both Sustained Investigations and preparation for Selected Works?
Students have biweekly group critiques in small groups, with the teacher as facilitator. Students also have weekly reviews with their teacher. The combination of small-group and one-on-one critiques provides critical support and allows students to learn from and be inspired by each other.
How did you manage classroom resources and materials to support art making?
I believe in accessibility of materials. When I was first hired, I spent time after school painting and organizing all of the cabinetry in my classroom. The result is that I no longer use a backroom supply closet; instead, all materials are neatly labeled and AP students have access to the materials as they need them, without having to ask my permission. This has allowed students to more freely experiment with materials unfamiliar to them and created a sense of belonging in the classroom.
What did you learn from working with your students, and how did you connect their learning to real-world opportunities or creative careers?
Working with my students, I continually learn about their world—what matters to them, their experiences, what they hope the future will be like, and how they want to shape it. In order to provide them with real-world opportunities and experiences, I have worked with local galleries to provide opportunities for students to showcase their work in professional exhibitions. I also worked with our booster organization to raise money for scholastic arts competitions, making it so that we could pay for the entry fees. By working to increase access to these opportunities, one of my students received the prestigious American Visions Award and had their work showcased at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I also have held portfolio review days and worked with a local artists organization for adult volunteers who work in the arts to review student portfolios.
What advice would you offer to other AP Art and Design teachers?
Think beyond the portfolio, and seek to enrich students’ art experiences beyond the rubric. When you provide students with real-world opportunities, the experimentation and introspection that are valued in the portfolio process will naturally occur.
PRINCIPAL STATEMENT
Frank Sanchez
Principal
Columbia High School
What makes you most proud of your school’s AP Art and Design program and its impact on your students and teacher(s)?
Columbia High School is so incredibly proud of our student Sallie Thoroman and her AP Art and Design teacher, Mrs. Alexandra Paholke. Our Fine & Performing Arts Department is an incredible program that has graduated incredible students who are now professional artists. That is because our teachers bring in local artists to provide masterclasses, and we provide an environment of radical creativity. We know Sallie is going to do great things, and we are proud that her work is being highlighted by the College Board.
What actions or priorities have you implemented to strengthen visual arts programming at your school?
Our teachers have attended many College Board workshops, and they have used the great resources available in AP Classroom.
What advice would you share with other school leaders about building and sustaining strong AP Art and Design programs?
We have started to separate all of our AP Art and Design classes so teachers and students can specifically focus on their program. We will be starting 3-D Art and Design next year!
Sallie Thoroman