Tomas Rodriguez Aviles

How often did your class meet?

Our class met four times a week.

By senior year, Tomas had already taken all of the AP courses that we offered. Together, we realized that, with his skills and desire to study art in college, we needed to create an AP version of the Art 3 course I was already teaching. As a trained sculptor, I knew that it was time for Tomas to push his creative voice by exploring the three-dimensional art world. Connecting him with my former university classmates and art friends, Tomas explored new techniques, like mold making and plaster gauze, to create his extremely strong portfolio.

In what ways did you structure opportunities for practice, experimentation, and revision into your curriculum?

In designing my curriculum, I built in multiple opportunities for practice by starting each project with skill builders and exploratory exercises—small studies in technique, sketches, introductions to diverse and contemporary artists pushing the needle in today's art world, and experiments with media—before asking students to create final pieces. I dedicated class time to experimentation, encouraging students to explore new materials, remix approaches they’d seen in artists’ works, and push boundaries without worrying about mistakes. For revision, I scaffolded reflection and feedback into every step: Students share early works in progress during peer critiques, receive written or verbal feedback from classmates and me, and then rework elements of composition, color, or concept in response. Over longer Sustained Investigations, I embed formal checkpoints—mid‐point reviews, revised drafts, and public presentations—to encourage iterative development. This structure helps students see that art making is not linear, that failure or change is a crucial part of growth, and that thoughtful revision often leads to stronger, more original and developed work.

How did you scaffold writing into students’ art making and thinking processes?

To scaffold writing within students’ art making and thinking, I first introduce visual and experiential prompts—images, textures, and/or materials—that spark ideas and invite descriptive responses. In initial stages, I provide structured support, such as sentence stems, to support our emerging bilingual students, special education students, and exceptional learners. I provide questions that ensure students demonstrate comprehension as well as consistent application, analysis, and synthesis (e.g., “What can you infer from the images?” “How do the elements of art [color, line, shape, value, texture, space, and form] make you feel?” “What story might this work tell about the artists, and how can you relate it to your own lived experiences?”). As students engage, I model thinking aloud, writing drafts that connect their visual observations with conceptual ideas and gradually moving from teacher‐led examples to co‐constructed pieces. Later, I shift toward independence: Students generate their own writing around their art—artist statements, reflective essays, or creative stories inspired by their works—with minimal scaffolding. They develop analytical arguments, rationale, and evidence on their own and with their classmates. Throughout, I build in cycles of feedback and revision so students can deepen their ideas, refine their use of language, and strengthen the connection between their thinking, risk-taking, and writing.

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 has taught me that learning is deeply reciprocal: They teach me as much as I teach them—not only technically, but about their lived experiences and what matters. When I design assignments that push students to investigate their own identities, beliefs, and values, I see them engage more authentically and take more ownership of their art. These personal investigations often become the seed for work that connects to social justice, advocacy, or community concerns, giving their art a purpose beyond aesthetics. To help bridge the classroom to real-world opportunities, I introduce them to artist and art movements, which confirm that integrating social justice into art education helps students not only connect school learning to their lives, but also develop critical thinking, leadership, and agency.

In what ways does your school leadership support AP Art and Design students and the broader art program?

At KIPP Austin Brave High School, I am fortunate enough to have had principals and assistant principals who genuinely believe in my students’ creative voices and respect my expertise as an art educator; they support the AP Art and Design program in several concrete ways. They ensure adequate resources—quality materials, tools, workspaces, and technology—for both experimentation and production. They include art in decision‐making processes, seeking my input when planning budgets, selecting equipment, or organizing exhibitions. They endorse and facilitate public showcase opportunities (e.g., exhibitions, community displays, school events) so students’ growth and creativity are visible and celebrated. They invest in my ongoing professional development and they foster a culture of trust, allowing me autonomy in curriculum design, supporting experimentation and risk‑taking in the classroom, and buffering me from pressures that might force art toward only safe or purely academic outcomes. All of this creates an environment where students feel affirmed in their creative risk‑taking and are encouraged to grow, revise, and deepen their artistic voice.

What advice would you offer to other AP Art and Design teachers?

Be your authentic self—but also show your vulnerability. Share your own artistic struggles—times when ideas didn’t work out, when you had to rethink, or when you failed and revised. This models risk‑taking and normalizes mistakes for your students, helping them see failure as part of growth. Build solid relationships with your students—listen, mentor, and respect their voices. When students trust that you believe in them, they’ll take more creative risks and invest more deeply in their work. Make rigor transparent­—break the portfolio, the Sustained Investigation, and expectations down with students. Use rubrics (including the AP scoring guidelines) early and often so students know what qualities are being assessed—ideas and voice, material/technique/process, and revision and experimentation. Support your art students to be college-ready, and introduce them to programs that further their arts education while guiding them to discover potential art professions. Connect student work to real‑world contexts and careers: Show them examples of professional artists, public artists, nonprofits, design, sculpture, installation, public art, etc. Help them submit work to exhibitions, competitions, or community projects. This helps students see beyond high school and understand that their voice and art have value and potential outside the classroom. Finally, have fun. Celebrate creativity, not just outcomes. Make room in the curriculum for joy, play, and even absurdity. When students see you enjoying art making, experimenting, failing, and discovering, that energy becomes part of the classroom culture.

What makes you most proud of your school’s AP Art and Design program and its impact on your students and teacher(s)?

I'm most proud of the students. They advocated for this class when I first took over Brave High School, and I was impressed by their dedication to studying their passion and honing their craft. I think the impact that the art program has had on students is that it has provided them with a way to express themselves outside of the traditional classroom spaces and typical work products that students produce. I am especially proud of Tomas, who always advocated for there to be more art in our school hallways and advocated for murals to be installed to allow student voice and expression to be a focal point in the building.

One action I took as a school leader was to listen to the art teachers, such as Ms. Connolly and Ms. Andrews, who, alongside students, were also advocates for advanced art instruction. I also allowed them to continue to strengthen the legacy of their program by protecting an entire wall in the upstairs hallway so it could be the art gallery wall. Lastly, I didn’t put any barriers up to their continued programming, such as Fine Arts Night, which draws dozens of students and families to enjoy the art students create through a gallery walk and exhibited student performances.

What advice would you share with other school leaders about building and sustaining strong AP Art and Design programs?

One piece of advice that I am giving and also reminding myself of is to collect student voices through surveys or polls to gauge interest in advanced art options. Another piece of advice that I’ve taken from another leader is to offer a course fair that allows classes to promote what they learn and produce during the class period to entice and educate future enrollees.