
Dawn
Height: 16" x Width: 20" | Material(s): Acrylic on canvas enlarges finite moments with friends. Hometown shapes relationships and self. | Process(es): Sun is setting on time at home within familiarity, but dawn waits with new adventures beyond horizon | Idea(s): Cherishing final months at home with friends, life feels larger than ever. I find home in my people. | Curatorial Note: Facial expressions, the use of saturated color palette, and the use of surreal settings provide a good vehicle to present the dramatization of the coming-of-age situation of a young woman.
Valeria Dumitrascu
Student statement
Student statement
What did you do to improve your 2-D, 3-D, or Drawing portfolio skills?
To improve my drawing skills in this portfolio, I focused on how I could use color and surrealism to emphasize a certain mood in each piece. For example, in “Dawn,” I used a surreal setting and oversaturated colors to highlight my intense connection to my friends and what would otherwise be a mundane suburban town.
In what ways did your artmaking confidence increase in AP Art and Design?
My art-making confidence increased in AP Art and Design because I learned how to stretch one theme across multiple pieces through different lenses. I also refined my personal style and what type of art-making fulfills me, which made me feel more prepared for art school and creating future bodies of work.
Specific color palettes contribute to certain feelings and stages during a time when life feels larger than ever.
Do you show your work through social media? If so, did you use feedback from social media account(s) to help you make decisions about your artwork?
I show my work through Instagram, but I do not use it as a form of feedback or decision-making.

Process(es): Images of suburbia perpetuate importance of nurture; nostalgic items enforce emotional connection.
Katrina Cerk
Art Teacher
Jordan High School, Fulshear, TX, USA
Teacher statement
Teacher statement
The AP Art and Design course supports inquiry-based personalized learning in the sustained investigation portfolio component. What strategies helped you guide students through inquiry?
To guide students, I emphasize personalized exploration of an idea and show how that inquiry helps guide their growth throughout the portfolio process. I explain that this course evolves their ability to document, explore, and expand on ideas. I help students brainstorm ideas that impact them personally. We avoid topics that are too broad, narrowing inquiries to ones that are open-ended enough to inspire various ideas but personal enough for the student to feel connected to each piece. We phrase our ideas in question format, so students can grasp how each artwork they create "answers" their inquiry and understand why they want to explore it, finally leading to how it connects back to their inquiry. This question grounds their personal experiences, interests, and artistic influences, ensuring their investigations remain meaningful, with intent and purpose. Students explore their themes through medium experimentation, documenting their process to refine their ideas. Regular group critiques and one-on-one conferences foster collaborative growth and provide tailored feedback. By following the pacing schedule set at the beginning of the year, I help ensure students remain focused, with time to revise during their artistic journey.
How did you scaffold writing into the art-making and thinking processes?
I explain that writing plays a big part in the AP Art Portfolio. Grasping how to talk and write about art and ideas is a major component and integral to understanding the portfolio. Students begin by writing a simple phrase for their inquiry and later elaborate with a guiding question to jumpstart each work. Every time they finish an artwork, students complete the written evidence required by the AP Digital Portfolio, including dimensions, materials, and process. The process is where I see students struggle most. I explain that this section allows them to elaborate on a specific artwork's symbolism and how it connects back to the inquiry. I always ask, "Why did you choose to do this this way?" and, "How does it connect back to your inquiry?" These questions help rewire students' thinking about their artwork and its role within the portfolio as a whole. Be concise, straightforward, and avoid flourishing filler.
How did you structure practice, experimentation, and revision into your AP Art and Design curriculum?
Right from the start, I make students aware that the portfolio focuses on documenting practice, experimentation, and revision. I clearly state the expectations for these three requirements, emphasizing their importance as key components of the rubric and overall portfolio score. I stress that the AP Art Portfolio is more than just creating art—it requires a deliberate conceptual thought process. I encourage students to regularly photograph their progress throughout the year, allowing them to create composite slides that showcase when, where, and how they practiced, experimented, and revised. When students include documented photos and written evidence in their portfolio, they provide AP readers with a clear understanding of how they implemented these criteria in their work.
What creative programming (i.e., exhibit spaces, mentoring programs, curricular supports) have you implemented to support AP Art and Design students?
My AP Art students work hard throughout the school year to complete their portfolios with the highest quality of technique, composition, and thought. They showcase their work in a dedicated exhibit space at our school in the hallway, displayed in a glass case for the school community to see. While they work on their portfolios, I provide both physical resources, such as worksheets and informational materials, as well as digital resources with instructional guides and examples of previous work to support their progress. At the end of the year, I showcase their completed portfolios in a school exhibit using pro-panels provided by our district to show off their work. I include QR codes for peers, students outside the art program, and faculty and staff to offer feedback, fostering pride in the artists’ accomplishments and encouraging meaningful dialogue and critique. Seeing each student’s portfolio displayed in its entirety is a powerful and beautiful moment, as it highlights the culmination of their hard work and dedication from the course of the school year.
What did you learn from working with your student?
Valeria played an integral role in developing the Jordan High School Visual Art Program. Jordan High School opened in 2020, the same year Valeria began as a freshman. I had the honor of teaching her all four years in Art. From our first project in Drawing 1, I recognized that Valeria would be something special. She combined an incredible technical eye with a phenomenal ability to develop unique concepts and compositions. Valeria consistently improved and honed her art, narrowing her style into something distinctly her own. It is rare to see an artist this young find their personal aesthetic and do it successfully. Valeria’s work began to truly flourish when she started photographing her friends and family, moving away from self-portraits and sourcing interesting poses with dynamic foreshortening and angles. I learned from her beautiful layering techniques with paint and colored pencil, creating rich, vibrant, and saturated colors as she crafted stunning compositions, overlapping main subjects with secondary sources and backgrounds. As a decorated, award-winning artist, Valeria earned district, regional, state, and national recognition in various art contests. Valeria showcased a passion for the visual arts that is rare to find in young people today. Her drive to create and enjoy the process as she was doing it was always a wonder to watch. It was a blessing to teach such an incredible artist and watch her grow both technically and passionately toward her art career.
Ethan Crowell
Principal
Jordan High School, Fulshear, TX, USA
Leader statement
Leader statement
What are you most proud of regarding your school’s AP Art and Design program, student, and teacher?
I am most proud of the opportunities students have to grow their artistic skills with the guidance of amazing and dedicated teachers. Valeria is an exceptional young artist who has greatly benefited from the commitment and guidance of her art teacher, Ms. Cerk.
What do you do to support visual arts programming in your school?
We support visual arts by offering students the opportunity to take art classes throughout all four years, exploring various mediums that allow them to focus on what interests them most. Additionally, we regularly display and celebrate the work of our student artists.
What is your advice to other school leaders on how to support an AP Art and Design program?
A great visual arts program is built on opportunity, access, and the guidance of dedicated teachers. Talented students can be found in every school, but to truly grow, they need the right resources and supportive educators who nurture their creativity.
Valeria Dumitrascu