Unlike the majority of AP classes, where  success is measured in one critical exam in May, the AP Art and Design program allows students to spend the school year building a portfolio to demonstrate their work and mastery. 

“We are actually the only high school in the district that offers all three of the AP Art and Design portfolios,” said  AP Drawing teacher Mrs. Arman. 

These three portfolios are widely varying in methods and materials. The first is AP Drawing, which is limited to more traditional mediums and methods such as painting and drawing, and certain digital art as well. The second is AP 2D Design, involving photography, graphic design, digital 3D modeling, poster design, but students may still explore traditional mediums if they wish. The third is  AP 3D design. 

“AP 3D is run here as our highest level ceramics class, but it really includes any sculpture medium. So we typically have kids use clay, but it could also include anything else that’s 3D, like fashion design, jewelry, cardboard sculptures,” said Mrs. Arman

One might beg the question, if art is subjective, how can the College Board simply stamp a grade upon a years worth of artwork? The college board actually has a very specific rubric for these classes that goes beyond just demonstrated skill. The criteria includes a written inquiry that will be investigated through the students artwork, demonstration of experimentation and revision, a relationship between materials, processes, and ideas, and lastly, technical skills. 

Unlike a  traditional AP class, AP Art and Design classes are widely self-directed, as students spend months developing a “sustained investigation,” which is essentially about students deriving a question that they wish to answer through art. A finished portfolio will include fifteen images, including at least 5 finished artworks, the remaining images being process photos that show experimentation, revision, and creativity.

“They kind of just grade based on creativity, so as long as you work for enough time, you can show that you were creative with your piece, that you worked on it hard, and you took a lot of effort, they’ll give you a good score,” said Chase Vargas (12), who completed the AP 2D portfolio during the 2024-2025 school year.  

“Most AP classes are pretty rigid, but in AP art, she kind of just lets you go off the rails,” said Braden LaClair (12), who completed the AP 2D portfolio during his junior year, and is now a  current student in AP Drawing.

Student portfolios can center on virtually any topic, from conceptually deep topics such as societal issues, identity, and loss, to simply topics that interest students such as 90s fashion trends. 

And while teachers oversee structure and pacing, the heart of AP art and Design classes  is radiated from the students themselves. Through their portfolios, students not only refine their technical skills, but wholeheartedly pour themselves into their work as a reflection of who they are.

“My portfolio this year, it’s about taking some childhood imagery and combining it with space. I just thought, combine two of my favorite things,  space and childhood – boom, portfolio,” said LaClair (12). 

Meanwhile, current AP art student Madelyn Hui (11) took the portfolio as an opportunity to explore her own personal growth. 

“My sustained investigation is about the personal realizations that I’ve had about the people around me and how they’ve helped me grow or limited me,” said Madelyn. Through AP Art and Design classes, students have the unique ability to shape their own experience in the class, and to prioritize what is important to them in their creations. This freedom also is tied to a great deal of time management and skillful delegation, along with artistic ability, mirroring the rigor and expectations of any other AP class.

“I think it’s a real AP class, because you’re still submitting something for people to be judging and grading,” said LaClair (12). 

Beyond this, students have a deep personal attachment to what they create, so it may feel difficult at times to be “judged” on their creation.

”There’s a little pressure because there’s a specific expectation and standard, but it’s mostly self-expression and doing what you want to do,” said Hui (11).

By giving more creative-minded students the chance to still be a part of AP classes and earn college credit, the college board is also effectively encouraging artistic expression and enforcing students’ sense of belonging and identity. By the end of the year, students emerge with a deeper understanding of themselves and of what they love to do. The journey that is AP Art and Design is certainly as rigorous and meaningful as any AP class.