On May 21, AP Art students showcased the artwork they have been working on throughout the year. Over the course of the school year, the students developed their portfolios, and they were able to share their work with the community during the event.
Students chose a sustained investigation, or focus, at the beginning of the school year and created roughly 15 pieces of artwork, plus two over the summer, that explored their theme. The theme, type of art, and materials were left completely up to students, leading to a diverse range of pieces exploring different topics.
AP Art Night not only gives the community the opportunity to see a diverse range of art, but it also teaches students to share parts of themselves with the community.
“You learn a lot about putting yourself out there as an artist,” said junior and AP Art student Margot Mohsen, “This is a really great experience to really explain yourself to people at this night.”
Sophomore and AP Art student Maria Jonas found that a highlight of the experience was the way the event allowed her to both process her own life experiences and educate the community about art.
“With my art, I don’t really create it for other people,” Jonas said. “I really create it to process my chronic pain. I really hope when people come to AP Art Night, they’ll just be able to see the cool art everyone has been doing and appreciate all of the work that everyone has done … I hope they can see how accessible art is, and how beautiful that can be.”
Jonas, whose investigation focused on the realities of chronic pain, enjoyed the freedom of the class, as it allowed her to fully express her style without having to worry about barriers.
“My sustained investigation was about chronic pain and how that’s affected my life,” Jonas said. “Because my pain is invisible, I don’t directly show my pain in my art. I use much more metaphoric, surreal elements. I take a lot of inspiration from 20th-century expressionism. I used a lot of tigers and circus imagery in my work to show this reality I feel.”
Mohsen’s sustained investigation was about the Pyrenees Mountains, a range between France and Spain, and how they have shaped her family’s history.
“My grandmother grew up there, so I’ve spent many summers in that mountain range,” Mohsen said. “I love that simple country lifestyle; it feels like you’ve traveled a hundred years back. So I kind of dedicated my work to depicting that peacefulness that you can get from that lifestyle.”
Over the school year, AP Art teacher Jessica Mohagen observed shifting ideas, trial and error, and the long process of creating pieces to be common amongst students.
“[It’s about] the idea of not having an idea, finding an idea, then researching and workshopping it, and brainstorming it, and then failing, trying it and then failing,” Mohagen said, “It’s just kind of a rollercoaster all year of trying to get through.”
Despite students having the choice of taking AP 3D Art, AP 2D Art, and AP Drawing, Mohsen chose to mainly explore her investigation using a variety of mediums she thought would result in her best work.
“I did a lot of landscape paintings, as well as collaging and lots of work in my sketchbook,” Mohsen said.
Along with personal growth, AP Art gives students a chance to bond with like-minded classmates and learn from each other.
“I’ve made a lot of connections in the class,” Mohsen said, “We do critiques with everyone in the class; they’re really beneficial and it really helps me overall and betters my portfolio.”
These connections were evident at AP Art Night. Not only was the night an opportunity for community members to support AP Art students, but it also gave students within the class a chance to appreciate each other’s work.
“I’ve seen other people’s art individually, but seeing their entire portfolio really drives home their sustained investigation,” Jonas said. “I [was] really excited about that aspect.”
Mohsen urges students to attend next year if they missed this year’s AP Art Night.
“We put so much work into it all year, and, genuinely, it would mean so much if people came,” Mohsen said.