Starting next school year, Gabrielino High School will expand its visual arts department with three new Advanced Placement (AP) art courses: AP Studio Art 2D Design, AP Studio Art 3D Design, and AP Studio Art Drawing.
After working nine years at Gabrielino, art teacher Kat Ross will now teach all three AP Studio Art courses. She is grateful to be finally receiving an AP class of her own and help high school students get professionally started with their careers in the visual arts.
“I’m offering students an opportunity to seriously pursue art in a concentrated way,” Ross explained. “Students have been asking for this type of class for years. It’s a good process to help art students think about their work in depth.”
AP Studio Art 2D will focus on how compositional space is used in a two-dimensional work, such as graphic design and photography. AP Studio Art 3D will center around three-dimensional structures, like sculptures and ceramics. AP Studio Art Drawing will teach the quality of mark-making, consisting of the basics of painting and drawing.
Unlike other AP classes, these courses will not test students with a written exam. Instead, at the end of the year, students will have to submit a portfolio consisting of different pieces for evaluation
According to the College Board, Drawing and 2D Design portfolios consist of 29 different works: 12 for concentration, 12 for breadth, and five for quality.
The three classes will allow students to work on their art at home and at school, giving them more creative freedom to work and display their growth and skill.
The requirements for each class vary. However, it is mandatory for students to have taken Intro to Art and strongly recommended for them to have taken a upper division art class as well.
“[The three classes] provide a wonderful opportunity for students who really want to pursue a career in art,” Emmett Suess, art teacher, stated. “It separates the disciplined, serious artist from those that are here to have fun. It not only helps them build their portfolio, but gives the students time and opportunities to find their own style.”
