Many freshmen join art as an easy elective. They like drawing already, or maybe they’re just scared of having to perform in music or theater. They join Art 1, get their fine arts credit and leave. But many freshmen are missing out on an opportunity for when they are upperclassmen.
AP Art is a chance to earn college credit in an art class, have complete freedom on art projects, select what they draw and have access to teacher Miguel Alvarez’s wide range of materials. All they have to do is stick with art one more year – taking paint, sculpture, or drawing – to be eligible for AP Art.
AP Art offers many advantages that the lower level art classes do not. In Art 1, you have the smallest amount of freedom, but once you’re a sophomore you can take painting with teacher Sarah Wyatt and learn how different colors interact with each other, as well as unique paint techniques. You’ll also get to work with many different types of paint.
If you’d rather work with different materials, try sculpture with teacher Emily Herrin and learn about clay and other 3D mediums. There is also Drawing 2 and 3 with Alvarez. Though these classes are slightly more free range, all of these classes give you specific assignments with guidelines and rules you must follow.
Once you are a junior, you are able to take AP Art. This class offers complete freedom over what you draw. You decide the subject, the medium, the size and everything else.
The class is relatively small. This year, only seven people are enrolled in AP Art. Everyone works together, participates in conversations and listens to music together as a class. Alvarez works with students individually to teach them specific mediums they are interested in.
Every art piece is meant to reflect the ideas of the student’s chosen thesis for their portfolio. The thesis is a statement, written by the student to describe their conveyed ideas and themes in their portfolio pieces. Throughout the year, students complete art pieces every few weeks based on their chosen thesis.
There are just so many possibilities in AP Art. Freshmen in Art 1 should stick with art classes because AP Art is worth the wait. AP Art is the perfect class to expand your horizons and challenge yourself to create something special and new by your own means.
