To many the idea of taking an AP class with no required exam at the end to get your score sounds too good to be true, but to some, this is the reality.
AP Drawing and AP 2D Art and Design (AP2D) are unlike any other AP classes offered at Lane Tech as there is no final exam. Students work the entire school year to create a portfolio of artworks that they submit to College Board and in turn get back their AP score.
Although these classes are currently single periods, they were once double. This switch to shorter periods has proved to be difficult for teachers with the strict curriculums that they are meant to follow to reach the AP deadlines. “My only wish is that AP2D was still a double period course,” said AP2D teacher Kelly Novak. “The additional time allowed students more one-on-one feedback, revision time, and in class exploration.”
This sentiment seems to be commonly shared among the two AP Art teachers. “I really wish we had more time,” said AP Drawing teacher Liz Chisholm. “I feel like it made a huge difference to be able to just grind in and work on the work.”
Despite the shortened class period, senior Frederick Dino still created a portfolio that allowed him to get a 5 for his AP score. His portfolio focused on “Illumination at Night” which, Dino said, “really focused on different light sources at night and the movement and vibrance of the city.”
Dino, who took AP2D last year, said that if there was still a double period for this class “I probably wouldn’t have taken it.”
This lack of a double period wasn’t a hindrance to senior Kaline Adams who also scored a 5 with her portfolio when taking AP Drawing her junior year. Adams’s inquiry question investigated the different ways of portraying her identity through self portraiture.
“[The portfolio] was a little bit of abstract, a little bit of different aspects of personality and how different people could view me,” Adams said.
Adams, who is an early admit to Illinois State University, shared her gratitude for the fact that she took AP Drawing her junior year.
“I think if you’re planning on doing something art related in college, it’s better to take it your junior year because seniors will scramble to get their portfolio done if they’re using AP art as a means to create their portfolio,” Adams said.
Annie Garcia is currently enrolled in AP Drawing in her junior year; however, she doesn’t intend to pursue art in college.
“I took AP drawing just so I could showcase my artwork better and go up to my full potential, like show my full potential in drawing and be able to share what I wanted to share in my artwork,” Garcia said.
This appears to be a commonly shared testament on the other side of the spectrum for students who don’t intend to continue pursuing art in college.
“[The] score is whatever, [I’m] just taking it to have a good time,” said senior Alex Smith, who is currently in AP2D. Both Smith and Garcia said that they did not care what score they got this year in their AP Art classes.
“I honestly don’t care about my AP score that much because I’m just making what I want to make,” Garcia said. “So, if I get a bad score, I’m gonna be disappointed, but I’m not gonna freak out about it.”
Smith also discussed a shared difficulty among all the students currently in AP2D.
“The original teacher who was supposed to be there wasn’t there so we had some subs,” Smith said. Despite this, he said the class has been a “good experience.” The original teacher for this class, Kelly Novak, was in a motorbike accident while completing a Fund For Teachers fellowship in Vietnam, which has been a difficult time for her.
Despite these setbacks, Novak put a positive spin on the situation as she received much help from her peers. “One of the unexpected outcomes of the accident is realizing the depth of kindness strangers and loved ones can offer,” Novak said.
Overall, students take AP art classes for a variety of reasons, and whether they intend to pursue art for their future endeavors or they took the class for fun, the teachers are eager for students to embark on their creative journeys in AP Drawing and AP 2D Art and Design.
