As their May 9 due date approached, AP Studio Art students put the finishing touches on their portfolios. Over the summer, AP graders will determine where the art and writing investigation fall on the 1-5 scale. 

“The hardest part of putting it together is probably… Making a statement about it [and] saying what the main focus is in all the artworks,” said Raeca-Agatha Paller (‘26). 

Behind the Scenes

Each student selected a unique theme or topic of investigation to draw inspiration from. Topics ranged from Tarot cards to furniture to world mythology. 

“The theme of my art portfolio is my relationship with my faith and then Joan of Arc, the saint… It’s kind of exploring her story and mine through it,” said Nia Lam (‘26).

Although many students are putting the final brushstrokes on their works, the process has been year-long. 

“Each piece I put… five to ten hours, and then we have 16 pieces. So 160 hours,” said Nicole Chen (‘25). 

The AP Studio Art teacher, Michael Doyle, takes a more hands-off approach to guiding students. 

“He has offered a really safe space for critique and student talk… With art, it’s such a personal thing. It’s better to hear from your peers,” said Lam.

The Final Stretch

In addition to the art pieces they are submitting, students must also submit a writing portion called the Sustained Investigation. Here, students sketch out their creative journey and respond to prompts regarding how their inquiry developed through practice and revision. 

“Having to come up with a statement was a bit unexpected. I thought it would be easier to write something about my artworks,” said Paller.

In their Sustained Investigation, students can select their favorite pieces to highlight. 

“For your sustained investigation, you have to choose 15 to show. But those 15 [don’t] even have to be full-on artworks. It could be your process. And you have five selected works which you can…  show it to them, show it off,” said Paller.

Students like Paller and Chen agree that seeing their portfolios take shape (and color) in AP Classroom has been a rewarding experience. However, there have still been ups and downs. 

“My advice would be don’t be like me. And don’t procrastinate and work on your pieces before the night,” said Paller.