Hello!
I wanted to take a moment to
reflect on my AP 3D Design class. This is the second year that I have taught AP
3D Design. This year I had the privilege of working with 9 incredibly dedicated
and hard-working students. I would like to use this blog to share with you our
adventures throughout the year. In this entry, I will focus on explaining what
AP 3D Design is, what the portfolio requirements are, and share examples of
concentration themes and artworks.
What is AP 3D Design?
AP 3D Design is a course similar
in design to AP Drawing and Painting and AP 2D Design. It is sponsored by the
CollegeBoard and is designed to give high school students a college art
experience. Just like AP Drawing and Painting and AP 2D Design, AP 3D Design
requires students to submit a portfolio and artist statement in lieu of taking
an advanced placement test. Don’t be fooled! Just because students aren’t
taking a test doesn’t mean that this is an easier AP class. If students receive
a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the portfolio they can earn college credit. The AP 3D
portfolio is submitted online through photographs.
What are the AP 3D Portfolio Requirements?
The portfolio is divided into 3
sections: quality, breadth, and concentration. Each section is worth 1/3 of the
total score. Students may submit sculptures, installations, of crafts-based
artworks in these sections. The quality section requires students to submit
their top 5 artworks. (with 2 views of each artwork), which can come from the
breadth and/or concentration sections. Even though the Collegeboard lists this
as Section 1, we complete this section last because it requires students to
identify their strongest artworks. I explain to my students that their quality
section should reflect their 5 absolute best artworks based on execution,
concept, and sculptural quality. The second section is the breadth section,
which requires students to submit 8 artworks (with 2 views of each artwork)
that reflect a wide variety of artistic abilities and their understanding of
three-dimensional space. To make this clearer, let me relate it to Pablo
Picasso. Picasso would have done exceptionally well on this section of the AP
Portfolio because he could draw and paint, realistically, abstractly, and
non-objectively using a variety of techniques and subject matter including
still life, portraits, and landscapes.
In this section, I stressed to students that this is their opportunity
to “show off” the variety of skills that they can do in 3D art. In terms of
teacher planning, this is the section that I focus on creating specific lessons
and projects for. In the concentration
section of the portfolio students choose a specific topic, medium, or idea to
investigate through the creation of 6 – 12 artworks. This part of the portfolio
is a little more open because it requires students to submit 12 images and some
may be second views from another angle. Therefore, the minimum number of
artworks that a student could submit would be 6 artworks, each with 2 views
each, or anywhere up to 12 artworks, 1 image each. The concentration section
also requires students to write a brief artist statement explaining their
central idea. To make this section clearer, I will reference Claude Monet.
Monet would have done exceptionally well on this section of the AP Portfolio
because Monet focused on capturing changing light within landscapes. He made
this his primary artistic pursuit, but went in depth in his investigation. In
this section, students choose their topic of interest and I act as a guide and
coach as they create the artworks. I stressed to students that their artworks
should show progression, growth, and risk-taking of their central idea. Most of
all, their concentrations need to be something meaningful, interesting,
exciting, and important to them.
What Is the Concentration Section? What did Students
Investigate?
The most exciting part of
teaching this class is seeing students dive into an artistic investigation of
something they love, are curious about, and/or want to learn about through the
creation of 3D artworks. Each one of my students did something completely
different for their concentration sections. Because of this, it was like have 9
different classes to prepare for. I loved watching their ideas evolve
throughout the year as they brainstormed, sketched, and researched. Here is a
synopsis and some examples of their work:
Concentration # 1 – Exploration
of ceramic vessels and containers and our relationships with them.
Concentration #2 – How many
sci-fi creatures can I create using a variety of mediums?
Concentration #3 – Research into
musical genres to create sculptures.
Concentration #4 – Exploration of
black and white and contrast in the creation of 3D artworks.
Concentration #5 – Exploration of
traditional metal-smithing techniques to create a variety of jewelry.
Concentration #6 – Self-portraits
of the artist.
Concentration #7 – Functional
ceramics inspired by the sea.
Concentration #8 – How many
different ways can I embellish a piece of clay?
Concentration #9 – Eyeballs and
seeing as the subject of 3D artworks.
As you can see, each student
chose something completely different from the other. Also each student chose
something that inspired and interested them, which kept them motivated. This is
important because students need to work on these projects throughout the entire
year and if their hearts are not in it, then they will lose interest and
motivation. Some students had a very clear idea of where they wanted to go with
their artworks and some allowed the process to direct them. I even had one
student who switched her concentration half-way through the year. One aspect
that this class did exceptionally well in was their communication with each
other through both formal and informal critiques. When one student was
struggling with an idea or technique others offered encouragement and
suggestions. Having fresh eyes and perspectives from others is important in the
concentration because sometimes students spend so much time on an artwork that
they overlook things.
I hope you enjoyed learning about
AP 3D Design. There is so much more to this class that I will share with you in
the near future. If you are interested in starting an AP Art Class at your
school, contact your AP Coordinator. After approval from your school board you
need to write and submit a syllabus to the AP Board for approval. Once
approved, you are ready to go!
Sincerely,
Emily