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AP 3-D Art and Design is a college-level studio art course that allows you to explore three-dimensional art through a variety of materials, processes, and ideas. This course offers substantial creative freedom while building the technical skills and creative problem-solving skills valued in art, design, architecture, and engineering fields.
AP 3-D Art and Design is a college-level studio art course that allows you to explore three-dimensional art through a variety of materials, processes, and ideas. This course offers substantial creative freedom while building the technical skills and creative problem-solving skills valued in art, design, architecture, and engineering fields.
Students often complete their portfolio in one school year (senior year), especially if they have already taken advanced 3D classes, but many students need to utilize both their junior and senior years to complete their portfolio.
Students often complete their portfolio in one school year (senior year), especially if they have already taken advanced 3D classes, but many students need to utilize both their junior and senior years to complete their portfolio.
Jump To:
Jump To:
25-26 AP Pacing Calendar.pdfAP Pacing Calendar 2025-26
AP Pacing Calendar 2025-26
ap-art-and-design-course-and-exam-description23.pdfAP Art & Design Course/Exam Description Book Updated for 2023
Selected Works are like a Gallery Show
Selected Works are like a Gallery Show
Sustained Investigation is like a Studio Visit
Sustained Investigation is like a Studio Visit
For the AP 3-D Art and Design Portfolio
For the AP 3-D Art and Design Portfolio
Your work should focus on the use of three-dimensional (3-D) skills of art and design, including point, line, shape, plane, layer, form, volume, mass, occupied/unoccupied space, texture, color, value, opacity, transparency, time, unity, variety, rhythm, movement, proportion, scale, balance, emphasis, contrast, repetition, connection, juxtaposition, and hierarchy.
Think about how materials, processes, and ideas can be used to make work that involves space and form, whether physical or virtual.
There’s no preferred or unacceptable content or style.
Here are some formats you can submit: figurative or nonfigurative sculpture, architectural models, metal work, ceramics, glasswork, installation, performance, assemblage, and 3-D fabric/fiber arts.
Big Idea 1:
Big Idea 1:
Investigate Materials, Processes, and Ideas
Investigate Materials, Processes, and Ideas
You’ll learn how artists and designers decide what to make and why and how to make it.
You’ll practice:
Reflecting on and documenting experiences to inform your art and design work
Exploring materials, processes, and ideas to use in your work
Connecting your work to art and design traditions
Evaluating works of art and design
Big Idea 2:
Big Idea 2:
Make Art and Design
Make Art and Design
You’ll study the processes and techniques that artists and designers use when they create work.
You’ll practice:
Coming up with questions to guide you in creating works
Using practice, experimentation, and revision
Choosing and combining materials, processes, and ideas
Using the elements and principles of art and design
Big Idea 3:
Big Idea 3:
Present Art and Design
Present Art and Design
You’ll explore why and how artists and designers present their work to viewers.
You’ll practice:
Explaining how you used materials, processes, and ideas in your work
Describing how the work shows your skills
Identifying the questions that guided you in creating your work
Pointing out how your work shows experimentation, practice, and revision
Portfolio Format Overview
Portfolio Format Overview
The AP Art and Design portfolios each consist of two sections: Sustained Investigation and Selected Works.
The AP Art and Design portfolios each consist of two sections: Sustained Investigation and Selected Works.
Sustained Investigation—Section 1
Sustained Investigation—Section 1
15 digital images; some may be details or process images | 60% of portfolio score
Students will submit images and writing to document their inquiry-guided investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision:
15 digital images that include works of art and design and process documentation.
Typed responses to 2 prompts, providing information about the questions that guided their investigation and how they practiced, experimented, and revised, guided by their questions.
You’ll create a body of work that demonstrates:
You’ll create a body of work that demonstrates:
sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision
sustained investigation of materials, processes, and ideas
skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas
3-D design skills
You’ll have to document in writing:
You’ll have to document in writing:
the questions that guided your sustained investigation
how your sustained investigation shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision guided by your questions
Selected Works—Section 2
Selected Works—Section 2
Digital images of 5 works | 40% of portfolio score
Students upload & submit digital images of their work and commentary online to demonstrate skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas:
5 works with commentary identifying the materials, processes, and ideas used.
10 digital images of your 5 artworks (two views of each work). The second image of each work should be taken from a different vantage point than the first view, or it can be a detail, if the detail informs the evaluator about a particular aspect of the work.
You’ll choose works that demonstrate:
You’ll choose works that demonstrate:
3-D design skills
skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas
For each work, you’ll have to describe in writing:
For each work, you’ll have to describe in writing:
your ideas
the materials you used
the processes you used
Works may come from the Sustained Investigation section, but they do not have to.
They may be a group of related works, unrelated works, or a combination of related and unrelated works.
The Rubrics Your Work Will Be Scored On
The Rubrics Your Work Will Be Scored On
ap-art-and-design-selected-works-scoring-rubric.pdfap-art-and-design-sustained-investigation-scoring-rubric.pdfPast AP Art & Design Work Examples
Past AP Art & Design Work Examples
AP 3-D Art and Design: Past Sample Portfolios and Scoring Information (lots of past portfolios to look at/see how they were scored.)
3-D Design Past Sample Portfolios
(These are from concentration & breadth portfolios)ap-art-and-design-3d-selected-works-samples-2019-2020.pdfap-art-and-design-3d-sustained-investigation-samples-2019-2020.pdfGrace Bailey 2021- AP 3-D Art and Design Portfolio.pdfPast Student Who Scored a 3
3-D Art and Design Portfolio.pdfPast Student Who Scored a 5
Portfolio Samples and Scoring Commentaries from 2021
Portfolio Samples and Scoring Commentaries from 2021
Portfolio Samples and Scoring Commentaries from 2020
Portfolio Samples and Scoring Commentaries from 2020
Helpful Videos from the College Board
Helpful Videos from the College Board
Many of these videos were made while school was out for Covid in the Spring of 2020 - so the presenter may talk about being home, or a reduced amount of work that needs to be submitted. That time has past :)
You will be submitting 5 Selected Works & 15 Sustained Investigation Images
Selected Works
Selected Works
Practice, Experimentation, & Revision
Practice, Experimentation, & Revision
Adding Your Work to "AP Digital Submission" Site
Adding Your Work to "AP Digital Submission" Site
You will be submitting your portfolio digitally on this website ---> "AP Art and Design Digital Submission Site"
You must set up an account on the 'Digital Submission Site' First, and you need: School Code: 442612 Teacher Key: sxz2900
Here is a really useful guide on how to submit: AP Art and Design Digital Submission Guide for Students
Submitting your 'Sustained Investigation' Images, looks like this:
Submitting your 'Written Evidence' (for your Sustained Investigation), looks like this:
Submitting your 'Selected Works' (both Images and Written Evidence), looks like this:
Requirements and Recommendations for Digital Images
Requirements and Recommendations for Digital Images
Your images must be:
Your images must be:
Either .jpg, .jpeg, or .png format
We recommend that you keep copies of your original images.
No more than 4MB in file size
When you upload your images for submission, you must identify the following for each image:
When you upload your images for submission, you must identify the following for each image:
Materials used (100 characters maximum, including spaces).
Processes used (100 characters maximum, including spaces).
Ideas used (100 characters maximum, including spaces). - For Selected Works
Size (height x width x depth, in inches).
For work that is flat, enter 0 for depth.
For images that document process or show detail, enter NA for size.
For digital and virtual work, enter the size of the intended visual display.
When naming images, do not use special characters or symbols.
You can change the order of your images after you upload them by changing the Work Number value on the Works tab or using the Reorder tab.
Important: Select Save before exiting from this page to save your work.
When your work is complete, select Submit Final. You should only select Submit Final when you're ready for your Sustained Investigation images to be submitted to the AP Program
Great to combine process images
Quizlet Flashcards with AP Portfolio Vocab
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