AP Art

This section of your portfolio should show a body of related works that demonstrate inquiry-based sustained investigation of materials, processes, and ideas through practice, experimentation, and revision.

You’ll submit 15 images, some of which may show details and process documentation. Images can include fully resolved works and forms as well as sketches, models, plans, and diagrams.

Choose Your Images

To build your Sustained Investigation section:

• Carefully select 15 images that demonstrate your inquiry-based sustained investigation of materials, processes, and ideas done over time through practice, experimentation, and revision.

• Ensure that your images also demonstrate skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas.

• Note that there is no preferred or unacceptable material, process, idea, style, or content.

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).

• 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.

There’s a 100-character limit for images, including spaces. When naming images, do not use special characters or symbols.

Describe Your Investigation

You must also submit responses to these prompts:

• Identify the inquiry or questions that guided your sustained investigation

• Describe how your sustained investigation shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision guided by your inquiry or questions (1200 characters maximum, including spaces, for responses to both prompts)

Note: Your responses to the prompts are evaluated along with the images you submit. The most successful responses in relation to the assessment criteria used here are clearly related to the images of work submitted, directly and completely address the prompts, and provide further evidence of inquiry-based sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision. Although responses are not evaluated for spelling, grammar, or punctuation, you should make sure your responses are written clearly (e.g., don’t use extreme text speak or eliminate spaces between words).

Keep in Mind

As you create artwork over the course of the year, be sure to:

• Start formulating questions to guide your sustained investigation at the beginning of portfolio development. This inquiry should be based on your own experiences and ideas. Document these guiding questions and continue to develop them throughout your sustained investigation.

• Visually, and in writing, document your ongoing practice, experimentation, and revision in your use of materials and processes as your work develops. Consider how these choices can best demonstrate a skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas.

• From this ongoing documentation of your work, select images and writing to include in your portfolio that most effectively demonstrate your inquiry-based sustained investigation according to AP Art and Design Portfolio Exam assessment criteria.

• Keep in mind that process documentation images included in your portfolio should provide insight on your inquiry, thinking, and making. Detail images should be submitted only when it’s important to see a close-up view of a work as evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision or of skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas.

• Carefully consider the sequence of images you submit to demonstrate your sustained investigation. There is no required order; images should be presented to best demonstrate an inquiry-based sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision. Also carefully consider the relationship of your images and the written information you submit. The written information you provide should be clear, specific, and concise, providing insight about your work.

This section of your portfolio should show works that best demonstrate skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas.

For AP 3-D Art and Design, you’ll submit ten digital images of five 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.

In the 2020-21 school year, Selected Works for AP 2-D Art and Design and AP Drawing will be submitted digitally only. There are no physical portfolios in 2020-21. For AP 2-D Art and Design and AP Drawing, you’ll submit images of five artworks.

For all three courses:

• Carefully select 5 works that best demonstrate your skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas.

• There is no preferred or unacceptable material, process, idea, style, or content.

• These works may also be submitted in your Sustained Investigation section, but they don’t have to be.

• Selected Works may be related, unrelated, or a combination of related and unrelated works.

• For each work, you’ll submit written responses to prompts about the materials and processes used, as well as ideas that are visually evident in your work. Your responses to the prompts are evaluated along with the work you submit. The most successful responses in relation to the assessment criteria used here are clearly related to the images of work submitted, directly and completely address the prompts, and provide further evidence of skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas shown in the work. Although responses are not evaluated for spelling, grammar, or punctuation, you should make sure your responses are written clearly (e.g., don’t use extreme text speak or eliminate spaces between words).