Sustained Investigation
60% of total score
15 digital images of works of art and process documentation that demonstrate sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision.
requirements and prompts
Submit 15 images that demonstrate:
Sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision
Sustained investigation of materials, processes, and ideas
Synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas
3-D skills
State the following in writing:
Identify the questions or inquiry that guided your sustained investigation (600 characters maximum, including spaces)
Describe how your sustained investigation shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision guided by your questions or inquiry (600 characters maximum, including spaces)
Questions that guide the sustained investigation are typically formulated at the beginning of portfolio development. Students should formulate their questions or inquiry based on their own experiences and ideas. These should be further developed by students throughout the sustained investigation. Identify the following for each image:
Materials used (100 characters maximum, including spaces)
Processes used (100 characters maximum, including spaces)
Size (height × width × depth, in inches)
For images that document process or show detail, students should enter “N/A” for size (see Additional Information About the Sustained Investigation Section on the following page for more details). For digital and virtual work, students should enter the size of the intended visual display.
scoring criteria
Scoring Criteria
Corresponding Skills
Section Weighting
Formulate and identify, in writing, questions or areas of inquiry that guide a sustained investigation.
Skills 2.A
and 3.A
20%
Demonstrate written and visual evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision in a sustained investigation.
Skills 2.B
and 3.B
30%
Make works of art and design that demonstrate synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas.
Skills 2.C
30%
Make works of art and design that demonstrate 3-D skills.
Skills 2.D
20%
The most successful portfolio submissions will demonstrate:
Written and visual evidence of questions/inquiry that furthers the sustained investigation
Written and visual evidence of practice, experimentation, and/or revision that furthers the sustained investigation
Visual evidence of synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas
Visual evidence of advanced 3-D
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUSTAINED INVESTIGATION SECTION
Throughout their sustained investigation, students need to document—with images and words—practice, experimentation, and revision using materials, processes, and ideas as well as skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas. From their documentation of thinking and making, students select images and writing to include in their portfolio that most effectively demonstrate sustained investigation according to AP Art and Design Portfolio Exam assessment criteria.
Process documentation images included in the portfolio should show evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision using materials, processes, and ideas and/ or of skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas, providing insight on students’ inquiry, thinking, and making. Detail images should be submitted only when it is 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.
When submitting work for the Sustained Investigation section, students should carefully consider the sequence of their images. There is no required order; images should be presented to best demonstrate sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision using materials, processes, and ideas. Students should also consider the relationship of their images with the written information they submit.