AP Art and Design (2D, 3D, or Drawing)

Course Overview

This course emphasizes developing a personal artistic voice through sustained inquiry, experimentation, and refinement of ideas. Students produce a body of work that demonstrates skill, risk-taking, and thoughtful connections to both contemporary and historical practices. The class is project-based, with ongoing critiques, reflection, and portfolio preparation.

Portfolio Requirements (submitted digitally to the College Board)

• Sustained Investigation (SI):
  • 15 digital images showing a sustained investigation of an idea or theme.
  • Images may include finished works and process documentation (sketches, experiments, revisions).
  • Students must include written evidence (1200 characters per response) explaining their ideas, materials, processes, and decisions.

• Selected Works (SW):
  • 5 actual artworks (physical works shipped to the College Board for scoring).
  • Works should demonstrate the student’s best skills, ideas, and design principles.
  • Each piece is accompanied by written evidence describing materials and processes (100 characters per response).

Total portfolio: 20 works (15 SI + 5 SW).

Assessment

• Portfolios are evaluated on Inquiry, Practice, and Communication of Ideas.

• Each section is scored on a scale of 1–5 by AP readers.

Important 2026 Date

📌 Friday, May 8, 2026 — 8:00 PM ET: All portfolio components must be submitted in the AP Digital Portfolio and marked final.