Why take AP Studio Art? Is it to try to impress a college admissions office, or is art a passion that students are willing to work hard to make a dream possible? The Seattle Prep AP Studio Art senior students are excited to express their creative outlets in a high-intensive setting. The Advanced Placement, run by the College Board, offers college credit for those who pass the exam in May. Ms. Dold explains the aspects about AP Studio art that make the class more college level, “It is more about independent work where students are picking different topics to explore using new mediums. Students are coming up to describe an idea using themes such as balance and repetition.”

The AP Studio Art class is rigorous, students must overcome the obstacle of producing numerous quality artwork. In addition, time is a factor in AP courses because students must create three projects a month with deadlines. Lulu Dawson ’19 believes AP Studio Art will be worth it in the long-run, “I’ve been working for media outlets taking concert photos since I was a freshman, and I love it to death. So, having a class where I can focus on photography and try new things with it for school credit is a dream.”

As the seniors are preparing for college, AP courses can provide a segue for college acceptance and credit. Lulu Dawson ’19 is confident that the AP course will push her in new ways. She says, “in the past, I’ve fallen in holes a lot where the only photos I’m taking or working on are concert photos, and nothing else. So, AP Studio Art has pushed me outside my comfort zone a lot in terms of what I’m taking photos of and what I’m doing with them. I’m so used to taking photos of people doing exciting things that’s it’s a real challenge for me to just take landscape or architecture photos that I’m proud of, but this class has given me the motivation to explore that more.”

Mia Griff ’19 discusses on how Studio Art required her to think outside the box, “Before Studio Art, I rarely manipulated my photos in photoshop to create edits and designs. Now I have been using photoshop more often, so this has been a challenge for me to learn how to use the software, but it has also been fun to be able to create new things I haven’t been able to make before.”

Ms. Dold is amazed by her student’s hard work and passion, “I find inspiration all the time from my students’ creativity. I’m creating a print right now that was inspired from my last printmaking class. In terms of creativity, teaching is gift.”

A portfolio could be a hook in student’s college applications and AP Studio Art allows for students to really broaden their creativity and focus on their skills. Lulu Dawson ’19 describes her aspirations, “photography is my main focus in AP Studio art, and I might minor in that, but I’m looking more at pursuing a music industry/business degree.” By the end of the school year, the students will probably feel very proud of the work they accomplished and ready to take on any challenge in the future!