AP Overview and Summer Assignments

AP Photo

Understanding the AP Curriculum & Exam

Sustained Investigation

15 images of a sustained investigation (an inquiry).

An in-depth exploration of a 2-D concern. This includes a short written component. This section is submitted digitally.

60% of the AP Score.

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Selected Works

5 artworks that are your BEST of the Best.

These works can be from your Sustained Investigation pieces, but do not have to be. They are submitted to College Board to be viewed in person.

40% of the AP Score.

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Selected Works:

Scoring Criteria

(40%)

• Synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas
• Drawing or 2D Skills
• Scored holistically (all 5 together as one group)
• Can be artwork from Sustained Investigation

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Sustained Investigation: Scoring Criteria

(60%)

• 20% Inquiry - formulate and identify questions that guide a sustained investigation
• 30% Practice, Experimentation, & Revision
• 30% Synthesis of Materials, Processes, and Ideas
• 20% Drawing or 2D Design Skills

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Sustained Investigation

(60%)

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You Choose the inquiry that guides your investigation. It’s about growth, discovery, and exploration.

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Including, but not limited to:

• Personal Interests
• Narratives
• Social Justice
• Design Concerns
• Materials
• Mental or Physical Health
• Character Design
• Identity
• Societal Concerns

(these are very broad and you will need to make it personal to you)

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Examples of inquiries (questions) that have room for discovery…

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Remember:

As you brainstorm for your own idea you need to consider if it is something you are interested in and invested in enough to do an entire year’s worth of artwork on.

• How can I represent the 7 deadly sins through family portraits?

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• How can I show my brother’s experience with autism through the lens of someone who is not autistic?

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• What are the effects of human pollution on the earth and environment? How often do we use single-use plastics without realizing it? What impact does human behavior have on the local lake?

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Let’s look at some examples…

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Example Portfolio Inquiry- Score of 3 (top score for SI)

Student Written Evidence: There are always two sides to a window, one that looks inside and the other outside. Unpredictable things happen when both sides are occupied at the same time. An encounter is inevitable. Two sets of eyes, a set of realms or a familiar face. It is true that windows can act as a border, and yet they can still be a ground for the two sides to merge.

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Sample of some of their 15 images on next slide…

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Example Portfolio Inquiry- Score of 3 (top score for SI)

Student written evidence: “These pieces concentrate on the theme of isolation, which became a gradually increasing part of my life as I matured, induced by schoolwork that occupied more and more of my mind and the grey areas in my relationships. Isolation took over as the driving force that furthered my distance from the people I care about. The distance grew so far, that the only vehicle left to carry my emotions were my surroundings. These are glaring metaphorical visualizations of what that isolation felt like for me. “

Sample of some of their 15 images on next slide…

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Example Portfolio Inquiry- Score of 3 (top score for SI)

Student written evidence: The central idea of my Sustained Investigation surrounds the question: "What does it mean to be black?" To answer this question, I asked my subjects to write me a paragraph about what it means specifically to them to be black. I also asked them each to give me three words describing how they wish to be portrayed in this project.

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Sample of some of their 15 images on next slide…

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AP Portfolio Credit: You can earn college credit by completing the AP portfolio; even if you are not majoring in art in college, you can most likely earn 3 elective credits. Check with the colleges you’re applying to.

Read through this document that provides an overview of the AP portfolio. I will share more info about the requirements when we return to school. Keep in mind that, since you are taking this course, the work you create throughout the year will fulfill the requirements for it. If you decide not to take the AP exam, you will still complete all of the work and create the AP portfolio as your final exam for this course.

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Check out this AP site for more student Sustained Investigation portfolio examples.

Check out this link for Selected Works portfolio examples with scoring rationales.

View NP student portfolio examples:

• NP student portfolios from 2022
• NP student portfolios from 2023
• NP student portfolios from 2024

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Your Summer Assignments

• Must be brought to school the second day of the school year
• Must be submitted on Canvas when we return to school
• Will be used as part of AP portfolio
• Completion of the following assignments are a requirement for maintaining your enrollment in the class next school year.

Objectives:

• Take photos over the summer, over at least 4-5 different days. You will bring in a minimum of 100 photos when school starts.
• Use your creativity. Experiment with some new ideas.
• Start to brainstorm to figure out what interests you on a personal level and what may be promising to explore in-depth next year.

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PART A:

Organize your “Best of the Best” Photos from Digital 1 & 2

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DO THIS NOW BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDS

Sort through your photos from Digital 1 and Digital 2 and put them in a folder on your computer and on Google Drive. Try to find 5-10 of your strongest compositions and most creative photos. This will help you as you plan out your AP portfolio Selected Works section which will include your 5 “best of the best” photos. Make a folder in your Google Drive and share your folder with me. I will post an assignment for you to share this folder when we return to school.

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PART B:

Photo Challenges

Select 5 (or more) Photo Challenges from the list.

Creatively interpret these words through photography. Experiment with different variations / ideas / compositions for each challenge. Don’t take only 1 photo per word; take several. Experiment.

• Memory / Dream
• Obscure
• Home
• Duality
• Transportation
• Cornered
• Interior vs. Exterior
• Tension
• Clutter
• Mirror
• Wind
• Beauty in the “ugly” (inanimate objects only)

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PART C:

Choice Photos

Take 50 or more pictures! Think of your camera as your traveling companion (even if it's only to your own backyard or around your neighborhood). Take photos during your summer break of anything that interests you and that is school appropriate, of course. Take your camera on vacation if you travel this summer. Try something new if you can. For example, if you haven’t done much with still life photography or macro photography, try that. If you see something interesting but don’t have your SLR, use your phone.

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PART D:

Initial Development of Inquiry/Idea for AP Sustained Investigation

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Brainstorm at least 3 possible sustained investigation ideas. Write a brief explanation of your concept (1-2 sentences) and what kind of photos you may take. The Sustained Investigation (SI) is a question / idea that you will explore in-depth throughout the year. Read this document with some general concepts to consider. (We will discuss this more at the start of the school year.) Try to think of a few ideas that may be worth pursuing over the course of the year.

Also, start a written and visual log of any ideas, thoughts, dreams, etc., and begin a digital or paper collection of images, artists, and other objects that inspire you; this will be an excellent reference to use throughout the school year. You can add to this “sketchbook” throughout the year.

The SI consists of 15 photos/artwork that are conceptually related, somewhat similar to the independent project you did in Digital 2. It will include practice, experimentation, and revision as you explore your idea. Think of it as a journey of discovery through art making.

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Extra Credit Option:

Gallery or Museum Visit

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Click on this document with information about visiting a museum or gallery. Follow the directions and earn extra credit.

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Reminders:

All work is due when school starts.

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TAKE PHOTOS at least 4-5 different days over the summer. You will submit 100 (or more) photos when we return to school. Have fun and experiment! You will have time to edit your photos in class when school resumes. Bring your memory card with all photos and upload them to a Google Drive folder to share with me.

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If you would also like to email me or share a Google folder of photos periodically throughout the summer, I’d love to hear from you. I will most likely check email once per week, and can email you feedback. My email is carricjf@npenn.org

I look forward to working with you. Have fun taking photos!

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FOR YOUR AP ART JOURNEY.

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I hope you’re excited…