It’s that time of the year again: classrooms are empty due to the seniors’ absences, students rush outside at the bell to grab a table for lunch, and many of us are only thinking about our Memorial Day Weekend plans. This also means that the upper atrium and first floor hallways are flooded by various artwork from LM’s art students. Each morning, students at the back bus circle are welcomed by massive display boards showcasing the AP Art students’ portfolios.
In the few weeks they have left, LM’s AP Studio Art students are finalizing their various artworks for submission and display. With an incredible range of artwork, such as animal sculptures in AP 3-D Art, or digital sketches in AP 2-D Art, they prepare to impress the LM student body with their endless creativity.
A couple AP Art students gave their personal takes on the class, as well as providing some insight into their portfolios. Each of their unique perspectives proves the limitless nature of art, as well as its connections to integral aspects of our own lives.
Annie Zhao ’24 is a student in AP 2-D Art, and her reason for taking the class is simple: relaxation and down-time. As for many others, art is a pathway of escapism for Zhao, and she felt that having an art class would be especially beneficial during her junior year. Currently, her favorite medium is digital art. She finds it to be a smoother and more affordable process, compared to the hassle of using expensive supplies for, say, a painting that may take days to dry. Relatably, most of her inspiration comes from Pinterest! She labels her portfolio theme “Indecisive,” without a particular central idea, as she prefers having the freedom to create pieces with ideas that come to her naturally. Zhao explains in her artist’s statement, “You could say I’m quite the picky person. The possibilities are endless and my mind either goes black or scatters amongst a million thoughts.” Perhaps many of us relate to this sentiment, regardless of whether it’s in art or some other part of our lives. Rather than suppressing her indecisiveness, Zhao embraces its open-ended nature to portray in her portfolio. One way she portrays this “go-with-the-flow” attitude is by incorporating water, such as in a drawing of a character submerged underwater, and a portrait called “water hair.”
Madelin Cerin Miguel ’23 took AP 2-D Art for “the opportunity to create artwork that will help me to achieve the point of impacting myself.” She enjoys using watercolors, as she can easily mix colors; However, she aims to utilize a variety of art mediums to diversify her portfolio. Her inspiration comes from a complex blend of thoughts, emotions, memories, achievements, and dreams. She describes that in her process, “I try to take all my ideas along a single path, so that when I take my brush, I not only create a piece of art, but can exhibit my emotions and feelings.” Miguel’s theme centers around her interdependent identity, emphasizing that, “My emotions and feelings don’t just live hidden in my memory, and art becomes a journey to understand those parts of myself.” She has implemented this theme in her hourglass, planet, and butterfly paintings.
Sylvie Weisbord ’23 took AP 3-D Art during the ’21-’22 school year, because she was inspired to create art with “common” materials in her metal-works class when limited by resources during the Covid-19 pandemic. She’s also taking AP 2-D Art this school year. Her favorite mediums are anything paper-mache or cardboard, because they’re accessible and sustainable materials. She enjoys taking inspiration from the artworks of others, including writing pieces. For last year’s 3-D Portfolio and this year’s 2-D Portfolio, creatures have been her “visual through-line.” She explores this central idea by posing specific questions, with last year’s being, “How can escapism and fantasy help to tackle the everyday?” and this year’s being “How do emotions manifest in the body?” In her 3D Portfolio, her artworks included a giant paper mache dog, yarn mask, and a spinning automata!
Hadia Ahmad ‘23 made a “spontaneous decision” to switch her AP Statistics course with AP 2D Art. During the summer before her senior year, she recalls drawing at cafes while attending a video-making program in New York, which ultimately led her to make the course change. Her inspiration consists of a wide range of designers and famous artwork, such as fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, classic paintings, Japanese contemporary artists, and even cartoons. In her portfolio, she explores two sides to herself: “who I am” vs “who I want to be.” Ahmad explains that she chose this particular theme because “I feel like I’m someone that’s obsessed with personal development, constantly in my head, daydreaming and wondering – what would it be like if I was a superhero? Or other random scenarios like that.”
The LM art department will surely do a phenomenal job to end this school year on a terrific note. Once the artworks have been put on display, I recommend taking a gallery walk, whether that be in the morning before class or during a free period. You may be surprised by the ways you relate to certain pieces!
