ART: AP Studio Art emerges as a new opportunity for young artists at Poly.
By Dyala Harb, Staff Writer
Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art is the very first art portfolio class that will be offered at Poly. The class will be taught by Mrs. Elizabeth Morrow and emerged in an effort to expand the art program at Poly. The AP Studio Art course will cover two-dimensional design. Prerequisite classes include Art Design 1-2 and Art Design 3-4; however, Morrow mentioned that students may present their portfolio to her (if they have not taken these classes) to gain her approval for entry into the class. Morrow affirmed that about 20 students have signed up for the class, most coming from her advanced Art Design class.
According to Morrow, this course will be directed in a way where “students work independently on projects.” This type of atmosphere allows students to be creative and present unique artworks. As far as the content of the class, “AP Studio Art students work with diverse media, styles, subjects, and content,” College Board disclosed in the course overview. Also, instead of taking an AP test, students will submit five works of art, and a team of judges including AP studio art teachers and college studio art professors will decide their score. “The AP Studio Art Program supports students in becoming inventive artistic scholars who contribute to visual culture through art making,” College Board revealed. This new course is an excellent opportunity for individuals at an elevated artistic level to create and reveal original artworks.
Morrow will be teaching for her second year at Poly High School and for her sixteenth year overall. Most recently, she was an art education director at Riverside Art Museum. Prior to this, she taught in an elementary school and taught junior-high art for two years. Currently, Morrow teaches Art Design 1-2 and Art Design 3-4. Morrow will complete a week-long summer training course in San Diego to prepare for teaching this new class. “I’m really excited about offering it,” Morrow exclaimed. She is thrilled to be teaching this new course next year. “I love the school and the students,” she declared, adding that she graduated from Poly.
Morrow believes that the unforeseen decision to offer this class was part of a larger attempt to rebuild the art department, as the school has unfortunately lost two art teachers in the past few years. “The administration is realizing the benefits and importance of art,” Morrow expressed. She also revealed that she is expecting to have advanced classes next year that are mostly filled. “I am excited to see Poly adding a class that fully allows students to explore their artistic abilities at an advanced level,” Amber Reagan (11), one of the students who will be taking the class next year, remarked. Poly is delighted to allow students a new artistic opportunity and to create a more well-rounded student body.