Every Period 8, eleven seniors gather in B-105 for AP Studio Art. The class serves as a culmination of all four years of art at Marymount, as well as the opportunity for students to pursue their own creative visions. Artists must submit a portfolio of their work to the College Board at the end of the year, including a series of twelve works for their concentration. Students develop their own theme, decide on a media, and envision the arc of their works. For the duration of the year, they work to complete pieces for their concentration. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to speak with some of the artists regarding their vision for their concentrations.

Jane O’Donnell ’19

Jane O’Donnell’s continuous line drawings─illustrations formed with one unbroken line─are created using black ink pens and acrylic paint on illustration board. Jane describes her art as, “messy, swirly line drawing[s],” which are layered on top of a contrasting geometric pattern. She chose this process, despite her past discontent, “to challenge [herself] as opposed to doing something quick and easy.” As for her theme, she cites a letter a friend wrote her as her main source of inspiration, even including “one phrase, in cursive, hidden in the lines of each drawing.” Relishing the creative independence of the AP Studio Art class, Jane has been enjoying “coming into class every day and immediately sitting down and getting to work,” developing pieces within her “own criteria, standards, and requirements.”

Sophie Rogers ‘19

Sophie Rogers’ concentration, “The Construction of the Brain,” is inspired by her “fascination for psychology.” Each piece expresses “different functions of the brain.” Her goal is to create something that is “complex, exciting and fascinating” through her self-proclaimed “loose and less calculated” drawing style. Without “a leash on [her] artwork,” she has been exploring new, creative avenues within the flexibility of AP Studio Art.

Cassidy Capata ‘19

Cassidy Capata has chosen to explore creating her artwork on an iPad with an apple pencil. She describes this innovative medium as “a new and interesting process” that enables her to “easily [create] art wherever [she] is.” After falling in love with “pictures and illustrations of human bodies,” she has decided to dedicate her “surrealist” concentration to depicting “the human body in nature.”

Besty Brady ‘19

Betsy Brady’s artistic vision, “the idea of masks and hidden and concealed things,” is illustrated through a multimedia project. Now in AP Studio Art, she has been experiencing the benefits and disadvantages of creating a self-driven concentration. While given the opportunity to “develop [her] ideas” and “explore any facet of [her] theme that [she] wants,” she also works to overcome challenges such as “difficulty thinking of ideas” and “frustration when [she] feels stuck.”

Ava Campanella ‘19

Upon looking at Ava Campanella’s artwork, one may observe “a collection of pieces that exist in nature, surreal elements, and entities that have animal skulls as heads.” Despite the formidable appearance of the well-dressed skulls, Ava views the creatures as a “symbol of comfort and security,” created in the wake of a death in her family. Exploring her love for her “family and mythical creatures” within the AP Studio Art classroom has given her the “freedom to express [herself] and show [her] creativity.”