The 2-D Design Portfolio
Course Pages:
A brief description of the 2-D Design portfolio follows below. Complete descriptions of all the portfolios can be found in the Course Description for AP Studio Art (.pdf/391KB). The AP Studio Art poster also contains descriptions of all of the portfolios. For more information on the poster, click on the link above.
The Advanced Placement Program in Studio Art: 2-D Design is a performance-based visual exam. Each student develops and submits a portfolio that serves as a direct demonstration of achievement. The term "2-D Design" is used very broadly; a wide range of work can fit into this portfolio. The unifying idea for the portfolio is that the student focuses on making decisions about how to use the principles and elements of art to create works of art that convey meaning. In some cases, the "meaning" of the work may involve messages on a literal level (for example, graphic design, product design). However, "meaning" is just as likely to take the form of abstract or purely visual coherence. What's critical is that sense of deliberate manipulation of the visual tools represented by the elements and principles. The work may be highly technological, or it may be created with the most simple means. Any two-dimensional medium may be used for this portfolio.
Videotapes and three-dimensional work may NOT be submitted for the 2-D Design portfolio. Students' work (in either traditional or technologically manipulated media) that makes use of photographs, published images, and/or other artists' works or computer software must show development beyond duplication. This development may be demonstrated through the manipulation of the formal qualities, design, and/or concept of the original work.
Portfolio Requirements at a Glance
The portfolio for Studio Art: 2-D requires submissions in three distinct sections.
SECTION I:
Quality
SECTION II:
Concentration
SECTION III:
Breadth
Five actual works; maximum size is 18" x 24"
12 images; some may be details
12 images of 12 different works; one image of each is submitted
There's nothing quite like looking at actual work, so the first section of the portfolio consists of five works that are limited only by size -- they have to fit into the 18" x 24" portfolio envelope. On the other hand, there's a limit to how much actual work can be physically accommodated for scoring, so the other two sections of the portfolio are submitted as digital images. Although digital images provide a less direct view than looking at actual works, they also offer a tremendous advantage: documenting the work in this way means that students are free to work as large as they like for the rest of the portfolio.
Quality with Student Samples
The Quality section promotes the development of a sense of excellence in art. For this section, students submit five works that best demonstrate excellence. There are no preconceptions about what the work will look like -- it may have been created quickly or over a long period of time; it may be representational, abstract, stylized or it may show a combination of any of these characteristics. The five works chosen for the Quality section may come from the student's Concentration section and/or Breadth section, but they don't have to. They may be a group of related works, unrelated works, or a combination of related and unrelated works.
2002 Studio Art 2-D Design: Quality Samples
Concentration with Student Samples
The Concentration section shows the student's in-depth exploration of a particular design concern. It is presented as 12 images, some of which may be details of works. The emphasis is on a coherent development of an idea through a body of work, in addition to the artistic success of the work.
2002 Studio Art 2-D Design: Concentration Samples
Breadth with Student Samples
The Breadth section shows the range of experimentation and experience in 2-D Design. It is presented as 12 images, each of which shows a different work. In addition to the quality of the work, it is scored on the degree to which it actually shows a variety of approaches to 2-D Design.
2002 Studio Art 2-D Design: Breadth Samples
Scoring Guidelines
Please note: The links to Scoring Guidelines for this course are in Adobe® PDF format, and you will need to use the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® to view them. If you don't have Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher installed on your computer, choose the link for the Adobe Web site below for installation instructions. For help downloading and printing PDF files, choose the link "PDF Troubleshooting" below in "See also."