The room buzzes with quiet activity. At one table, a student paints bold, vibrant streaks of acrylic paint on a canvas. Nearby, another student carefully molds clay into a detailed, lifelike sculpture. On the other side of the room, a pencil faintly scratches against the crisp paper as a realistic drawing is brought to life. This is AP Studio Art. Taught by Fine Arts teacher Daniel Raedeke, students in the class create their own portfolio built around a core idea called the “sustained investigation.”

“You’re investigating one part of your identity, and then creating art that is centered around that sustained investigation,” Aalaa Mahmoud (11) said. Once they’re satisfied with their sustained investigation, the students start creating their artworks. Most students make five to 15 pieces of art per semester, depending on their size and scale.

“You display the work that you have worked on for the last two weeks and explain the process of making [it], and then Mr. Raedeke and everyone around you gives you critiques,” Mahmoud said. “They say what you can work on, what is a better idea for the next piece, and what are you going to do moving forward.” Near the end of the semester, each student will choose one piece to be displayed. Raedeke will then design the gallery using a miniature model. Once the design is finalized, Raedeke installs the exhibition, which will be available to see Dec. 15.

“I’ve had my art displayed in the gallery only once, and this time it’ll be much bigger,” Mahmoud said. “It gives me anxiety, but it’s also a good way to get [my art] out there — get my ideas, my sustained investigation [and] me out there in the school community.”

The AP Studio Art class has allowed the students to express themselves through their art and further provide them with many new, valuable experiences. “I think I’ve definitely become bolder and not scared to make things ugly,” Mahmoud said. “I’ve been more comfortable with creating things that don’t look exactly perfect, and I think that’s really good to grow as an artist, to let go of your inhibitions.”