BY CHANDLER DEWEY

Stepping into the art room at Mayfield is like entering a separate world. Art pieces lie on the tables and hang on the walls. Students work diligently at their station, completing their latest works.

Like their peers in the bio lab or their friends flipping through flashcards on American history, these students are studying for their latest AP: AP Studio Art, a course that allows artists to explore passions and hone their skills at the college-level.

“AP Art allows me to be independent with my artwork. It allows me to express myself through my concentration,” said senior Laura Lundegard.

The class “Introduction to Art” is the only requirement to take AP Studio Art, but being a member of Art Conservatory is helpful in order to develop a portfolio.

This year’s class consists of only seniors and the majority of students have been members of Art Conservatory for four years. At the end of the year, the artists must submit twenty-four of what they deem to be their most outstanding pieces to the College Board.

Students work on twelve of these art pieces here at school. The artwork does not have to be in the same medium or have a common theme.

The remaining twelve pieces must follow a specific theme that the student develops during their tenure in the AP Studio Art program. These twelve pieces are completed by the student outside of school and are known as their “concentration.”

Lundegard, who is a member of the Art Conservatory as well as the AP class, strove to find a unique theme for her concentration — autobiographical reflections.

“I chose my theme freshman year as reflections, and it developed as I got older because I learned more and I knew more about myself, about my life, and about my concentration. It kept developing, and eventually [it] turned into autobiographical reflections,” Lundegard said.

Luisa Leon, another AP Studio Art senior and member of the Art Conservatory, chose to focus on reflecting her inner emotions.

“It’s my inner feelings projected into the outside world,” said Leon.

Leon has been working on her concentration sophomore year, when she immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and transferred to Mayfield. She will attend the Pratt Institute of Art & Design next year and intends to pursue a career in visual art.

Like Leon, many of the AP Studio Art students are either interested in pursuing artistic careers or intend to be involved in the arts during their college years. AP Studio Art provides them with an opportunity to advance their skills for such goals.