On March 7, students in Advanced Placement (AP) Art and Design classes at Riverside Brookfield High School celebrated their exhibition at the Riverside Arts Center (RAC). The annual AP Art Exhibition is held at the RAC and will be available to view for three weeks beginning on March 7 and ending March 29 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. This will be the 15th year they have held this event for RB students. The exhibition includes many different mediums including paintings, drawings, photographs, ceramics, and sculptures.
AP Art and Design is a program consisting of three art courses offered by the College Boards, in which students spend their time working on building a portfolio with their choice of medium. These classes include AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing. Students will then choose one piece to submit for their exhibition. Before submitting their artwork, students must work to prepare their piece to be shown to the public, which could include matting or framing it. Fine arts teacher Blair Jensen works with students in his classes to help them prepare for the event year round. On the more technical side of the exhibition, fine arts teacher Suzanne Zimmerman stays in communication with the RAC and helps with the organization side. Working together allows them to provide the best support possible for all artists involved.
“My role is to supervise the students and make sure that they are creating work to submit for their portfolio at the end of the semester,” Jensen said. “For the show, I tell them to select their best piece so far this year from their portfolio and prepare it. She [Zimmerman] is in communication with the Riverside Art Center, and she makes labels, drops them off, and makes arrangements for 3-D art.”
Senior Aiden Jakubiak has had the opportunity to participate in the exhibition for three years now. Before she started showcasing her artwork at the RAC, she also participated in art shows at RB throughout the year.
“It’s just being able to see how people interact with a piece of your work,” Jakubiak said. “It is a really incredible experience and makes it feel really worthwhile the work that you put into your art when you can see how it affects people.”
While creating their artwork, students are able to express themselves in many different ways. They are assigned one assignment throughout the whole year, which is to build a portfolio with 10 to 15 pieces.
“My favorite thing about the class is how open ended it is and how much creative freedom you have,” Jakubiak said.
AP Art and Design also provides students with a chance to gain college credits and experience for those who plan to have a future in art.
“It looks great because it helps build a portfolio to apply [to college],” Jakubiak said. “It also gives you sort of the experience of what a college art class is like with the amount of work you have to create.”
The RAC holds many exhibitions throughout the year. Not only do they work with RB art classes throughout the year, but they also work with RB alumni and many other artists. The RAC also invites artists to look into their summer internships.
“You should thank the Riverside Art Center,” Zimmerman said. “They’re so amazing and collaborative, and their community outreach is exceptional, and it’s a professional gallery that they show.”
