Spotlight On: The AP Art Class

Video by Monica Gao '19

Why We Value Art by Jacob Rapucci '19
Recently work created by the AP Art students was vandalized. This has caused a lot of emotions for the students, including anger and confusion. However, the destruction of this art has caused the INK Editorial Team to explore why we value art. We asked the AP Art students some questions to hear their thoughts on the subject.

Inspiration for art can come from all sorts of places. Some students cited online sources like images or videos from Instagram, Tumblr, or YouTube. Other students turn to more traditional sources. Senior An Ho states that “...recently I’ve been kind of practicing just using my imagination, so I turn off all devices so that it prevents me from using references on the internet.”  Some students said that past works or experiences inspire their art. Lucy Freeman ‘18 explained “You get inspired really by everything around you.”

Students get into art for a variety of reasons. Many start drawing as children but then stopped doing it for a period of time before picking it back up again. Lucy relates that she seriously got into art again when she visited one of her favorite artists and was complimented by him about her work. An resumed her artistic practice when she came to TA “in my sophomore year [and] started to have a big interest in art again because that was kind of the time I started to think about the future...college and the major that I wanted to major in”

Our students artists mention that the expressiveness or creativity of art is why they enjoy it. An notes that “...art is what made me feel like I’m valuable, and I can do something well,” explained a student. Others said it was because they aren’t good at other school subjects, like math, science, or English, and it could be something they pursue as a college major or a job. Another reason was seeing other people enjoy their work. As Lucy points out, “It really is great when people, like, actually admire your art.”

Check out the class art, along with other submissions in
INK's Art Gallery

Click each image to read letters from AP Art students regarding the recent vandalism of artwork - see why it matters in their own words.