When students in Advanced Placement Studio Art walk into class, they know that they will be the ones to decide what to do in class that day. No teacher will tell them what to paint, or what to sculpt, or anything of the sort. Each student can choose what medium to work in and what subject to focus on in an open and independent environment.

AP Studio Art, one of the highest – level art courses offered at the high school, is focused around independence and creative choice. Donna Sartanowicz, the class’s teacher, does not tell the students how to do their work; she helps them with it.

“I spend the class period in individual conferences with each of the students, where we really talk about their work, and I ask them sometimes difficult questions,” Sartanowicz said. “I want them to really think deeply about what they’re doing.”

The structure of work in the class helps foster a sense of independence. The assignment for the year is to create 12 pieces of art centered around one theme, according to Sartanowicz. This is different from  art courses taken prior to the AP level, which have more planned curricula.

Students enrolled in the class find that the way that their work is arranged helps to improve their skill.

“There’s less pressure to make it really polished and completed by a date,” senior Lucy Hwang said. “The independence just really allows me to explore more.”

However, creating their own deadlines is a challenge, Hwang said. It is a challenge that sets the class apart from lower-level art classes at the high school.

Having the freedom to choose a subject and a medium is also difficult, Stanowicz said.

“In AP Studio Art, I am telling them, ‘You need to draw whatever you want,’ she said. But any student that’s in that class will tell you that’s the hardest assignment I’ve ever given them.”

One way that the class emphasizes independence is by allowing students to listen to music while working, according to Hwang. According to Sartanowicz, it helps some of them focus on work and isolate themselves from the other people in the classroom.

Freedom and independence connect AP Studio Art to artistry beyond the high school.

“You choose a theme which you’re going to explore through a series of works, and each time, you deepen your understanding of that thing,” Sartanowicz said. “That’s what the concentration is for AP students. I think it’s the next important step to becoming an independent artist.”

Sam Klein can be contacted at [email protected]