Press Releases
Advanced Placement Students Honored at the First Lady's Arts Day at the Capitol Celebration
03/31/05
TALLAHASSEE—The artwork of four AP® Studio Art students has been displayed in the Capitol Rotunda as part of an exhibition of outstanding Florida student work. Festivities celebrating these AP students and other young Florida visual and performing artists will take place today, with a luncheon on the twenty-second floor of the Capitol building and a reception at the Governor's Mansion, hosted by Florida First Lady Columba Bush as part of her Arts Day at the Capitol celebration. The exhibition will remain in the Capitol Rotunda through May 13.
"I am always moved by the power of art in young lives," said Mrs. Bush. "It's an important part of a complete education and it can help our young people channel their emotions and energy in positive directions."
Every year the College Board selects exemplary artwork from the AP Studio Art program for display in a traveling exhibition to celebrate the extraordinary works created by high school students. The art of 31 students is chosen from approximately 21,000 portfolios submitted during the AP Exam administration. The exhibition displays the best artwork by students who participated in the AP Studio Art program. The pieces, chosen purely on merit without regard for geography, represent 17 U.S. states and Scotland. This year the exhibition appeared at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, and the David J. Brodsky Gallery in Princeton, New Jersey. Florida students created four of the 31 pieces selected for this year's exhibition. In 2004, Florida students created seven of the 30 pieces selected for that year's exhibition.
"The AP artwork represented in this exhibition clearly shows the sophistication and high level of achievement required of AP Studio Art students," said College Board President Gaston Caperton. "It is a testament to the artistic talent of Florida students that four of 31 students selected for the College Board's AP Studio Art Exhibition this year are from the state of Florida."
The College Board's AP Studio Art program, which began in 1971, makes it possible for highly motivated students to participate in the college-level study of art while still in high school. With the encouragement and guidance of committed AP teachers, these students produce paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photos throughout the school year that challenge their artistic perceptions and develop their intentions, both in concept and execution. At the end of the school year, students submit portfolios of their work for evaluation.
The thousands of portfolios submitted each year are reviewed by college, university, and secondary school art instructors using rigorous standards. Their evaluations enable colleges to acknowledge and encourage students' accomplishments by granting appropriate college credit and placement.
The four Florida AP Studio Art students represented in the Capitol Rotunda exhibition are:
Tyrone J. Brown: Tyrone is a junior at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale. He would like to pursue a career in industrial design. His drawing was done in colored pencil.
André Jones: Andre's a senior at Dillard High School's Dillard Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale. He hopes to one day become an architect. His sculpture is made of paper and cardboard triangles arranged to bend over each other so they "look like a spine."
Ryan M. Panco: Ryan graduated from Seminole High School last year and is currently working. He hopes to attend art school. The Fence was done on scratchboard. He concentrated on structures in his portfolio and, in this drawing, shows perspective and the effect of negative space.
Benjamin Rupp: Ben graduated from Orangewood Christian School in Maitland and is now a freshman at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota. His drawing, Taking a Break, was done in colored pencil and shows his friends during a study break at his home.
For electronic images of student artwork, contact the College Board Public Affairs office at 212 713-8052.