Heritage High School
AP Studio Art
3-D Design
Instructor: Ronald Fabin
ronald.fabin@lcps.org
571 252-2800
PREREQUISITE: Art III
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to give the serious art student an opportunity
to receive additional credit for extensive studio work done under the supervision of the
art teacher. Students will be made aware that this work involves significantly more
commitment and accomplishment than is required in other high school art courses. The
AP Studio Art program offers three portfolios: Drawing, 2-D Design and 3-D Design.
Portfolios share a basic, three-section structure: Quality, Concentration, and Breadth.
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT:
This course begins at the end of your junior year. You are to complete at least five pieces
of work over the summer for the AP 3-D Design class. Your work must center on the
elements and principles of design (value, color, form, shape, line, space and texture)
(contrast, rhythm, unity, emphasis, pattern, movement and balance). The pieces will be
due on the first day of class in your senior year. Your outside work will constitute 50%
of your grade throughout the year in AP. Consequently, if you do not do this work, your
average will be negatively impacted.
At least five of the following assignments are to be completed over the summer:
 Paper sculpture (using only paper and glue)
 Paper relief sculpture (surface is altered using only paper, straight edge and XActo knife)
 Wire sculpture of the human figure. You may want to look at the works of
Alberto Giacometti.
 Wire sculpture of an animal in motion.
 A Soft sculpture. You may want to look at the works of Claes Oldenburg.
 A three dimensional sculpture from found objects. You may choose to look at the
work of Pablo Picasso, Julio Gonzales, Richard Chamberlain, or Robert
Rauschenberg.
 An assemblage (you may want to reference the work of Louise Nevelson)
 An architectural model of a building. Using either Popsicle® sticks, wooden
matches, toothpicks, dowel rods, mat board or cardboard (or any combination of).
This should be the exterior structure only. You may want to reference the work
of Frank Gehry, Frank Lloyd Wright, or Philip Johnson.
 Using Sculpey® of different colors, sculpt full-figure caricatures of your family.
 Using clay, fashion a three-dimensional bust of yourself, a friend or family
member.
 From a block of wood, plaster or Styrofoam, create an organic sculpture that is
inviting to the touch. You might look at the work of Henry Moore, Barbara
Hepworth, or Isami Nagouchi.
Course Schedule
We follow a block schedule at Heritage. Classes meet every other day for 89 minutes. We
have two eighteen-week semesters in our school system. This permits students to work
for the full eighteen weeks in the first semester, but only about thirteen weeks in the
second, due to the AP Exams in early May. (Also, minus Snow Days that may
accumulate, which are not made up in our system). The Breadth work is generally teacher
driven in the first semester. The assignments are based on a variety of collected problems
commonly encountered in college-level 3-D Design courses. The students have specific
in-class and out-of-class assignments. They are also expected to complete some class
work at home, depending on the schedule of assignments.
General Learning Outcomes:
Through this program the student will:
 Show an understanding of the focus of the portfolio selected.
 Demonstrate Quality through 5 carefully selected examples of your work.
 Develop a personal Concentration of 12 pieces.
 Demonstrate a Breadth of high-quality work, 8 pieces.
 Discuss and record the development of the Concentration.
Students will be challenged to develop their own personal work. They will develop
mastery of concept, composition, and execution of their personal ideas and themes.
Students will also understand that art making is an ongoing process that uses informed
and critical decision making to determine outcomes to problems. Students will be
expected to develop a comprehensive portfolio that addresses each of these issues in a
personal way.
Student Learning: Activities and Strategies
Units of study are presented to satisfy the Breadth requirement. Students will use a
variety of mediums, techniques, and approaches to develop concepts and ideas. Critiques
of work are ongoing. Students are expected to participate in class critiques of their
personal work as well as the work of their peers and master artists. The vocabulary of art
will be used to engage in written and verbal critiques of these works. Individual
conferencing will assist students in the development of their Concentration work.
Students will develop a body of work that is an investigation of an idea or theme that is of
personal interest to them. Displays of work are also ongoing throughout the school and
community. Recruitment officers from a variety of postsecondary institutions are invited
to present information on a regular basis.
First Third—September, October, November
Overview
A series of teacher-initiated assignments will be presented with the purpose of
introducing students to the widest possible range of experiences in 3_D Design together
with high-level problem-solving skills. Instruction will pick up where the Art 3 class left
off. Areas of instruction will include, but not be limited to wood and stone carving,
potter’s wheel and hand building with clay (including Raku firing) and wire sculpture. By
term end, students will create and complete a body of work suitable for the Breadth
(Section III) of the 3-D Design Portfolio. As well, it is anticipated that students will
discover personal directions, particular studio strengths, and develop visual ideas.
Through a range of specific assignments, students will be involved in a minimum of one
class assignment and one out-of class assignment at all times. Assignment introductions
will be staggered to allow students to work on more than one assignment at a time. A
minimum of one assignment will be due per week, with three projects due in a two-week
period (class and homework combined).
A minimum of 12 slides are due at the end of this term.
Second Third—December, January, February
Overview
While some Breadth work may continue to be required, the main focus of this term will
be the development of specific personal reflection suitable for a Concentration Study
(Section II) of the 3-D Design Portfolio. Considerable time will be devoted to defining
and describing successful approaches to the highly personal nature of Concentration work
through a balance of individual and whole-class assignments. By term end, students will
not only have completed a significant portion of the Concentration pieces but will also
have initiated a written statement to describe the intent and development of the project
using accurate artistic language.
A minimum of 30 slides are due at the end of this term.
Final Third—March, April, first week of May
Overview
This short term will be devoted to the final preparation for the AP 3-D Design Portfolio.
Students will receive individual mentoring regarding the selection of pieces for the
Breadth Section in order to demonstrate maximum variety while continuing to develop
work that demonstrates invention, personal direction/voice, and thoughtful decisionmaking for the Concentration Section. Process-based assignments in the form of
challenges will be presented, intended to encourage risk-taking in the production of the
final pieces for the Concentration. An individual mentoring appointment will be
scheduled at which time the Breadth Section and the Concentration Section will be
thoroughly reviewed in order to identify and remedy weak pieces. Students will evaluate
all work that is intended for the final portfolio and carefully consider the inclusion of any
pieces completed prior to the course or completed outside the instruction offered in this
course.
Slides for all three sections of the AP Portfolio must be ready on Exam Day.
Assessment and Evaluation
Portfolio Development
Based on finished work as per term quota.
Graded using the evaluation rubrics as established by the College Board.
Both volume and quality will be taken into consideration for final grades.
Regular attendance is mandatory.
Appropriate use of class time and extra classes.
Attention to lectures, directions, and demonstrations.
Participation in critical discussion.
Demonstration of understanding the proper and safe use of materials and equipment.
Appropriate responsibilities relating to cleanup duties and storage of work must be
demonstrated.
Original Work
Students are expected to develop their personal imagery. When published photographs or
the works of other artists are used they should be in the service of a personal vision. Any
published image should be altered in such a substantial way that it moves beyond
duplication. This is a matter of artistic integrity.
Bibliography
This is a non-textbook class.
Resource Provided by School System
History of Art for Young People, H. W. Janson and Anthony F. Janson, 5th ed., Harry N.
Abrams, Inc. 1997