The AP Studio Art program here at Milford High School has been a vital aspect of the Milford Art Department for years. It is run by teacher Tara Johnson and is a college level art class, meaning that college credit can be earned with a passing score on the AP exam. Although this class is very popular with the students who take it, it is not well known throughout the school.

AP Studio Art is the highest level art class Milford offers. The requirements to take this class are former experience in art classes at Milford or a portfolio and application submission to Johnson. It is generally composed of upperclassmen. Johnson prefers this as it allows her students to have a much broader life collection of pieces for submission.

“To me, AP focuses on student voice,” said Johnson. She claims her job as an AP teacher is more to guide students and help them express their own voice. She helps to package and “sell” the message the students convey with their work.

When I asked her to elaborate on what she meant by selling, Johnson said, “It isn’t about changing who you are, it’s about selling it. I love fostering student ideas and guiding [the students] through the pathway of getting their art expressed.”

She then went on to say, “My goal is for my students to realize the power their art has. I love the moment when they realize they no longer want to create art for themselves, but to create art for other people to make a difference in someone’s world.”

The success of the AP Studio Art students of the past has been impressive. In 2014, ten students took the AP exam. Three of these students scored a 3, three others scored a 4, and four students scored the highest possible score of a 5. The letter grades of students taking this class are generally fairly high as well. Students taking this class claim the hardest part is getting motivated to complete projects.

Sophia Hawkins stated, “The workload for this class is fine, unless you let it build up until the end of the term.”

Mrs. Johnson’s style for this class is very unique, grades are based on a completed amount of projects turned in by the end of the term first semester and then weekly tasks such as editing and photographing second semester. This allows for a lot more freedom than a normal art class.

Keely Burke commented on the freedom this class offers saying “Working at my own pace, being able to branch out and try new things, and the ability to talk with my friends in class are my favorite things about this class.”

The interaction with peers is one of the most beneficial aspects of this class. This class is generally composed of students who have taken at least two art classes and are advanced in their artistic abilities. These students come from all different groups of the school and the diversity in the types of students in this class allows for a lot of variety in art work.

“Being around everyone pushes me to improve and inspires me to try to incorporate new things into my own style,” said Keely.

If you are interested in earning college credit for an art class, this may be the course for you. Head to the student center and schedule an appointment with your counselor for more information.