I stepped into a gallery enriched with liveliness and vibrancy. The walls are lined with months of work oozing with each artist’s passion. This year’s AP art show evoked an organic inspiration in all viewers–a feeling I wanted to discover the source of. Talking with the artists revealed a shared thread: the authenticity of their work, rooted in a common willingness to grow through discomfort.
Many artists experienced this growth through new techniques. Chloe Howard ’26 expanded her Photoshop skills to breathe life into a faded photo, transforming an old photo into a new one through color adjustments to enhance the visual experience. Similarly, Jerome Williams ’26 took on the new photographic challenge of ‘panning,’ a technique that captures a moving subject in focus. He explained how the technique took a new knowledge of camera settings and timing. Lena Smith ’26 stunned viewers with her exploration of the cyanotype process, a distinctive blue-hued imaging method that relies on exposure to UV light.
Across these works, some artists were rethinking how they create. Ellie Patterson ’26 experimented with collages in her portfolio, pushing herself out of her comfort zone by incorporating more colors, patterns, and textures, until her journey led to 3D elements that extended beyond the wall. Her reflections on human interactions shone through the array of media in different ways. Isabel Shen ’27, who explored the spectrum of emotions, learned how to use gold leaf to bring a magical quality to her work. She recalled the learning required to wield this delicate medium. Yuki Hu ’26 described how she was driven by theme rather than style through her portfolio, allowing her to experiment with charcoal and digital art to express different aspects of her identity. This variety of experimentation allowed the artists to create art that embodied emotion in impactful ways.
Others displayed artistic bravery through their willingness to take risks. Celine Tsai ’26 created an interactive ceramics exhibit and encouraged onlookers to touch, use, and play. She took a conventionally breakable medium and placed it directly into strangers’ hands, defying expectations and stripping the barriers between art and viewer. Emma Gally ’27 showed the duality of refinement of her pottery and the freedom of glazing. When choosing the color, Emma picks what matches the piece’s shape and then commits: no test tiles, all confidence. These risks warranted trust–in oneself, in the material, and in others–that pushed the artists to evolve. The artists did not shy away from their failures either; they were eager to recount how they navigated them. Cecilia Frank ’26 shared how one of her ceramic pieces exploded in the kiln, and instead of scrapping it, she reimagined it. With the goal of portraying society’s impact on the environment in mind, Cecilia reworked her piece into a new, unique representation. The broken clay was transformed into a striking sculpture twisted with rope and wire, evoking a sense of pain and destruction. Through each artist, I saw how failure became a catalyst for creativity.
For some artists, the discomfort extended beyond technique and into the ideas they explored. Chidera Okeke ’26’s portfolio is a social commentary through interpretations of tarot card iconography. In a polarized political climate, Chidera pushes viewers’ perspectives through her critiques. The work of Tamana Hassani ’26 also stirred deep conversations among onlookers. After persevering through the challenge of translating her thoughts into art, Tamana used her sculptures to speak for Afghan women facing oppression. Chidera and Tamana’s weighty topics demanded difficult, potentially uncomfortable conversations to convey the message they envisioned.
My conversations and browsing left me in awe. The display of talent collected in that room, appreciated by such a large crowd on the gallery’s opening night, was a marvel. And yet, as the lights dimmed overhead, the message I received didn’t fade. As photography teacher Alex Barnosky said, his students had to get “comfortable being uncomfortable,” because that is where we find art.
