AP art portfolios

Amy Lee ’24

In support of LM’s talented artists, let’s bring the spotlight to the AP Art students! It’s that time of the year again: classrooms are empty due to the seniors’ absences, students rush outside at the bell to grab a table for lunch, and many of us are only thinking about our Memorial Day Weekend plans. This also means that the upper atrium and first floor hallways are flooded by various artwork from LM’s art students. Each morning, at the back bus circle, big display boards showcasing the AP Art students’ portfolios welcome students.

In the few weeks they have left, LM’s AP Studio Art students are finalizing their various artworks for submission and display. With an incredible range of artwork, such as animal sculptures in AP 3-D Art, or digital sketches in AP 2-D Art, they prepare to impress the LM student body with their endless creativity and pure talent.

A few AP Art students gave their personal takes on the class, as well as providing some insight into their portfolios. Each of their unique perspectives proves the limitless nature of art, its connections to integral aspects of our lives and the aesthetic appeal it brings to our world.

Annie Zhao ’24 is a student in AP 2-D Art, and her reason for taking the class is simple: relaxation and down-time. As for many other artists, art is a pathway of escapism for Zhao. She felt that having an art class at school would be especially beneficial during her junior year. Currently, her favorite medium is digital art. She finds it to be a much smoother and more affordable process compared to the hassle of using expensive supplies for a painting that may take days to dry. Relatably, most of her inspiration comes from Pinterest. She labels her portfolio theme “Indecisive,” without a particular central idea, as she prefers having the freedom to create pieces with ideas that come to her naturally. Zhao explains in her artist’s statement, “You could say I’m quite the picky person. The possibilities are endless, my mind either goes black or scatters amongst a million thoughts.” It may be that many of us relate to this sentiment, regardless of whether it’s in art or other part of our lives. Rather than suppressing her doubts and indecision, Zhao embraces its open-ended nature to portray in her portfolio. One way she shows this “go-with-the-flow” attitude is by incorporating water and nature, such as in a drawing of a character in water, in addition to an ethereal portrait, which she has given the title “water hair.”

Madelin Cerin Miguel ’23 took AP 2-D Art for “the opportunity to create artwork that will help me to achieve the point of impacting myself.” She enjoys using watercolors, as she can easily mix colors; however, she aims to utilize a variety of art mediums to diversify her portfolio. Her inspiration comes from a complex blend of thoughts, emotions, memories, achievements, and dreams. She describes that in her process, “I try to take all my ideas along a single path, so that when I take my brush, I not only create a piece of art, but can exhibit my emotions and feelings.” Her theme centers around her independent identity, emphasizing that, “My emotions and feelings don’t just live hidden in my memory, and art becomes a journey to understand those parts of myself.” She has implemented this theme in her hourglass, planet, and butterfly paintings, which represent her grandmother.

Sylvie Weisbord ’23 took AP 3-D Art in the 2021-2022 school year, because she was inspired to create art with “common” materials in her metal works class because of limited resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also taking AP 2-D Art this year. Her favorite mediums are anything paper-mache or cardboard, because they’re accessible and sustainable materials. She enjoys taking inspiration from the artworks of others, including writing pieces. For last year’s 3-D portfolio and this year’s 2-D portfolio, creatures have been her “visual through-line.” She explores this central idea by posing specific questions, with last year’s being, “How can escapism and fantasy help to tackle the everyday?” and this year’s being “How do emotions manifest in the body?” In her 3D portfolio, her many diverse artworks included a giant paper mache dog, yarn mask, and a spinning automata!

Hadia Ahmad ’23 made a “spontaneous decision” to switch her AP Statistics course with AP 2D Art. During the summer before senior year, she recalls drawing at cafes while attending a film course in New York, which ultimately led her to make the course change. Her inspiration consists of a wide range of designers and well known artwork, for example, Vivienne Westwood, classic paintings, Japanese artists, and even some cartoons. Her portfolio explores two sides to her: “who I am” vs “who I want to be.” Ahmad explains that she chose this particular theme because “I feel like I’m someone that’s obsessed with personal development, constantly in my head, day dreaming and wondering, what would it be like if I were a superhero or even a villain? Or other scenarios like that.”

Hadia’s work will clearly reflect her inner thoughts.

The LM Art department will surely do a phenomenal job to end this school year on a terrific note. Once the artwork has been put on display, I recommend taking a gallery walk, whether that be in the morning before class or during a free period. LM is full of talented individuals and you might just find your new favorite artist. You even may be surprised by the ways you relate to certain pieces!

Blossoming into the new season

Grace Shang ’25 are on the outskirts of the city in the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center or on the busy roads that run along the Schuylkill River, the cherry blossoms represent spring’s emergence and bring a delightful energy to the city. People all over the Philadelphia region enjoy such flowers, but not many know how they came to be. So how did such beautiful non-native trees come to be in the great city of Philadelphia?

In 1926, Japan gifted Philadelphia approximately 1,600 cherry blossom trees as a way to congratulate America on its 150 years of independence. Since then, even more cherry blossom trees have been gifted from the Japanese community. In 1933, Japanese citizens within the Fairmount Park area gifted Kelly Drive 500 cherry blossom trees. So each year during spring, the cherry blossoms within Philadelphia bloom to remind us of the connection and friendship created between two communities.

It is no secret that if you want to see the cherry blossoms in their full beauty, the place to go is the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center. With its elegant traditional Japanese style house that you can actually go inside and see for yourself a glimpse of Japanese culture. On a normal day, families and friends can sit under the trees and enjoy simple picnic’s, perhaps reminiscing about the Please Touch Museum that sits right behind them. But every year, around April 15, there is a cherry blossom festival celebrated at the Shofuso House to celebrate the beginning of spring. The calming ambiance of the house creates a great contrast with the busy city it neighbors. During the festival, they have a variety of events, foods, beverages, and even traditional Japanese ceremonies that anyone and everyone can enjoy.

This year’s highlights are the kimono fashion show. It presented a stunning variety of styled kimonos, Taiko drumming, traditional dance show, and cutest of all, a “pet in pink” parade. The cherry blossoms that once bloomed, and still bloom in Japan, now bloom in America to show the bond between the two bodies of people. The house is surrounded by a body of water containing koi fish and a mini island in the center. It was built in 1953 by architect Junzo Yoshimura using traditional techniques and materials. To honor spring and new beginnings, what better way to celebrate than to look up and gaze at the blossoms swaying in the breeze and falling to the ground.