Through the 2D Art and Design AP class, three Portage High School students have been hard at work to create a portfolio to display their artistic talents. Lillian Leffert, 12, Adrianna Hicks, 12, and Finch Hale, 11, have spent the 2024-2025 school year creating twenty pieces–drawn, painted, digital, or other media–to show their qualifications in 2D forms of art. Fifteen works are for the ‘Sustained Investigation’, which is when students choose a concentration concept, or theme, to connect their pieces. Hicks chose a topic she could play around and have fun with.
“It just stood out to me the most, I felt like I’d have the most fun with it,”
Outside of the Sustained Investigation is the ‘Selected Works’, five pieces are used to show off skills and techniques students have learned throughout the year. All artworks are due at a rapid pace, with a rate of about one finished piece every week for the first three quarters due to meet the requirements. This may cause strain on many, but Leffert has adjusted quickly.
“I started doing my stuff a lot quicker than I usually did, it used to take me a good few weeks, now it takes me a week or two. You kinda have to expect it’s not gonna look perfect,”
Students do not just take the class to fill a spot, the dedication and time it takes indicates a passion for the subject. Many students choose to continue the pathway into art after high school. Hicks is one of these students, and she already has clear prospects for her future.
“I got accepted into IU Indianapolis, but after the career fair, someone changed my mind. I applied and got accepted into the Chicago Art Institute specifically,” said Hicks.
Leffert agrees with the idea of going into the arts after she graduates, but he has her own plan in mind.
“I’m going to Indiana University Northwest for art, and afterwards I’d like to do tattooing and maybe freelance,” said Leffert.
The three students hung up their portfolios right after spring break. Currently, the portfolios are proudly displayed just outside of Door C, close to Guidance and the East Clinic. Hale’s ‘Living Life on Individual Terms’ collection, Leffert’s ‘Exploring Textures in Nature’, and Hicks ‘Chaos and Harmony’ are available to be viewed in person until the week of April 14th, when they will be taken down to make room for the Spring Art Show.
