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A drawing created by a student at Buchholz High School is one of just 48 works of art selected for inclusion in the prestigious Advanced Placement (AP) Art and Design Exhibit, an online art exhibit viewed annually by more than 250,000 people worldwide.

The exhibit went live last week and includes senior Gaia Kaye’s piece ‘Lifeless Currents.’ Created with watercolors and colored pencils, it is a stylized self-portrait surrounded in waves of blue. In her description of the work, she says it represents ‘overwhelming feelings of emptiness and being engulfed in emotion,” and was part of a sustained investigation into how self-perception affects people “emotionally, physically and spiritually.” Kaye’s piece was one of just 19 selected for the Drawing exhibit.

More than 80,000 students enrolled in AP 2D Art and Design, 3D Art and Design and AP Drawing courses across the globe submitted portfolios of their work for evaluation. Each portfolio included multiple pieces of art and written information about their work. The portfolios were then reviewed by panels of experts, who selected pieces for inclusion in the exhibit.

“AP Art and Design students consistently exhibit exceptional innovation and creativity through our inquiry-based curriculum,” said Trevor Packer, head of the AP program, in a news release from the organization. “Their artworks are a testament to their imaginative and creative prowess and leave a lasting impression on all who view them”

“I didn’t realize how big it was at first until I started looking into it,” said Kaye. “I thought showing my work at Buchholz’ Spring Art Show was as far as it would go. I never expected this to happen.”

Lindsey Lugrin, one of Kaye’s art teachers at Buchholz, says the young artist is very passionate about her work. 

“She always has a strong vision, is incredibly dedicated and always, always works hard to create the most beautiful work,” she said. “The students in class were in awe of how refined and precise her work was.”

Kaye credits her teachers for helping her expand her artistic horizons.

“When I started doing art, I really only used graphite (pencils),” she said. “It wasn’t until freshman year that I started working with colored pencils and watercolors, which I probably wouldn’t have done on my own. I didn’t feel confident enough with them, but my teachers told me it was time to start spreading into other mediums.”

As for her future plans, Kaye always planned to become a doctor. But she said she wasn’t happy with the idea of leaving art behind, so she’s planning to combine medicine and art into a career.

“What I want to do is anaplastology, which is creating realistic prostheses for faces, fingers, that kind of thing,” she said. “That way I can mix a medical career, maybe in oncology, with art.”

The full exhibit can be viewed at: https://apartanddesign.collegeboard.org/2024-ap-art-and-design-exhibit

Kaye’s piece and her detailed description of it, along with statements from Lugrin and Buchholz principal Kevin Purvis, is available at:  https://apartanddesign.collegeboard.org/gaia-kaye

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