After many years of speculation AP Art History is now going to be available for students interested in studying more about the impacts of art on the course of history and specific aspects of different cultures to take in the next school year. AP Art History was an available course a couple of years ago, when there were more art teachers and students, but due to staff shortages and lack of student interest, it hasn’t been around for some years.

“AP Art History is based on understanding the form, the material and the context of the work,” photography and future art history teacher Jessica Davidson said. “The students study different artworks that range from global prehistory to contemporary art around the whole world.”

According to Davidson, this course can not only help you understand more about the art world and it’s mysteries, but also help structure the concepts learned in regular history classes from another perspective.

“This course goes well with other history classes, such as AP World History, World Geography and European History, and even language courses,” Davidson said. “It is different from regular history classes since we study art in depth and all the things connected to it, and have a visual element that can help you place the time periods in the broad time spectrum.”

Studying the history of art through the years and specific art works from prehistory to contemporary art, students will get to better understand history and cultures around the world while practicing their love for art.
Some students, such as junior Meg Wells, hope to learn more about different eras in art and their characteristics, and try to connect the ones that she likes the most to her own art.

“I feel like I would really enjoy learning about art history in this course because I have always been very interested in art and creating it but never had the opportunity to learn in depth about the different eras in it,” Wells said. “With this course I’ll be able to study about different eras that I don’t know that much about and their specific characteristics, and connect some of them to my own art.”

Apart from helping students to make better connections in history itself, Art History can also help students become more knowledgeable of the world around them and why it is the way it is, according to Davidson.

“Through the learning of artworks around the world, students can gain a lot of general appreciation for the world, knowledge about the values of other times and cultures, all through a media they enjoy, art,” Davidson said. “After this course, students can become more well-rounded human beings, more empathetic and more knowledgeable of the interconnections between different cultures.”

Some other students, such as junior Adah Skaff, wanted to give this course a try to become more in touch with not only the history of art, but also to better understand the flow of our world.

“I’m excited by the opportunity to see the difference in ways people thought in different times through their art,” Skaff said. “I believe that will help me understand better the way humanity works and worked in history in a way.”

Students are also excited to learn more about their favorite artworks and how they were created in general. This can help them connect art concepts with general concepts learned in other history classes and become more aware of the different art works in their surroundings.

“I’m excited to learn about different types of artwork in history, more than the common eras that people know about, such as cave paintings,” Wells said. “I feel like this will help me improve my own art skills by adding new elements to it and to become a more knowledgeable person in the art world in general. ”

The only requirements to join this class when offered will be to have a deep desire to learn about art and where it came from, as well as about other cultures.

“This class will be great for people who are deeply curious about humans and their heritage, as well as their creations,” Davison said. “This course will require a lot of memorization, but other than that, it is open to anyone who wants to join.”