Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI) in Art and Design

APSI Art and Design will be offered online in 2024.

Session 1

July 29–August 2, 2024
Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CT
Registration deadline: July 24
Registration will open in January 2024

Session 2

August 5–9, 2024
Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CT
Registration deadline: July 31
Registration will open in January 2024

Program Fee: $1,320—Includes one graduate credit and all AP course materials. (Please note: SAIC will be emailing digital APSI materials directly to attendees.)

“I really enjoyed having to create, reflect and observe in a group setting and share experiences and best practices. This was very authentic and I learned a lot of new strategies and grading practices, studio work, art portfolio review, and more.”
-APSI Art and Design participant, 2020

Our AP* Summer Institutes go beyond professional development to provide a unique combination of seminar sessions and hands-on collaborative studio activities that revitalize teachers and focus on the importance of contemporary art practice in the high school art room. More than simply explaining the AP* Art and Design program requirements and portfolio scoring methods, experienced arts educators and skillful consultants facilitate meaningful opportunities for peer dialogue, discussion of new media affects on AP*, up-to-date information on digital upload, and inspiration for developing curricula specific to the three portfolios: drawing, 2D design, and 3D design.

• Workshops are led by a current AP* Art and Design teacher who was on the AP* Art and Design Development Committee during development of the 2019–20 updated portfolio requirements and rubrics. The consultant is joined by an SAIC faculty member with over 24 years experience teaching in post-secondary education, who has held leadership positions associated with the AP* Art and Design program for several years. 
• Access to resources from the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago and its encyclopedic collection of classical, modern, and contemporary art.
• Small class sizes utilize group learning and collaboration, enhancing instructor availability for each participant.
• Presentations by visiting artists and arts educators investigating the latest concepts and trends in art and design education, including SAIC's director, Academic Program Review and Assessment, the former chief reader of the AP* Art and Design exam.
• Individual and collaborative studio activities that focus on building meaningful relationships with ideas, materials, and environments.

Each session will meet Monday through Friday in a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning that meets the 30-hour requirement for course completion. Instructors will lead two sessions of synchronous learning daily: a two-hour morning session and a two-hour evening session. This will be combined with asynchronous learning activities that relate to that day’s instruction. Attendees should expect to spend up to 20 hours on asynchronous learning during the week. Instructors will be available in between synchronous learning sessions to offer student support.

SCHEDULE: Monday – Friday

9:00–11:00 a.m. CT (2 hours)
Synchronous Instruction with Full Group and Small Breakout Groups

11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. CT (3 hours)
Asynchronous instruction, consisting of short studio activities that relate to and interact with the synchronous instruction that day.

3:00–5:00 p.m. CT (2 hours)
Synchronous Instruction with Full Group and Small Breakout Groups

M. Colleen Harrigan

M. Colleen Harrigan is an artist and teacher at Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack, New York. She is a Question Leader at the AP* Studio Art Portfolio Reading, a College Board Consultant, one of the authors of the College Board "Vertical Team Guide in Studio Art” and the former Co–Chair of the College Board AP* Studio Art Development Committee.

Colleen is involved in many aspects of teaching and learning, from guiding students in the classroom to professional development with teachers. She has studied internationally and received fellowships to Italy and Japan. These opportunities have enabled her to meet and work with many talented individuals and have informed her own studio practice.

Michael x. Ryan

Michael x. Ryan is a visual artist and educator that has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) for the last 24 years. As a faculty member in Arts Administration + Policy and the department of Contemporary Practices, Ryan has developed many undergraduate and foundations courses over the years. As an administrator and faculty member at SAIC, the meeting of different generations of artists/designers is a daily inspiration to the studio. Ryan has worked with the AP* Studio Art program for over 20 years, is currently a Question Leader at the AP* Studio Art Portfolio Reading, and for five years was Co-Chair of the College Board AP Studio Art Development Committee.

In his studio practice, Ryan attempts to record the fleeting residue of the human presence by realizing the interconnectedness of bodies and places while magnifying the minutia of a life lived. Ryan’s work has been exhibited widely in the United States. His work has been acquired by a number of collections, such as The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Everson Museum in Syracuse, NY, along with many others.

*Advanced Placement, AP, College Board, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. Used with permission.

SAIC will be emailing APSI materials directly to attendees.

Electronic Materials Contain:

• The Course and Exam Description (CED)
• The Subject Handbook (if applicable)
• There is no time limit on access to the electronic materials once they have been downloaded and saved.

Purchase orders should be made out to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Please send a purchase order and invoice inquiries to Scott Whitlock.

APSI Art and Design drop requests must be submitted in writing to cs@saic.edu and include the student's name, ID number, and course information. The date the request is received in writing is the date used to calculate the refund amount.

• In order to adapt to online course delivery and to allow time for shipping materials, we have adjusted our usual drop deadlines.
• 100 percent refunds may be issued on or before these dates: 
  • APSI Art and Design Session 1 - July 22
  • APSI Art and Design Session 2 - July 29
• No refunds will be issued after the dates above.

Note: Refunds take approximately four to six weeks to process, depending on payment type.

Continuing Studies staff members are available Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. CT at 312.629.6170 or cs@saic.edu to answer your questions. We are here to help!