Out of more than 74,000 submissions nationwide, alumnus Zachary Millner’s AP Art portfolio has been selected for this year’s AP Art & Design Exhibit as one of the top 50, showcasing his talent and creativity. Millner’s year-long project, which reflected a deep inquiry into a subject of his passion, stood out for its powerful themes, captivating atmosphere and strong execution.

Reflecting on humor, Millner decided to make the different types of irony his portfolio’s subject and created vibrant and active visuals. One of the selected pieces from the portfolio consisted of three photos of scrap paper in a fire extinguisher sculpture before and after it lit on fire, titled “Uh… Is There A Different Extinguisher Anywhere?” This specific portfolio entry reflects a form of dramatic irony, where the tool to extinguish fires becomes the source of fire. 

Other pieces include his friends holding the subjects for his pieces and clever photography usages. 

Brainstorming and executing ideas for a cohesive gallery was laborious, as Millner would later reflect. In AP Art, students are expected to pace themselves by adding onto the portfolio every four weeks, where they then have to set their own pace, decide whatever possible medium they want and even decide whether or not they should work on it at home.

“My approach also involved constant revisions, allowing me to adapt my pieces to the dynamic creative process. My ideas frequently evolved as I interacted with different materials and processes, leading to unexpected outcomes,” Millner said for the portfolio’s student statement in the AP Art exhibit. “Every material chosen was carefully aligned with the essence of the idea behind the piece.”

AP Art teacher Kami Chavarin complements Millner’s work as fully reflective of himself. 

“It’s for this reason that Millner has also won in other local art competitions for this same portfolio,”, Chavarin said.

The work reflects AP Art and Design’s student-focused and essentially free spirit. 

“You are in charge. It is full autonomy on the students’ part to choose materials, the theme, the subject matter, all of it. I am just there as a guide to help as that happens,” Chavarin said. “If students are interested in art, if they have the desire to come in and work outside of class and at home, then it’s a great class for them.”