This year marks the debut of AP Art History at Brooklyn Tech. Taught by Ms. Elizabeth Johnson, the class offers students the opportunity to explore visual culture from global prehistory to modern day.
Assistant Principal of Social Studies, Dr. Judith Jeremie, initiated the effort to pilot AP Art History this year. She noted that the process of introducing it was fairly simple, so long as student interest existed.
“I couldn’t just introduce it if students did not want it,” she said. “That was my biggest challenge, making sure that students actually did want the course.”
Once students expressed their excitement, Ms. Johnson took on the challenge of teaching the school’s first section.
“I had some other teachers who were interested, but I wanted someone with experience of AP and someone who could tackle a very brand new course and take it the way they needed to take it,” said Dr. Jeremie. “It’s a lot to take on a new course, especially piloting because there’s a lot of pressure—it has to go well. I knew Ms. Johnson could handle it.”
The course launched with a small section of only 25 students, structured around seminar-style discussions where students analyze artworks and lead conversations. Sometimes, students even organize panels to teach their peers about specific pieces of art.
“One lesson that particularly sticks was a discussion where the students were in the round table and they were the ones analyzing and teaching the class about the piece of art,” said Dr. Jeremie. “I love that kind of student agency and the students becoming knowledgeable creators. I hope to see more of that and more student-led discussions.”
The class recently embarked on a trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET). While the trip was initially planned to cover a vast array of pieces relevant to the different areas and regions covered in the curriculum, the class was so immersed in their first stop, European art from the Middle Ages, that they were unable to visit other galleries within their allotted time frame.
“Students were so interested in what we were seeing,” said Ms. Johnson. “After about two and a half hours, we hadn’t gotten any further. It was great. Everyone enjoyed it.”
In future years, Dr. Jeremie and Ms. Johnson aim to incorporate more experience-based learning, with potential trips to The Museum of Modern Art, The Cloisters, and more.
The class is no easy feat, requiring students to learn 250 pieces, each varying in medium, style, and historic context.
“The sheer volume of artworks we have to memorize is overwhelming,” said Law and Society major Nadia Mahmud (‘25). “I wish the 250 was shortened […] maybe 50?”
While the course is demanding, the hefty load of content is necessary in many ways.
“I think [diversity] is the reason the curriculum from the College Board is so broad,” said Ms. Johnson. “One of the things that makes the class hard is that there are so many images from all over the world from all eras of history–but I think it’s in service of diversity.”
The course does not shy away from contentious topics, with many works prompting discussions of colonialism, power, gender, religion, and race. In a field like art history, prioritizing diversity and inclusivity is essential to presenting a more complete and accurate understanding of the world’s artistic heritage. For centuries, many movements in art have centered on Western perspectives and have overlooked the contributions of artists and cultures outside of Europe.
“Art history is a Western discipline,” said Ms. Johnson. “When I took art history courses, most of them were about Western art. This curriculum is not just about Western art. We’re looking at art from Africa and Asia and Latin America. I think that was in part by the College Board to address issues of diversity and who’s been excluded from art history.”
With such complex topics, heated debates are often inevitable.
“We recently had a disagreement about a particular work of art and how the woman in it was represented,” noted Ms. Johnson. “Students had different points of view but everybody listened to each other and explained the reasons for their point of view without forcing it on anyone”
By covering art from a wide range of cultures and time periods, students explore how art reflects and challenges societal structures.
“It’s a very different kind of skill; you’re being analytical and critical, using lots of visual cues and conceptual ideas,” Dr. Jeremie noted. “Even if you don’t love every piece, you can still understand and appreciate it. That’s a skill they need for anything.”
While the class is intellectually challenging, Ms. Johnson feels that students are gaining more than just academic knowledge.
“I don’t think I’m bringing art to them. I think they came with a love and appreciation for it. I’m just helping them deepen that understanding,” she said.
Ms. Johnson also sees the value of an interdisciplinary education, especially in a STEM-dominated environment like Tech.
“Sometimes we make too much of the division between STEM and the humanities,” she reflected. “Students here are brilliant in math and science but also have a real interest in history and art. The more well-rounded we are, the better equipped we are to understand the implications of technological innovations.”
Current AP Art History students have enthusiastically promoted the class to prospective students.
“Some of the students in the course were at the elective fair to help talk about the course,” said Dr. Jeremie. “[Hannah Chiang (‘25)] was amazing and made a poster about the course. The students actually sold the course and that’s probably why we have so many students interested.”
With more students signing up to take the class, Ms. Johnson will teach two sections of AP Art History next year.
