The AP class has finally submitted their AP Portfolios but we still have a few more students to highlight. In this article we will be reviewing Joe Conforti’s Portfolio and Sustained Investigation about how humans negatively affect the lives of animals. In his portfolio, he wanted to explore what ways humans negatively impact animals, including topics such as domestication, pollution, captivity, and abuse. Throughout his portfolio Joe wanted to see how humans’ lack of empathy towards animals could be represented through a variety of colors, mediums, and art styles. 

Gallery • 7 Photos

Photo courtesy of Joe Conforti

Title: Domestication

Medium: Pen on watercolor paper

Significance: This piece signifies how animals are losing their natural survival instincts due to domestication by humans. Animals, such as dogs, who were once wolves long ago, have now lost their natural instincts due to domestication.

Title: Pesticides Making Their Way Up

Medium: Pen on watercolor paper

Significance: This piece represents how pesticides move up the food chain. The chemicals start on the crops, moving to the bugs that feed off of the crops, and soon make their way up to the birds who eat the bugs. This shows how humans indirectly harm animals through the usage of chemicals and pesticides.

Title: Polluting the Ocean

Medium: Pen on watercolor paper

Significance: This piece represents the effects of boat pollution on oceanic life. This piece specifically targets kelp and how the boats pollute them. When the kelp becomes polluted or affected by the boat, the rest of the food chain is disrupted. This piece once again shows the indirect way that humans harm animals through different activities. 

Title: Sea Life Pollution

Medium: Cut and stacked cardboard, painted cardboard, mixed sand with mod podge and applied to canvas

Significance: The plastic that makes up the spine of the bird represents the plastic that seabirds ingest. This piece is supposed to represent how humans pollute the ocean with non-degradable plastics which harm birds and wildlife who end up eating the trash. 

Title: Loss of Animals

Medium: Linoleum print of bear and pen on watercolor paper

Significance: This piece signifies the loss of animals and wildlife. The contrast between the realistic background and cartoon bear suggests that in the future kids will only be able to view many animals in books or  cartoons, as they will no longer be around. 

Title: Pick and Choose

Medium: Acrylic on circular canvas

Significance: This piece represents humans picking life to conceive while leaving others in the dark. The light around the hands and bugs show how people choose to highlight one species to save while others go unnoticed. 

Title: Pet Store

Medium: Gouache on watercolor paper 

Significance: This piece represents the captivity and neglect that animals face when placed in pet stores. Most animals in pet stores are mistreated or sick due to neglect.