About this course: Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! This course is designed to help anyone interested in learning more about modern and contemporary art. Themes can provide an effective structure for engaging with art. In this course, you will explore four themes that educators at The Museum of Modern Art use frequently in their teaching: Places & Spaces, Art & Identity, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society. Through videos, slideshows, and a variety of resources, readings, and activities, you will explore the content and context of works of art in MoMA’s collection. Learners will… - Explore works of modern and contemporary art through a variety of accessible and relevant themes. - Hear directly from artists about their ideas and processes. - Gain exposure to a range of digital resources available for continually engaging with works of art.
Who is this class for: This course is designed for anyone who would like to learn more about modern and contemporary art and to develop skills for closer looking. No prior knowledge of art history or museum-based teaching practice is required. Please note: If you're a classroom teacher or an educator working in an informal setting and you would like to learn about modern and contemporary art while developing pedagogical skills, we recommend you instead take the course Art & Ideas: Teaching Through Themes.
Taught by: Lisa Mazzola, Assistant Director, School and Teacher Programs
Department of Education
| Commitment | 5 weeks of study, 2 hours per week |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Italian |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
- Reading: 1.1 Introduction to Modern Art & Ideas
- Video: 1.2 Introduction to Modern Art & Ideas
- Reading: 1.3 Required Readings & Additional Resources
- Reading: 2.1 Introduction to Places & Spaces
- Video: 2.2 Places & Spaces
- Slideshow: 2.3 Slideshow
- Reading: 2.3 Slideshow [Mobile-Friendly Version]
- Video: 2.4 Vincent van Gogh. The Starry Night. 1889
- Video: 2.5 Piet Mondrian. Broadway Boogie Woogie. 1942–43
- Video: 2.6 Gordon Matta-Clark. Bingo. 1974
- Video: 2.7 Andrew Wyeth. Christina's World. 1948
- Video: 2.8 Salvador Dalí. The Persistence of Memory. 1931
- Video: 2.9 Claude Monet. Water Lilies. 1914–26
- Video: 2.10 Rachel Whiteread. Water Tower. 1998
- Video: 2.11 Edward Hopper. House By the Railroad. 1925
- Video: 2.12 Louis I. Kahn. Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh (Study for National Assembly Building). 1962–83
- Reading: 2.13 Required Readings & Additional Resources
- Reading: 3.1 Introduction to Art & Identity
- Video: 3.2 Art & Identity
- Slideshow: 3.3 Slideshow
- Reading: 3.3 Slideshow [Mobile-Friendly Version]
- Video: 3.4 Frida Kahlo. Self-Portait with Cropped Hair. 1940
- Video: 3.5 Andy Warhol. Gold Marilyn Monroe. 1962
- Video: 3.6 Pablo Picasso. Girl before a Mirror. 1932
- Video: 3.7 Marc Chagall. I and the Village. 1911
- Video: 3.8 Henri Matisse. The Red Studio. 1911
- Video: 3.9 Rineke Dijkstra. Almerisa series. 1994–2008
- Reading: 3.10 Required Readings & Additional Resources
- Reading: 4.1 Introduction to Transforming Everyday Objects
- Video: 4.2 Transforming Everyday Objects
- Slideshow: 4.3 Slideshow
- Reading: 4.3 Slideshow [Mobile-Friendly Version]
- Video: 4.4 Marcel Duchamp. Bicycle Wheel. 1913
- Video: 4.5 Robert Rauschenberg. Bed. 1955
- Video: 4.6 Meret Oppenheim. Object. 1936
- Video: 4.7 Décolletage Plastique Design Team. Bic Cristal® Ballpoint pen. 1950
- Video: 4.8 Louise Nevelson. Sky Cathedral. 1958
- Video: 4.9 Mike Kelley. Untitled. 1990
- Video: 4.10 Jessica Rosenkrantz, Jesse Louis-Rosenberg. Kinematics Dress. 2013
- Video: 4.11 Doris Salcedo. Atrabilious. 1992–93
- Reading: 4.12 Required Readings & Additional Resources
- Reading: 5.1 Introduction to Art & Society
- Video: 5.2 Art & Society
- Slideshow: 5.3 Slideshow
- Reading: 5.3 Slideshow [Mobile-Friendly Version]
- Video: 5.4 Dorothea Lange. Migrant Mother. 1936
- Video: 5.5 Felix Gonzales-Torres. Untitled (Perfect Lovers). 1991
- Video: 5.6 Jacob Lawrence. Migration Series. 1940–41
- Video: 5.7 Martha Rosler. House Beautiful (Bringing the War Home). 1967-72
- Video: 5.8 Jasper Johns. Flag. 1954-55
- Video: 5.9 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Street, Dresden. 1908
- Video: 5.10 Shahzia Sikander. Candied. 2003
- Reading: 5.11 Required Readings & Additional Resources
- Reading: Funding & Credits
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The course is really thought provoking and it brings the modern art to me. Though this course, I understood some modern artwork I didn't think I could. It also arise my interest in this area and I'd like to learn more. Really looking forward to the other course provided by MOMA in the future.
It was really fun and exciting for someone who had no background in the arts. It was also quite easy for me comprehend the ideas.
I find this course highly enjoyable. It actually urges me to explore further after completing this course. Highly recommended for anyone with or without art background to get a sense and touch to start or pick up. Also good for causal knowledge which may give you enlightenments. Thanks for having this course organized and I really enjoy the learning experience and have much to take home with me.
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I haven't done the final assignment yet - but up until now: A great course! Very interesting! Great learning resources (lots of articles, essays, videos).