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.
Created by: The Museum of Modern Art
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, Russian |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Module 1: Introduction to Modern Art & Ideas
Be introduced to some of the overall benefits of studying modern and contemporary art through accessible and relevant themes.
1 video, 2 readings
- Reading: 1.1 Introduction to Modern Art & Ideas
- Reading: 1.3 Required Readings & Additional Resources
WEEK 2
Module 2: Places & Spaces
Discover some of the many ways that artists represent place and take inspiration from their environment.
10 videos, 3 readings
- Reading: 2.1 Introduction to 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
Graded: Quiz
WEEK 3
Module 3: Art & Identity
See how artists create works of art to express, explore, and question identity.
7 videos, 3 readings
- Reading: 3.1 Introduction to 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
Graded: Quiz
WEEK 4
Module 4: Transforming Everyday Objects
Discover how artists use everyday objects to challenge assumptions about what constitutes art and how it should be made. Explore a variety of artistic and design choices, and the creative acts of inventing and transforming everyday objects.
9 videos, 3 readings
- Reading: 4.1 Introduction to 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
Graded: Quiz
WEEK 5
Module 5: Art & Society
Explore works of art created in response to the social, cultural, and political issues of their time. Gain a deeper understanding of history and contemporary society. Be encouraged to think critically about world events and how they are depicted.
9 videos, 4 readings
- Reading: 5.1 Introduction to 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
- Video: 5.11 Faith Ringgold. American People Series #20: Die. 1967
- Reading: 5.12 Required Readings & Additional Resources
- Reading: Funding & Credits
Graded: Quiz
Graded: Peer Review
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
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Creators
The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is a place that fuels creativity, ignites minds, and provides inspiration. With extraordinary exhibitions and the world's finest collection of modern and contemporary art, MoMA is dedicated to the conversation between the past and the present, the established and the experimental. Our mission is helping you understand, enjoy, and use the art of our time.
Ratings and Reviews
Thank you for this incredible journey!
I learned so much in this course. I totally recommend it!
I really enjoyed, it has totally different point of view. Really recommend! :)
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My only suggestion is just a bit easier navigation. For example, I wanted to see the rubric before I wrote my responses, but never did see it. However, I learned so much and thought it was expertly delivered.