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There are 6 modules in this course
Unlock the world of modern art from a global authority on the subject. Modern Art & Ideas from The Museum of Modern Art is designed for lifelong learners, students, professionals, and anyone seeking to build high-level critical thinking and visual literacy skills.
This is not your typical art history course. You’ll learn about art through accessible and relevant thematic frameworks—Art & Identity, Places & Spaces, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society—to understand how artists have responded to the urgent issues of our time. You’ll hear from educators, curators, and other experts and go behind the scenes with interviews from world-class artists and designers to hear about their materials, processes, and sources of inspiration.
Whether you're looking to broaden your cultural horizons or add a creative edge to your professional toolkit, join a diverse community of learners from around the world and start seeing the world through a new lens.
Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! In this course, you'll learn to see art through a new lens—one that focuses on themes that allow us to make connections between artworks and our own lives.
What's included
1 video5 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 1 minute
Introduction to Modern Art & Ideas•1 minute
5 readings•Total 50 minutes
Welcome to the Course!•10 minutes
What is Modern Art?•10 minutes
MoMA Resources•10 minutes
Are You a K-12 educator ?•10 minutes
Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
What theme are you excited to explore?•15 minutes
Places & Spaces
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you'll discover some of the ways artists have represented place and found inspiration in their surroundings.
What's included
7 videos6 readings
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 20 minutes
Places & Spaces•5 minutes
Martin Wong. Stanton near Forsyth Street. 1983•2 minutes
Zarina. Home is a Foreign Place. 1999•2 minutes
Claude Monet. Water Lilies. 1914-26•2 minutes
Emeka Ogboh. Lagos State of Mind. 2017/2020•2 minutes
Teddy Cruz, Fonna Forman. Manufactured Sites: A Housing Urbanism Made of Waste/Maquiladora, project (Model, 2005). 2005-2008•3 minutes
Carolina Caycedo. Spirals for Shared Dreams. 2022•4 minutes
6 readings•Total 70 minutes
Welcome to Module 2•10 minutes
How do artists choose to represent the world?•20 minutes
How do artists capture the mood of a place?•10 minutes
How do artists reimagine architecture?•10 minutes
Optional Readings & Resources•10 minutes
Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
Art & Identity
Module 3•2 hours to complete
Module details
Consider how artists create works of art to express, explore, and question identity.
What's included
7 videos7 readings
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 16 minutes
Art & Identity•5 minutes
Henri Matisse. The Red Studio. 1911•2 minutes
Frida Kahlo. Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair. 1940•2 minutes
Catherine Opie. Being and Having. 1991•2 minutes
Amira Virgil. The Melanin Pack for The Sims 4. 2016•2 minutes
Lorna Simpson. Wigs (Portfolio). 1994•2 minutes
Kay WalkingStick. You're an Indian? 1995•1 minute
7 readings•Total 75 minutes
Welcome to Module 3•10 minutes
How do artists represent their sense of self?•20 minutes
How do artists represent others?•10 minutes
How do artists challenge identity?•10 minutes
Optional Readings & Resources•10 minutes
Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
Optional Mid-Course Survey•5 minutes
Transforming Everyday Objects
Module 4•1 hour to complete
Module details
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.
The Museum of Modern Art is a place that fuels creativity, ignites minds, and provides inspiration. Join us in exploring the art, ideas, and issues of our time through the Modern and Contemporary Art and Design Specialization or through individual courses: Modern Art & Ideas, Seeing Through Photographs, What Is Contemporary Art?, Fashion as Design, and In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting. Learn about teaching with art in our three courses designed for K-12 educators: Art & Inquiry, Art & Activity, and Art & Ideas.
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Learner since 2020
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Learner since 2021
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Learner reviews
4.8
6,914 reviews
5 stars
83.02%
4 stars
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3 stars
2.42%
2 stars
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1 star
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TR
5·
Reviewed on May 19, 2020
I have enjoyed this course. It's inspiring, interesting, well-structured and not overwhelming. It consist of lots of short videos, pictures, articles and references. You won't be bored!!!
T
TT
5·
Reviewed on Jun 7, 2020
Really enjoyed this course! Well organized/developed, and even for a museum buff, like me, offered great ideas, and perspectives in ‘looking’ and ‘understanding’ art, and particular artist’s process.
J
JC
5·
Reviewed on Aug 18, 2020
really enjoyable and informative! Fun final assignments. Option needed on grading: Rather than an all or nothing 2 points, there should be an option of 0/1/2 points for a partial grade of 1!
No prior knowledge of art or art history is required to complete this course. Whether you’re an artist, an art lover, an art skeptic, or just interested in learning more about art, this course has something for you.
Will I earn university credit for completing this course?
Coursera currently provides certificates of completion, but MoMA does not offer additional accreditation at this time.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.