Welcome to Art21’s An Introduction to Contemporary Art. In this course, you’ll gain valuable insight into contemporary art by hearing directly from contemporary artists through Art21 films.
Contemporary art is an expansive subject and this course serves as an introduction. By providing numerous examples of contemporary artists, access to their studios, definitions of vocabulary, and a brief art historical overview, participants will finish the course feeling confident discussing and appreciating contemporary art on their own.
Curriculum
- 5 Sections
- 30 Lessons
- Lifetime
- Lesson One
What is contemporary art? Why is it so hard to define? What are the key terms necessary to talk about the subject? In the first lesson, you'll learn basic terminology, a brief history of contemporary art, and hear from three artists to give an introduction to the topic.
9 - Lesson Two
Where can you find contemporary art? How are artists inspired by place? In lesson two, we'll consider contemporary art and place by reviewing key terms, hearing directly from artists, and seeing the places art is displayed.
14- 2.1Lesson Two Introduction
- 2.2Learning Review One3 Questions
- 2.3Lesson Two – Artist One
- 2.4Learning Review Two3 Questions
- 2.5Lesson Two – Artist Two
- 2.6Learning Review Three3 Questions
- 2.7Lesson Two – Artist Three
- 2.8Learning Review Four3 Questions
- 2.9Lesson Two – Artist Four
- 2.10Learning Review Five3 Questions
- 2.11Lesson Two – Artist Five
- 2.12Learning Review Six3 Questions
- 2.13Lesson Two Conclusion
- 2.14Lesson Two Review5 Questions
- Lesson Three
How does the past inform the art of today? While Art21 defines contemporary art as the work of artists in the twenty-first century, many artists working today had important careers and made contributions to the field in the decades before. In this lesson, we'll travel back to the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s to provide insight and further understanding of contemporary art.
12- 3.1Lesson Three Introduction
- 3.2Learning Review One3 Questions
- 3.3Lesson Three – Artist One
- 3.4Learning Review Two3 Questions
- 3.5Lesson Three – Artist Two
- 3.6Learning Review Three3 Questions
- 3.7Lesson Three – Artist Three
- 3.8Learning Review Four3 Questions
- 3.9Lesson Three – Artist Four
- 3.10Learning Review Five3 Questions
- 3.11Conclusion
- 3.12Lesson Three Review5 Questions
- Lesson Four
What does "process" mean? What does "process" look like? This lesson is focuses on artistic process. How do artists approach making art? How is the artistic process similar and different between artists?
14- 4.1Lesson Four Introduction
- 4.2Learning Review One3 Questions
- 4.3Lesson Four – Artist One
- 4.4Learning Review Two3 Questions
- 4.5Lesson Four – Artist Two
- 4.6Learning Review Three3 Questions
- 4.7Lesson Four – Artist Three
- 4.8Learning Review Four3 Questions
- 4.9Lesson Four – Artist Four
- 4.10Learning Review Five3 Questions
- 4.11Lesson Four – Artist Five
- 4.12Learning Review Six3 Questions
- 4.13Conclusion
- 4.14Lesson Four Review5 Questions
- Lesson Five
How does one become an artist? Who determines who is an artist? What are the requirements of that title? In this lesson, hear directly from artists on how they became artists, what institutional support means, and how they want their art to be understood by the viewer.
10- 5.1Lesson Five Introduction + Artist One
- 5.2Learning Review One3 Questions
- 5.3Lesson Five – Artist Two
- 5.4Learning Review Two3 Questions
- 5.5Lesson Five – Artist Three
- 5.6Learning Review Three3 Questions
- 5.7Lesson Five – Artist Four
- 5.8Learning Review Four3 Questions
- 5.9Course Conclusion
- 5.10Final Review10 Questions
Art21 is the world’s leading source to learn directly from the artists of our time. A non-profit organization based in New York City, Art21’s mission is to educate and expand access to contemporary art through the production of documentary films, resources, and public programs.
Yes, if the course fee is a barrier, please email courses@art21.org for scholarship information.
Art21’s online courses are asynchronous and self-paced. Each lesson will take approximately 45 minutes to complete. With five lessons, the entire course will take an estimate of 4 hours to complete. Some users will savor their time and could take longer to complete each lesson. The course will save your progress so you can return at your convenience.
Yes, all the course videos have captions.
An Introduction to Contemporary Art is Art21's first online course. In the future, Art21 will roll out more courses on a variety of subjects.
Please email courses@art21.org. Note that it might take up to three business days for a reply.
Yes, Art21 can offer CTLE hours for New York state public school teachers. For other states, please email courses@art21.org to confirm eligibility before taking the course.
Are you curious about contemporary art? Do you want to learn about the history, language, and a selection of contemporary artists? If so, this course is right for you.
If you are an expert in contemporary art, this course might be too introductory for you. Our hope is to produce more courses in the future that dive deeper.
Features
- Art21 looked at over 300 Artists and 80 hours of documentaries to make this course.
- Upon completion, you'll receive a downloadable certificate.
Target audiences
- Ages 13+