14 School of Art
CanadARThistories: Reimagining the Canadian Art History Survey
This textbook was created for a second year undergraduate course, and is designed to address inclusion, regionalism, Indigenization, and internationalization in art history.
Includes: Instructor resources, learning journals, time estimates for modules, videos, images, readings
Creating the Modern: Intersections of Art and Society in the Nineteenth Century
This image-rich textbook was created at Concordia University. It comprises ten chapters focused on different topics within an overarching chronology. In addition to addressing the era’s revolutionary aesthetic and stylistic developments, the publication engages issues relevant to nineteenth-century art within its socio-political context.
Art History Archive
The Art History Archive is a learning object repository and an Educational Database Library (EDL) providing educators and students with more comprehensive information about artistic movements, art groups, and specific artists. Please note that, though free, this resource is not licensed for reuse.
Art History I
This SUNY course covers art history from its earliest emergence through the Gothic period.
Art History II
This SUNY course picks up from the previous entry, covering art history to the present.
Open Arts Objects
Open Arts Objects (OAO) is an open access platform which provides over 50 free films to support the teaching of Art History.
Art History Teaching Resources
AHTR is home to a constantly evolving and collectively authored online repository of art history teaching content including, but not limited to, lesson plans, video introductions to museums, book reviews, image clusters, and classroom and museum activities.
A Quick and Dirty Guide to Art, Music, and Culture
An open textbook by The Ohio State University that discusses art and music in the context of popular culture. It is meant to work with the open course Art and Music Since 1945.
Includes: Assignments, supplementary course materials.
A World Perspective of Art Appreciation
Art appreciation is centered on the ability to view art throughout history, focusing on the cultures and the people, and how art developed in the specific periods. You cannot understand art without understanding the culture, their use of materials and sense of beauty. Art is also conveyed by the simple act of creating art for art’s sake. Every person is born with the innate desire to create art and similar to other professions, training is essential in honing skills to produce art.
Includes: Glossary, images, and videos
Guide to Ancient Aegean Art
This book from Smarthistory covers Ancient Aegean art, including Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean art. Reviews are available through the Open Textbook Library.
Guide to Ancient Egyptian Art
This book from Smarthistory covers ancient Egyptian art. Reviews are available through the Open Textbook Library.
Guide to Ancient Etruscan Art
This book from Smarthistory covers ancient Etruscan art. Reviews are available through the Open Textbook Library.
This book from Smarthistory covers ancient Greek art. Reviews are available through the Open Textbook Library.
Guide to Ancient Near Eastern Art
This book from Smarthistory covers Sumerian, Akkadian, Neo-Sumerian / Ur III, Babylonian, Assyrian and Persian art.
Guide to Ancient Roman Art
This book from Smarthistory covers ancient Roman art. Reviews are available at the Open Textbook Library.
Guide to Italian Art in the 1300s
This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for Italian art in the 1300s.
Guide to Italian Art in the 1400s
This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for Italian art in the 1400s. Reviews are available at the Open Textbook Library.
ArtxHistory
A space facilitated by institutions, historians, curators, artists, faculty, and students who are committed to delivering quality scholarship that is accessible, inclusive, and open.
Includes: Timeline, videos, and sound recordings
Guide to Byzantine Art
This book from Smarthistory covers Byzantine art. Reviews are available through the Open Textbook Library.
The Bright Continent: African Art History
This textbook offers an introduction to African art history and provides tools for discussing and analysing African art. Reviews are available through the Open Textbook Library.
Includes: Further reading
Boundless Art History
This textbook and associated course content offer an introduction to art history.
Includes: Lecture slides, quiz questions
Obelisk Art History
Obelisk can be used as a textbook for art history or as a resource to support one. More than 100 universities and colleges around the world send students here to dig into the timeline of art and tackle basics like composition and history methodologies. Please note that while the website is free to use, it is not licensed for reuse.
Includes: Timeline, world map
Moving Pictures: An Introduction to Cinema
This textbook is designed for an introductory film studies course. Reviews are available through the Open Textbook Library.
Includes: Embedded videos
Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning
This book is intended as a comprehensive introduction to art. Many reviews are available on the Open Textbook Library.
Includes: Key terms, reflection questions
Art Canada Institute Digital Library
The Canadian Online Art Book Project is a growing digital library of original books commissioned by the Art Canada Institute, on artists who have made a critical contribution to the evolution of the nation’s art history. Each year the ACI releases new titles in this program. Please note that while this resource is free to use, it is not licensed for reuse.
Discover Art & Artists | Open Access at The Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago has adopted an Open Access Policy on Oct. 23 2018 making 44,300+ public domain works in their collection assessible under a Creative Commons Public Domain Attribution (CCO) license, making these images freely accessible and available for use, sharing, and remixing without restriction by the general public worldwide. Note: Make sure available image has CCO Public Domain Designation.
Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access
The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA)’s Open Access Project, launched Jan. 23, 2019, and provides everyone with free, Open Access to 30,000+ high definition images of artworks in CMA’s collection. In addition, CMA provides metadata behind 90,000+ artworks allowing for scholarly research.
Archives of American Art: Smithsonian Institution
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institute, is an excellent image collection containing over 8,000 photographs, sketches, letters, and other documents that have been scanned and individually described. Please note that most of these resources are free to use but not licensed for reuse.
Indianapolis Museum of Art: Image Collection
Many images of public domain artworks are available for free download from the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields’ collection pages. Please note that most resources on this website are free to use but not licensed for reuse, so each must be checked individually.
Modernism and the Spiritual in Russian Art: New Perspectives
Making and Being
This hands-on guide includes activities, worksheets, and assignments and is a critical resource for artists and art educators today. Making and Being is a book, a series of videos, a deck of cards, and an interactive website with freely downloadable content (click on links below to download worksheets, activities, and chapters as PDFs and editable Google Docs).