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The Museum of Modern Art
Modern Art & Ideas
  • About
  • Outcomes
  • Modules
  • Recommendations
  • Testimonials
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  1. Browse
  2. Arts and Humanities
  3. Music and Art
The Museum of Modern Art

Modern Art & Ideas

This course is part of Modern and Contemporary Art and Design Specialization

Lisa Mazzola

Instructor: Lisa Mazzola

467,917 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

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6 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

(6,682 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
8 hours to complete
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course

6 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

(6,682 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
8 hours to complete
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course
  • About
  • Outcomes
  • Modules
  • Recommendations
  • Testimonials
  • Reviews

Skills you'll gain

  • Creativity
  • Social Studies
  • Liberal Arts
  • World History
  • Cultural Diversity
  • Aesthetics
  • Social Justice
  • Design
  • Art History

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

1 assignment¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Modern and Contemporary Art and Design Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 6 modules in this course

Modern Art & Ideas is designed for anyone interested in learning more about modern and contemporary art. You will look at art through a variety of themes, including Places and Spaces, Art and Identity, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art and Society.

Each week kicks off with a video that connects key works of art to the theme. You’ll also have access to interviews with artists, designers, and others who speak about their materials, processes, and sources of inspiration. Through the discussion forum prompts you will also have the opportunity to connect with other learners and explore how these themes resonate with you.

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 video6 readings1 assignment

1 video•Total 1 minute
  • Introduction to Modern Art & Ideas•1 minute
6 readings•Total 60 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 Survey: Tell Us About You•10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
  • What theme are you excited to explore?•15 minutes

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 readings1 plugin

7 videos•Total 20 minutes
  • Places & Spaces•4 minutes
  • Martin Wong. Stanton near Forsyth Street. 1983•1 minute
  • Zarina. Home is a Foreign Place. 1999•2 minutes
  • Claude Monet. Water Lilies. 1914-26•1 minute
  • 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•2 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
1 plugin•Total 15 minutes
  • Assessment: Places & Spaces•15 minutes

Consider how artists create works of art to express, explore, and question identity.

What's included

7 videos7 readings1 plugin

7 videos•Total 15 minutes
  • Art & Identity•4 minutes
  • Henri Matisse. The Red Studio. 1911•2 minutes
  • Frida Kahlo. Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair. 1940•1 minute
  • Catherine Opie. Being and Having. 1991•1 minute
  • 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
1 plugin•Total 15 minutes
  • Assessment: Art & Identity•15 minutes

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.

What's included

7 videos6 readings1 plugin

7 videos•Total 18 minutes
  • Transforming Everyday Objects•4 minutes
  • Ruth Asawa. Untitled (BMC. 145, BMC Laundry Stamp). c. 1948-49•1 minute
  • Noah Purifoy. Unknown. 1967•2 minutes
  • Alfonso Ossorio. Empty Chair or The Last Colonial. 1969•2 minutes
  • Diamond Stingily. Entryways. 2021•1 minute
  • Clara Porset. Butaque Chair. 1957•2 minutes
  • Tomás Gabzdil Libertiny. The Honeycomb Vase "Made by Bees" (Prototype). 2006•2 minutes
6 readings•Total 70 minutes
  • Welcome to Module 4•10 minutes
  • How do artists draw from their surroundings?•20 minutes
  • How do artists alter the meaning of objects?•10 minutes
  • How do designers problem-solve?•10 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources•10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
1 plugin•Total 15 minutes
  • Assessment:Transforming Everyday Objects•15 minutes

Explore how artists create artworks in response to the social, cultural, and political issues of their time.

What's included

7 videos6 readings1 plugin

7 videos•Total 20 minutes
  • Art & Society•4 minutes
  • Dorothea Lange. Migrant Mother. 1936•2 minutes
  • Jacob Lawrence. Migration Series. 1940-41•2 minutes
  • Ernest Cole. Untitled. c. 1960•2 minutes
  • Martha Rosler. House Beautiful (Bringing the War Home). 1967-72•2 minutes
  • Hanes, Inc. White T-Shirt. 1910s•2 minutes
  • Gilbert Baker. Rainbow Flag. 1978•3 minutes
6 readings•Total 60 minutes
  • Welcome to Module 5•10 minutes
  • How do artists and designers respond to social conditions?•10 minutes
  • How do artists challenge social conditions?•10 minutes
  • How do artists and designers shift perspectives?•10 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources•10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
1 plugin•Total 15 minutes
  • Assessment: Art & Society•15 minutes

Reflect on your journey through Modern Art & Ideas and complete a final assessment.

What's included

3 readings1 plugin

3 readings•Total 25 minutes
  • Conclusion to Modern Art & Ideas•10 minutes
  • Optional Course Completion Survey•5 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection•10 minutes
1 plugin•Total 15 minutes
  • Final Assessment•15 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

4.7 (1,356 ratings)
Lisa Mazzola
Lisa Mazzola
The Museum of Modern Art
4 Courses•595,873 learners

Offered by

The Museum of Modern Art

Offered by

The Museum of Modern Art

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 reviews

4.8

6,682 reviews

  • 5 stars

    82.97%

  • 4 stars

    13.34%

  • 3 stars

    2.46%

  • 2 stars

    0.59%

  • 1 star

    0.61%

Showing 3 of 6682

B
BB
5

Reviewed on Jun 28, 2020

Very much enjoyed this course, I learned a great deal about what is encompassed in modern art, what was going on in the artist's mind when doing their art pirce, and what is considered modern art.

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!

J
JK
5

Reviewed on May 23, 2020

Thank you very much for the experience and the possibility to learn new information about art. It was great to partecipate and I will definitely recommend to my friends and acquaintances.

View more reviews
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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.

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.

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