This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to art history with over 400 high-quality images. It is a combination of a traditional textbook and a course reader.
Lumen Learning via MERLOT, 2022.
This textbook examines why art is studied and why it matters, using examples from a diverse set of historical perspectives. Includes high-quality images and highlighted key terms.
Hosted by Khan Academy, SmartHistory is a free multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic enhancement and/or substitute for the traditionally static art history textbook.
MERLOT (reviews available)
This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to art history with over 400 high-quality images. It is a combination of a traditional textbook and a course reader.
Lumen Learning, 2023.
Comprehensive introductory text for art history from prehistoric art to present. Each style of art is separated further into more specific modules for each style. Includes downloadable, customizable slide lectures with high-quality images.
"Creation of Gothic is a project that presents all 1600 churches from the Limestone Basin region of France and seeks to explore the beginnings of the Gothic style in the region prior to 1250. Each church is listed individually with most containing images of the church as a whole and sometimes images of the details of the architectural features. The website is free to use."
Covers history of Athens from the sixth to the fourth century B.C.; fifth-century Greek life (religion, philosophy, science, music, poetry, sports, the symposium, warfare); Greek art, artists, materials, and the influence of Greek art in later eras. Also includes suggested activities and lesson plans, a map of the ancient Greek world, a timeline, and a bibliography.
Education resource for medieval art in the Museum's collection from Western Europe and Byzantium, and provides different approaches for teaching art of the Middle Ages. Includes "an overview of medieval times and art; a discussion of aspects of medieval life, including knighthood and monasticism; information on materials and techniques; lesson plans; a map; a glossary, and a bibliography."
Raditsa, Bosiljka, Rebecca Arkenberg, Rika Burnham, Deborah Krohn, Kent Lydecker, and Teresa Russo, 2000.
Resource for students to explore the connection between Renaissance art and the era's innovations in science and mathematics. Includes engaging activities for students, such as creative reflection activities, lesson plans that are designed for a variety of classroom needs, and a bibliography and glossary for reference.
This open textbook provides an introductory understanding of African art history and methods of analysis.
Clarke, Christa, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006.
This digital textbook offers "a brief introduction and history of the African continent, an explanation of the role of visual expression in Africa, descriptions of the form and function of the works, lesson plans, class activities, a map, comparisons, a bibliography, and a glossary."
Watts, Edith W., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.
"This Closer Look focuses on a single work from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a sculpture of a seated couple created by the Dogon people of Mali in West Africa. This packet may be used as an introduction to looking at and interpreting the Dogon couple, or as a springboard for exploring how it reflects the culture in which it was made."
Watts, Edith W., 1998.
"This comprehensive resource for educators...includes summaries of ancient Egyptian history and art, maps, lesson plans and classroom activities, a bibliography, and a glossary. The descriptions of the works and other information are aimed at increasing knowledge and pleasure in viewing Egyptian art at the Metropolitan or other museums. The materials can be adapted for students of all ages, interests, and abilities, and can be used to enrich any curriculum."
This page includes essays on Ancient Mayan painted ceramics, ancient Mayan sculpture, Andean textiles, architectural models from the ancient Americas, Aztec stone sculpture, Moche decorated ceramics, Olmec art, Tenochtitlan, and more. Also covers some post-Columbian topics.
List of digital humanities projects, high-resolution image collections, digitized codices, and virtual tours from all periods of Latinx/Latin American art, from Pre-Columbian art to Colonial art to the present. Curated by ALAA staff.
This page includes essays on Pre- and Post- Columbian Latin American art. Covers some post-Columbian topics such as: "Arts of the Spanish Americas, 1550–1850"; "The Manila Galleon Trade (1565–1815)"; and "Polychrome Sculpture in Spanish America."
Rielle Navitski & Leslie L. Marsh, University of Georgia, N.D.
Copyrighted open-access textbook that explores multiple forms of media and unpacks the relationship between media and identity, history, and culture in the context of Latinx communities.
This online catalogue contains detailed catalogue entries and thematic essays about items in LACMA's Southeast Asian collection. Most items featured are Hindu and Buddhist statues. All content is downloadable from the site. Also includes thematic essays on the following topics:
This digital resource (PDF) includes paintings and sculptures from all over South and Southeast Asia: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Myanmar.
"Included are examples of Buddhist and Hindu temple art and the later court arts of South Asia...descriptions of the visual qualities and symbolic meanings of the art... a summary of South and Southeast Asian history, a section about Buddhism and Hinduism, a timeline and map, classroom activities, lesson plans, a bibliography, and a glossary."
This PDF booklet "provides background material about gardens and nature in Chinese culture for the educator’s preparations. Also included are suggestions for topics of discussion and relevant activities for use in the classroom." Also includes full-page images of the gardens.
This PDF includes Korean works from The Met's collection, along with a timeline and detailed information about the history of Korea. Detailed timeline is supplemented by maps, artwork images, and a dynastic chronology of Korea, China, and Japan.
"Currently contains 152 of the Seattle Art Museum’s Chinese paintings and calligraphy that are largely unpublished. The catalog features high-resolution, zoom-able images of the works of art, essays about major works by renowned scholars and documentation with transcriptions and translations of inscriptions and colophons, and seals which are transcribed, identified and located." Featured artwork ranges from the 12th to 21st centuries.
"The Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs Division houses more than 2,500 woodblock prints and drawings by Japanese artists of the seventeenth through early twentieth centuries including Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi, Sadahide, and Yoshiiku. The LC appreciates the financial support provided by Nicihibunken (International Research Center for Japanese Studies, an Inter-University Research Institute Corporation) to scan 1,100 of the Ukiyo-e prints. Images are downloadable from the site."
Images are downloadable from the site with no known use restrictions.
Farrington, Joshua, Norman W. Powell, Gwendolyn Graham, and Ogechi E. Anyanwu, Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), 2019.
This collaborative, interdisciplinary open textbook by EKU faculty "gives instructors, students, and general readers a comprehensive and up-to-date account of African Americans’ cultural and political history, economic development, artistic expressiveness, and religious and philosophical worldviews in a critical framework."
National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC)
Article with artifacts and information about the influence of Islam in African American communities from the 1500s to present.
Thorough article and collection of images from Ebony Magazine. Explore 75 years of Ebony Magazine from the Johnson Publishing Collection.
Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), N.D.
Free primary source collection with records pertaining to African American history and culture from the 1600s-present.
University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2016.
Introductory media studies textbook, starting broadly with a section on media and culture, then covering different forms of media from radio to social media, and concluding with the future of mass media. According to reviews, pretty comprehensive, but needs some updates in the more recent subject matter.
Poepsel, Mark, Rebus Community/Pressbooks, 2018.
Introduction to mass media and media studies. It covers different media formats, advertising, media literacy, and digital culture. Includes an accessibility statement describing its adherence to accessibility standards.
Rielle Navitski & Leslie L. Marsh, University of Georgia, N.D.
Copyright-licensed textbook, made open to educational use by authors' permission. This e-textbook explores multiple forms of media and unpacks the relationship between media and identity, history, and culture in the context of Latinx communities.
Open textbooks, platforms and databases for Art History classes.
This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to art history with over 400 high-quality images. It is a combination of a traditional textbook and a course reader.
Lumen Learning via MERLOT, 2022.
This textbook examines why art is studied and why it matters, using examples from a diverse set of historical perspectives. Includes high-quality images and highlighted key terms.
Hosted by Khan Academy, SmartHistory is a free multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic enhancement and/or substitute for the traditionally static art history textbook.
MERLOT (reviews available)
This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to art history with over 400 high-quality images. It is a combination of a traditional textbook and a course reader.
Lumen Learning, 2023.
Comprehensive introductory text for art history from prehistoric art to present. Each style of art is separated further into more specific modules for each style. Includes downloadable, customizable slide lectures with high-quality images.
"Creation of Gothic is a project that presents all 1600 churches from the Limestone Basin region of France and seeks to explore the beginnings of the Gothic style in the region prior to 1250. Each church is listed individually with most containing images of the church as a whole and sometimes images of the details of the architectural features. The website is free to use."
Covers history of Athens from the sixth to the fourth century B.C.; fifth-century Greek life (religion, philosophy, science, music, poetry, sports, the symposium, warfare); Greek art, artists, materials, and the influence of Greek art in later eras. Also includes suggested activities and lesson plans, a map of the ancient Greek world, a timeline, and a bibliography.
Education resource for medieval art in the Museum's collection from Western Europe and Byzantium, and provides different approaches for teaching art of the Middle Ages. Includes "an overview of medieval times and art; a discussion of aspects of medieval life, including knighthood and monasticism; information on materials and techniques; lesson plans; a map; a glossary, and a bibliography."
Raditsa, Bosiljka, Rebecca Arkenberg, Rika Burnham, Deborah Krohn, Kent Lydecker, and Teresa Russo, 2000.
Resource for students to explore the connection between Renaissance art and the era's innovations in science and mathematics. Includes engaging activities for students, such as creative reflection activities, lesson plans that are designed for a variety of classroom needs, and a bibliography and glossary for reference.
This open textbook provides an introductory understanding of African art history and methods of analysis.
Clarke, Christa, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006.
This digital textbook offers "a brief introduction and history of the African continent, an explanation of the role of visual expression in Africa, descriptions of the form and function of the works, lesson plans, class activities, a map, comparisons, a bibliography, and a glossary."
Watts, Edith W., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.
"This Closer Look focuses on a single work from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a sculpture of a seated couple created by the Dogon people of Mali in West Africa. This packet may be used as an introduction to looking at and interpreting the Dogon couple, or as a springboard for exploring how it reflects the culture in which it was made."
Watts, Edith W., 1998.
"This comprehensive resource for educators...includes summaries of ancient Egyptian history and art, maps, lesson plans and classroom activities, a bibliography, and a glossary. The descriptions of the works and other information are aimed at increasing knowledge and pleasure in viewing Egyptian art at the Metropolitan or other museums. The materials can be adapted for students of all ages, interests, and abilities, and can be used to enrich any curriculum."
This page includes essays on Ancient Mayan painted ceramics, ancient Mayan sculpture, Andean textiles, architectural models from the ancient Americas, Aztec stone sculpture, Moche decorated ceramics, Olmec art, Tenochtitlan, and more. Also covers some post-Columbian topics.
List of digital humanities projects, high-resolution image collections, digitized codices, and virtual tours from all periods of Latinx/Latin American art, from Pre-Columbian art to Colonial art to the present. Curated by ALAA staff.
This page includes essays on Pre- and Post- Columbian Latin American art. Covers some post-Columbian topics such as: "Arts of the Spanish Americas, 1550–1850"; "The Manila Galleon Trade (1565–1815)"; and "Polychrome Sculpture in Spanish America."
Rielle Navitski & Leslie L. Marsh, University of Georgia, N.D.
Copyrighted open-access textbook that explores multiple forms of media and unpacks the relationship between media and identity, history, and culture in the context of Latinx communities.
This online catalogue contains detailed catalogue entries and thematic essays about items in LACMA's Southeast Asian collection. Most items featured are Hindu and Buddhist statues. All content is downloadable from the site. Also includes thematic essays on the following topics:
This digital resource (PDF) includes paintings and sculptures from all over South and Southeast Asia: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Myanmar.
"Included are examples of Buddhist and Hindu temple art and the later court arts of South Asia...descriptions of the visual qualities and symbolic meanings of the art... a summary of South and Southeast Asian history, a section about Buddhism and Hinduism, a timeline and map, classroom activities, lesson plans, a bibliography, and a glossary."
This PDF booklet "provides background material about gardens and nature in Chinese culture for the educator’s preparations. Also included are suggestions for topics of discussion and relevant activities for use in the classroom." Also includes full-page images of the gardens.
This PDF includes Korean works from The Met's collection, along with a timeline and detailed information about the history of Korea. Detailed timeline is supplemented by maps, artwork images, and a dynastic chronology of Korea, China, and Japan.
"Currently contains 152 of the Seattle Art Museum’s Chinese paintings and calligraphy that are largely unpublished. The catalog features high-resolution, zoom-able images of the works of art, essays about major works by renowned scholars and documentation with transcriptions and translations of inscriptions and colophons, and seals which are transcribed, identified and located." Featured artwork ranges from the 12th to 21st centuries.
"The Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs Division houses more than 2,500 woodblock prints and drawings by Japanese artists of the seventeenth through early twentieth centuries including Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi, Sadahide, and Yoshiiku. The LC appreciates the financial support provided by Nicihibunken (International Research Center for Japanese Studies, an Inter-University Research Institute Corporation) to scan 1,100 of the Ukiyo-e prints. Images are downloadable from the site."
Images are downloadable from the site with no known use restrictions.
Farrington, Joshua, Norman W. Powell, Gwendolyn Graham, and Ogechi E. Anyanwu, Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), 2019.
This collaborative, interdisciplinary open textbook by EKU faculty "gives instructors, students, and general readers a comprehensive and up-to-date account of African Americans’ cultural and political history, economic development, artistic expressiveness, and religious and philosophical worldviews in a critical framework."
National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC)
Article with artifacts and information about the influence of Islam in African American communities from the 1500s to present.
Thorough article and collection of images from Ebony Magazine. Explore 75 years of Ebony Magazine from the Johnson Publishing Collection.
Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), N.D.
Free primary source collection with records pertaining to African American history and culture from the 1600s-present.
University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2016.
Introductory media studies textbook, starting broadly with a section on media and culture, then covering different forms of media from radio to social media, and concluding with the future of mass media. According to reviews, pretty comprehensive, but needs some updates in the more recent subject matter.
Poepsel, Mark, Rebus Community/Pressbooks, 2018.
Introduction to mass media and media studies. It covers different media formats, advertising, media literacy, and digital culture. Includes an accessibility statement describing its adherence to accessibility standards.
Jahoda, Susan and Caroline Woolard, 2019.
Reader and activity resource that guides students through the basics of studio arts and executing projects. "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)."
Open textbooks and databases for Drawing & Painting classes.
Jahoda, Susan and Caroline Woolard, 2019.
"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)."
List of open textbooks for Graphic Design classes.
David Eck, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 2023.
Selections from the Smithsonian collections that are completely free to download, remix, and reuse. Scroll down the page and click the link to Smithsonian Learning Lab for resources to implement these media in your lesson plans.
Open Access selections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Make sure "Open Access" filter is selected.
Provided the source is cited, personal and educational use (as defined by fair use in US copyright law) is permitted. Text and images on this website are not allowed to be reproduced in another publication.
Allows you to search Bridgeman collection photography, fine art, engravings, sculpture, architecture, archaeology & ethnography, history, science & medicine, the decorative arts, artefacts and applied arts.
Click “Open Content Images” under “Highlights”. Review the Rights Information before using.
Search the entire National Gallery of Art collection by artist's last name, key words in the title, key words in object information, credit line, provenance name, accession number, exhibition history, and/or catalog record. You will be able to filter your search results by medium, nationality, time span, styles, images, and whether an object is on view. You also have the option to filter images that can be downloaded.
