Art History and Fine Arts: Open Books

“American Encounters provides a narrative of the history of American art that focuses on historical encounters among diverse cultures, upon broad structural transformations such as the rise of the middle classes and the emergence of consumer and mass culture, and on the fluid conversations between ‘high’ art and vernacular expressions. The text emphasizes the intersections among cultures and populations, as well as the exchanges, borrowings, and appropriations that have enriched and vitalized our collective cultural heritage.”

"This open access book is the culminating product of an open pedagogy assignment in VISA 2P90: Art in Revolution: Nineteenth-Century Visual Culture taught at Brock University during the Autumn 2021 semester. In this class we explored the ways in which images can shape and challenge dominant ideas and how some of the legacies of 19th century imagery can have relevance for us today. Each week we worked through a number of case studies intended to dig deeper into issues surrounding art and visual culture from the 19th century. Students were required to submit a response for three of these case studies. These responses were due 2 weeks after the topic was explored class. Students had a choice to submit a written response or an artistic response. This book is a showcase of some of those responses."

"This book aims to act as your map through the world of African art. As such, it will help you define the competencies you need to develop–visual analysis, research, noting what information is critical, asking questions, and writing down your observations–and provide opportunities for you to practice these skills until you are proficient. It will also expose you to new art forms and the worlds that produced them, enriching your understanding and appreciation."

"This book was developed in an attempt to maintain in one location the information and references that point to the many important historical developments of the short life of the computer graphics world as we know it."

This book is an introduction to visual art. According to the introduction, it is “intended to make you more visually sensitive to the world around you and to begin to understand your own aesthetic tastes and to seek out things that give you visual pleasure.”

"Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning offers a comprehensive introduction to the world of Art. Authored by four USG faculty members with advance degrees in the arts, this textbook offers up-to-date original scholarship. It includes over 400 high-quality images illustrating the history of art, its technical applications, and its many uses. Combining the best elements of both a traditional textbook and a reader, it introduces such issues in art as its meaning and purpose; its structure, material, and form; and its diverse effects on our lives. Its digital nature allows students to follow links to applicable sources and videos, expanding the students’ educational experiences beyond the textbook. Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning provides a new and free alternative to traditional textbooks, making it an invaluable resource in our modern age of technology and advancement."