 May, 2009
Smart History
A free, multi-media Web book to be used in conjunction with art survey courses.
Grade Level: 9-12
http://smarthistory.org/
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CONTENT
Smart History was developed by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker “as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the static traditional Western art history textbook.” This free, multi-media Web book can be used in conjunction with art survey courses.
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SITE DESIGN
The site is designed to be interactive and can be explored by time, style, artist, or theme. It uses high quality photographs, videos, and podcasts to enhance the presentations, and includes content on Flickr, Vimeo, Dipity, and YouTube, as well as a link to the authors on Twitter.
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REVIEW
Art teachers and students will want to spend some time visiting Smart History. It includes more than two hundred artworks and one hundred and fifty videos and podcasts. All those resources are organized thematically, by style, by artist, and by time period. Themes include “For the Very Beginner,” “Image and Power,” “The Skill of Describing,” “Oil Paint,” and “Print Making.” The video section includes “Mies's corporate classicism," “Odysseus at the Getty,” and “Magritte’s treacherous pipe.” Visitors to the site easily can locate the works of more than a hundred artist, including Jean Arp, Carvaggio, Gaugin, Monet, and others. Smart History gives visitors reliable content and a delivery model that’s engaging, with podcasts and screen-casts that are spontaneous conversations about works of art.
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