Smarthistory is a free resource for the study of
art history
Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Tradit ...
created by art historians Beth Harris and Steven Zucker. Smarthistory is an independent not-for-profit organization and the official partner of the
Khan Academy for art history.
It is funded by the
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
.
History
Smarthistory started in 2005 as an audio guide series for use at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
,
in New York City, and as a resource for students taking introductory art history courses at the college level.
In addition to its focus on college-level courses in art history, Smarthistory supports the art history Advanced Placement course and examination developed by The College Board.
Smarthistory provides essays, videos, photographs, and links to additional resources for all of the art and architecture that make up the
AP art history curriculum.
Smarthistory has published more than 880 videos and 2,000 essays on art and cultural history from the Paleolithic era to the 21st century that include the art of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
Smarthistory's essays have been contributed by more than 200 art historians, curators, and archaeologists writing in their areas of focus and are peer-reviewed.
Videos are unscripted conversations between experts recorded on location in front of the original work of art or architecture.
In an article in the Brooklyn ''New York Daily News'', staff writer Elizabeth Lazarowitz quotes Steven Zucker, "Art can be really intimidating for people", said Zucker. "If we can make art feel exciting and interesting and very much relevant to a historical moment...art can have real meaning." Unlike reading about art in a book, "the idea of the audio was to keep a student's eyes on the image", he explained. "It helped students to learn the material a lot better."
Awards & grants
Smarthistory won the
Webby Award
The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...
for Education in 2009. The
Samuel H. Kress Foundation gave them a $25,000 grant for development in 2008 and a $38,000 partnership development grant with the
Portland Art Museum in 2009.
"About the partnership with Smarthistory"
References
Further reading
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External links
*{{Official website, https://smarthistory.org
ARCHES (at risk cultural heritage education series)
2005 establishments in New York City
Internet properties established in 2005
Art history
Educational organizations based in New York (state)
History websites of the United States
Non-profit organizations based in New York (state)