- Hello, I'm Dr. Alison McQueen,
professor of art history
at McMaster University.
This semester I'm offering
my first year course,
World Art & Cultural Heritage Part II
through the Ontario Online Initiative.
And it will be open to students registered
at universities across the province.
We'll be studying art
and architecture from
around the world, from
the Renaissance period,
up to the present day.
By the end of this course, you'll be
able to identify and analyze significant
works in the history of art, and you'll
be able to place those works in their
social and historical context.
You'll study work by artists like Ni Zan.
Michelangelo.
Anguissola.
Bernini.
Rembrandt.
Carriera.
Manet.
Thompson.
Ringgold.
Reid.
And Wilson.
You'll learn why the grandeur of
monuments like the Taj Mahal...
And Versailles' Galerie des Glaces
were so important for their patrons.
And how the Rock Garden at Ryoan-ji
was a significant place
for Zen Buddhist rituals.
Together we'll study how art is made with
different methods and materials.
And we'll meet with
practicing Canadian artists,
who will show us how they work with
these same materials.
We'll go beyond the textbook,
and move around Ontario.
We'll be meeting with professionals,
and we'll get an insiders look at
a number of art institutions,
from city museums and
commercial galleries,
to the Art Gallery of Ontario,
and the National Gallery.
We'll learn about the important roles
our art galleries and museums have in
preserving cultural heritage, and also
what's involved if you want to work at
a gallery today.
As we study world art and its histories,
we'll be engaging that knowledge in
our local communities.
The course is about you, and will
connect your knowledge and your
local art community with a global context.
We'll explore the significant role of
the United Nations agency, UNESCO,
for art around the world.
We'll discover how UNESCO promotes
international cooperation in education
and culture, and see its significance for
cultural heritage sites
in our world today.
If you're interested
in pursuing a career in
art history, like curatorial studies or
museum education, this course will
provide you with an excellent foundation
for your future path.
Whether you're thinking about majoring in
art history, or you love to make art,
or you want to understand better
what you're looking at when you
go to a museum or travel the world.
This course is for you.
