Five images, from left to right: the marble bust of a young man, a group of women and cherubs looking into a mirror, a person sowing seeds on a field, a hazy but colorful bridge with a city in the background, and a colorful face next to geometric shapes and lines.

Unknown Roman, Youth (detail), 140 CE, Carnegie Museum of Art, Decorative Arts Purchase Fund; Simon Vouet, The Toilet of Venus, c. 1640, Carnegie Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Horace Binney Hare; Jean Francois Millet, The Sower, after 1850, Carnegie Museum of Art, 19th Century or Earlier Painting Purchase Fund and with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel B. Casey and Mr. and Mrs. George L. Craig, Jr.; Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, London, 1903, Carnegie Museum of Art, Acquired through the generosity of the Sarah Mellon Scaife Family; Lucebert, Nein, 1964, Carnegie Museum of Art, Gift of James L. Winokur. Courtesy the artist or the artist’s representative/heirs

CRASH COURSE: A History of Visual Art—Human Creativity from Ancient Greece to the Present

Wednesdays, April 12–August 16, 2023
11 a.m.–1 p.m. or 6–8 p.m.
IN-PERSON: Carnegie Museum of Art Theater
OR ON DEMAND: RECORDINGS AVAILABLE

How might art help us think about the world we share? Join us for Crash Course, an 18-week series of art survey classes divided into nine two-week units. This extensive series is only offered once every four years.

Novice and experienced learners alike will learn to think critically and creatively about works of art and the role they play in our lives and society. Discussions include art and architecture from Ancient Greece and Medieval Europe, Impressionism and the influence of Japanese prints, American artists and movements, and the impact of our present moment. Learners will develop an understanding of the works intended functions, the artists, and the historical moment in which they were created. Each unit is grounded in Carnegie Museum of Art’s collection of paintings, sculpture, photographs, prints, architecture, and decorative arts.

Can’t attend in person? Don’t worry, each of the units will be recorded and available online for registrants two weeks following each class.

Teachers
You can earn Act 48 (external link) activity hours for participating in this program. Email Maisha Johnson, Senior Manager, Youth and Family Teaching and Learning, to request an application.

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A DOCENT?
Become part of our friendly volunteer docent community! Volunteer docents play an important role at Carnegie Museum of Art by facilitating discussions about art and ideas for visitors of all ages in the museum’s galleries. Meet new friends and begin your learning with this prerequisite series.

Register:

Scholarships are available. For more information or help registering, please visit contact the Program Registration Office at 412.622.3288 or programregistration@carnegiemuseums.org.

You can register for the entire series below. If you’d like to register for an individual unit that interests you, keep scrolling to learn about the topics that will be covered.

18-week series: $360 (Members: $270, Students: $180)
Per two-week unit: $50 (Members: $40, Students: $20)

Are you a Mindful Museum member? If the answer is yes, there’s no need to register! All Crash Courses are included with your one-time registration.

Please contact us at 412.622.3288 or programregistration@carnegiemuseums.org for assistance with registration or scholarships.

Schedule of Classes:

Unit 1: Ancient Greece and Rome to Medieval Europe

April 12 & 19

What ideas and elements from the classical world have been reinterpreted over time? How do we perceive images from the past through a contemporary lens? The ancient Greek and Roman works of art in our Halls of Architecture and Sculpture lay the groundwork for artistic inquiry across time and place. Encounter imagery and elements that trace the fall of the Roman empire to the subsequent rise of great cathedrals of medieval Europe.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)

Unit 2: Renaissance and Revival

April 26 & May 3

The word “Renaissance” conjures many meanings in our contemporary minds. The term has been used to describe the rebirth of cities and a cultural movement, but why do we make those associations? Encounter some of the artists who helped transform thinking and artistic practice in 15th and 16th-century Europe, including Albrecht Dürer and Leonardo da Vinci who both invented new ways of depicting the human form. Begin to make connections to the later styles of Baroque and Neoclassical which took inspiration from the groundbreaking work of the Renaissance.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)

Unit 3: Manet, Monet, and Van Gogh

May 10 & 17

Impressionism is an artistic movement familiar to many who find themselves traversing museum galleries. But why? How did painting outside from nature shake up the established art scene of 19th-century France, and why does it still draw many in today? Take a fresh look at the key moments before, during, and after Impressionism through the artists who transformed painting in the 19th century and prepared the path for 20th-century abstraction and expressionism.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)

Unit 4: Americans at Home and Abroad

May 24 & 31

What did it mean to be an American artist in the 19th and early 20th centuries? Learn how American artists created art distinct from their European counterparts and what intrigued them at home. Explore vistas of the American West and the work of expatriate artists including James Abbott McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent, and Pittsburgh’s own Mary Cassatt. Engage in optional gallery discussions following in-class time exploring American identity in 20th and 21st-century works of art.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)

Unit 5: Living with Design

June 7 & 14

Do you have a favorite cup for your coffee or a preferred light to read by? Why do these objects fit your lifestyle and surroundings? Encounter the works of art we live with, created for daily use or luxury, from the chairs we sit on to the utensils in our kitchens. Delve into the range of materials, such as ceramic, wood, and metal, and makers, including Marcel Breuer, Isamu Noguchi, and Charlotte Perriand.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)

Unit 6: The Photographic Image as Art

June 21 & 28

How did an early 19th-century invention become a medium for artistic expression? Learn about the evolution of the photographic image and the photographers, including Alfred Stieglitz, who sought to position photography as an art form. Explore the museum’s unparalleled collection of Charles “Teenie” Harris photographs that captured Pittsburgh and its historic African American community in the 20th century.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)

Unit 7: Living with Architecture

July 12 & 19

We spend much of our lives going from one building to another, but have we stopped to think about our built environment? Why might we feel comfortable in one place but not in another place? How might nature, landscape, geography, or weather inform how and where we build? Take a deep dive into some of the most original structures in recent history such as the 20th-century works of Frank Lloyd Wright and buildings representative of a diverse range of contemporary styles.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)

Unit 8: Art in New York – the 1950s through the 1970s

July 26 & August 2

Art is shaped by shifting ideas, aesthetics, world views, and personal expression. But what do we do when we are confronted with works of art that are not easily interpreted? Sometimes we are perplexed by art that is not recognizable or without a grounding narrative. Learn to embrace the unknown beginning with works created during this multi-decade period when New York became the incubator for Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Minimalism. Investigate Jackson Pollock’s action painting, Mark Rothko’s color-field painting, and artists including Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler who galvanized generations of female artists.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)

Unit 9: Social Justice and Our Contemporary Moment

August 9 & 16

How can art call attention to contemporary issues or make a difference in the way we think about or react to each other? Delve into works of art that succinctly express themes of inequity, human rights, and oppression. Discuss the role of empathy in our personal interactions and how art can be a positive platform for social discourse. Engage in optional gallery discussions following in-class time exploring questions critical to societal transformation.

Please sign up for either the morning session or evening session.

Register for Morning Session (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Register for Evening Session (6 p.m.–8 p.m.)