Immerse yourself in ideas and see your world in new ways through art. In MoMA’s free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on Coursera, you will hear directly from artists and designers, look closely at works in our collection and exhibitions, and join a global community of learners unlike any other. Enroll any time and complete the course at your own pace. Click the course below to enroll.
Courses
Reimagining Blackness and Architecture
What does it mean to create and occupy space? In this course, you’ll hear from Black artists, architects, and scholars who explore that question by reimagining their relationship to the built environment. Enroll to develop a new understanding of architecture that reaches across time, place, and form and discover how our culture has been shaped by the dynamic legacy of Black creativity.
What Is Contemporary Art?
What is contemporary art? In this course, you’ll explore this question through more than 70 works of art made between 1980 and the present, with a focus on art made during the past decade. Not only will you develop a deeper understanding of artists’ practices today, you’ll also explore some of their diverse approaches to pressing issues and questions of our time. By taking this course, you’ll gain confidence to look at contemporary art wherever you encounter it and make connections to your own life or creative practice.
Modern Art & Ideas
Using works from MoMA’s collection as a point of departure, this course encourages learners to understand, enjoy, and use modern and contemporary art and design through four themes: Places & Spaces, Art & Ideas, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society.
Seeing Through Photographs
What is a photograph, and how has photography been used throughout history? In this course, you’ll explore the medium of photography from its invention to its important role in today’s visual culture. Go into artists’ studios and behind the scenes for conversations that reveal some of the many different factors that inform the making of photographs, how they convey meaning, and how they influence our everyday lives.
Fashion as Design
Fashion as Design focuses on a selection of more than 70 garments and accessories and explores their profound impacts—social, cultural, economic, and environmental—on the world. In this course, you’ll hear directly from a range of designers, makers, and historians, and will look closely at what we wear, why we wear it, how it’s made, and what it means.
In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting
Want to know how some of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists made abstract paintings? This course offers an in-depth, hands-on look at the materials, techniques, and approaches of seven New York School artists, including Willem de Kooning, Yayoi Kusama, Agnes Martin, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, and Mark Rothko.
Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom
Learn how to integrate works of art into your classroom by using inquiry-based teaching methods adapted from in-gallery museum education.
Art & Ideas: Teaching with Themes
This course is designed to develop critical skills that support theme-based teaching practices and build confidence in incorporating modern and contemporary art into interdisciplinary lesson plans.
Art & Activity: Interactive Strategies for Engaging with Art
Art & Activity explores activity-based strategies for empowering students and participants.
透过摄影看世界 / Seeing Through Photographs (Mandarin)
照片究竟是什么？在历史当中，人们如何利用摄影？纽约现代艺术博物馆的免费在线课程《透过摄影看世界》将带您探索这个引人入胜的话题。通过欣赏MoMA收藏的摄影作品，聆听与多位艺术家、策展人和学者的对话，我们将向您揭露制作一张照片的方方面面。
Specializations
Specializations are a series of related courses that allow learners to explore a topic in depth. The courses in the Specialization can be taken in any order. Specializations are subject to a monthly fee and the length of time required to complete the Specialization is dependent on your own pace.
Modern and Contemporary Art and Design
This Specialization is for anyone who would like to learn more about modern and contemporary art, and no prior knowledge or experience is required. Introducing you to the art of our time, the Specialization features four of our most popular courses: Modern Art & Ideas, Seeing Through Photographs, What Is Contemporary Art?, and Fashion as Design. You’ll go behind the scenes at the Museum and into the studios of artists, designers, architects, and other makers, and you’ll get access to exclusive MoMA resources and virtual events.
FAQ
How do online courses work?
MoMA offers Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on Coursera. You can enroll any time and take the courses at your own pace. In these courses, you will look closely at artworks in MoMA’s collection and exhibitions, and hear directly from artists, architects, designers, curators, and others through video and audio. Readings and resources provide enhanced context, and quizzes and discussion forums offer opportunities to check your knowledge and share ideas and creative projects with others.
Are online courses for me?
MoMA’s online courses are for anyone who would like to learn more about modern and contemporary art, and no prior knowledge or experience is required.
How do I enroll?
To register for online courses, follow the links above for the course(s) you wish to enroll in.
Payment
All of MoMA’s online courses can be audited free of charge, or you can choose to pay for a certificate of completion. Specializations are subject to a monthly fee and the length of time required to complete the Specialization is dependent on your own pace.
What if I receive a free trial message?
To enroll in any course for free, please select the option to Audit the course at the bottom of the free trial message.
What if I need technical help on an online course?
Your best resource for technical help is the Coursera Help Center. The Coursera Help Center includes guides on how to use Coursera and you can connect with Technical Support to troubleshoot problems. A good place to start is the guide to solving problems on Coursera.
What if I want to move ahead in the online course, or need more time?
You can take the course at your own pace. There is no penalty for speeding up or taking more time. You can always reset your deadlines to fit your schedule without losing your work or progress in the course, and you will continue to have access to the course and all resources indefinitely after completing it.
How do I know if a class is full?
Online courses have unlimited enrollment and do not fill up.
Can I take an online course for credit?
While MoMA is not able to offer academic course credit, you may pay for a certificate of course completion that can serve as a credential on your résumés, CVs, or other professional sites.
How often are online courses offered?
All MoMA online courses are available on an ongoing basis.
Volkswagen of America is proud to be MoMA’s lead partner of education.
Major support for Online Courses is provided by the Carroll and Milton Petrie Education Program Endowment.
MoMA Audio is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.