The Museum of Modern Art Now Offers Free Online Classes

The nine classes span contemporary art, fashion and photography

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Looking to emerge from COVID-19 quarantine with more than just an overgrown hairdo? The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City is here to help with an array of free online courses that will ensure you emerge from this pandemic with a more sophisticated appreciation of art, reports Howard Halle for Time Out.

Like many museums around the world, MoMA’s brick-and-mortar building is currently closed. But the cultural institution maintains a vibrant digital presence through virtual exhibitions, remote learning resources and a library of insightful artistic criticism. Now, MoMA is adding another offering to the list, making nine classes freely available via Coursera, an online learning platform that hosts more than 3,900 massive open online courses (MOOC) and specializations. Courses range in length from 12 to 38 hours and can be completed at students’ own pace.

Understandably, the offerings focus on the museum’s wheelhouse: modern art. But the classes aren’t just for mustache-twirling art connoisseurs. Instead, they’re designed to guide everyday people to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the museum’s wide-ranging collection, which spans modern and contemporary art, fashion, and photography. Because the classes come straight from one of the world’s foremost art institutions, they feature prominent artists, designers, curators and historians as guest speakers and instructors.

Three of the classes are designed specifically for teachers (or homebound parents) looking to create lesson plans and interactive exercises for kids.

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