Where Does Art Come From?

Reviewed by Skipper McFarlane, Part Time Instructor, Lane Community College on 6/22/26

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book earns a 5 for comprehensiveness by completely abandoning the traditional, Western-centric view. Instead of marching chronologically through history in one specific geographic location, it organizes the material by universal themes and pulls in examples from a rich variety of cultures. It does a fantastic job of giving students context—clearly defining different geographic regions and explaining how and why distinct cultural groups approach the same themes. The text highlights both the unique and shared qualities of these global expressions, and the authors' conversational tone makes this expansive, inclusive approach incredibly accessible for students.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I am giving this a 5 for accuracy. While I am not a specialized expert in this specific field, I found no obvious errors or biases in my reading. The content feels solidly researched, and the authors' credentials inspire confidence that the foundational information is correct. It is also worth noting that in a subject like this, any potential disagreements a reader might have with the text would likely stem from different subjective interpretations of the artwork, rather than factual inaccuracies.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text earns a 5 for relevance, both socially and structurally. Pedagogically, it is perfectly aligned with current educational shifts toward culturally responsive teaching. As we strive to decenter Western perspectives and allow students to explore their own cultural backgrounds through meaningful assignments, this book’s approach is incredibly refreshing. On a practical level, organizing the content around universal human questions means the core text will not quickly become obsolete. If the authors ever need to update the book, swapping in new contemporary artworks under these thematic umbrellas will be a very easy and seamless process.

Clarity rating: 5

This text easily earns a 5 for clarity. The authors use a conversational tone that invites the reader into an active discussion, which is a wonderful departure from your traditional 'lecture in a book.' It is highly accessible, and the text does an excellent job of providing context for terminology. For example, the early sections take the time to clearly explain the historical and contemporary definitions of the geographic regions discussed, ensuring students are never lost in the jargon.

Consistency rating: 5

I score this a 5 for consistency. Considering this textbook is written by several different authors/contributors, the cohesiveness is highly impressive. I found the conversational approach, the quality of the writing, and the use of terminology to be incredibly consistent throughout the entire book.

Modularity rating: 5

Because the text is structured around themes rather than a chronological timeline, you can easily break it down and reorganize it in ways a chronological approach can not be to fit your specific syllabus. Each chapter is whole unto itself, meaning you can assign sections out of order without confusing the reader.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book's topics are presented in a clear and logical fashion.

Interface rating: 5

I didn't experience any significant navigation or display issues. I chose to view the text through Apple Books, and while that specific platform caused one interactive element to not function, the authors had actually built in an explanation and a direct link to the working content. I was highly impressed that they anticipated potential tech hiccups across different platforms and proactively provided workarounds to accommodate the reader.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any grammatical errors while reading the book.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

By intentionally moving away from a Western-centric viewpoint to explore how diverse groups approach universal themes, the book is actively inclusive. A perfect example of this deep cultural respect is found in their handling of one specific image: the authors only display a cropped portion of the artwork, deliberately honoring that culture's beliefs regarding how the piece should be viewed publicly.

Nothing to add.

Reviewed by Lisa Donovan, Professor, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on 5/17/26

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Where Does Art Come From? by Leah McCurdy and contributors offers a broad and thoughtfully curated global perspective that expands the range of artistic traditions, histories, and viewpoints represented in introductory art history study. It would benefit by including an index and a glossary.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The text is accurate and error free. Care is taken to make visible the "lenses" of the authors.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Readers are invited to critically examine how culture, history, identity, and perspective shape both the creation of art and the narratives used to interpret it within an increasingly interconnected global world.

Clarity rating: 5

The text uses a conversational and accessible writing style that introduces complex ideas about art, culture, colonialism, and representation in ways that are engaging and approachable.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is thoughtfully designed open educational resource.

Modularity rating: 5

The structure of the book makes the text highly adaptable and easy to assign shorter readings.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is well organized and the overview of how to read the book is useful.

Interface rating: 5

The text is easy to use (especially in the Pressbook format).

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The book is easy to read with no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

One of the text’s greatest strengths is its cultural relevance and inclusivity, foregrounding artistic traditions and perspectives often marginalized in traditional Western-centered survey courses.

Where Does Art Come From? by Leah McCurdy offers a compelling and accessible rethinking of how art history can be taught and understood. Organized around essential questions, the text invites readers to consider how perspective shapes the way we see the world and interpret artistic expression across cultures. Rather than reinforcing a singular Western canon, the book intentionally decenters dominant narratives, rethinks geographic and cultural frameworks, and foregrounds diverse global perspectives. Particularly valuable is the way the text makes visible the non-neutral construction of art history itself, addressing colonialism, systems of power, and distinctions between labels of “high” and “low” art in a conversational tone that remains engaging and inviting. By challenging inherited narratives while foregrounding broader historical and cultural contexts, the book creates space for more varied vantage points and a richer understanding of art as a deeply human and global practice.

Reviewed by Shannon Hickok, Teaching Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Superior on 11/15/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

I really appreciated the vast global reach of the art, traditions, and cultures that are represented and how they connect to the time and space in which they were created. My "back in the day" experience in art history courses was very Western-focused, so this was refreshing to see. Categorizing the chapters under a thematic, bigger question, really helps to center the context of each artwork in a more human way, that goes beyond academia and into what we experience in "real life." The visuals were an important aspect (of course!). I like how they worked around copyright issues with the inclusion of links and also illustrative black and white renderings that visualized the referenced artwork. The chapter, "How to Read this Book," was a helpful introduction to the text, and it set the tone nicely for what was to come. I do wish there was a glossary/index at the end that lists the specific artworks that were mentioned, for easier access to certain pieces and their context within the chapters.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content feels very accurate. Sources are cited in a clear and defined way. It does feel like there is a strong point of view, but I think it's a refreshing course correction from classic art history textbooks that emphasized the "usual suspects" of Western art and the viewpoints that have historically celebrated those iconic pieces.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

It's a wonderful celebration of historical, traditional, and modern World art through a contemporary lens. By breaking away from the typical timeline format of previous art history textbooks, and focusing on placing these artworks in the context of the time, space, and greater themes in which they were created, it further helps to engage all readers in a more meaningful way. The chapter themes encompass timeless questions that can result in very big answers, but not in an overwhelming way for the average art history curious reader. It feels like the information and artworks could be easily updated with newer, more relevant material if needed.

Clarity rating: 5

I personally love the informal writing approach to the material. Traditional art history textbooks can become extremely heady and academic sounding (understandably), which can easily intimidate or put off those who are not intensely interested in the subject. Most of my students are non-art majors and I know they would really appreciate this more accessible and relatable style of writing. I really enjoyed the "News Flash" segment at the end of each chapter and how the themes and artworks mentioned could relate to modern life connections, such as links to social media accounts and pop culture.

Consistency rating: 5

The content of the text and its overall format is very consistent throughout the individual chapters and how they fit within the context of the whole book. The consistency feels very comfortable, especially in the informal tone of the writing.

Modularity rating: 5

It feels like the text does not need to be read in order, which allows for more flexibility in instruction. Jumping between chapter themes based on course content could be easily done without missing too many context clues and connections within the chapters. The text is broken up into more easily digestible sections with headers and images that don't become too overwhelming.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

I really appreciated the organization of each chapter. Starting with the world map and including visual points of reference for the artworks that will be mentioned, along with the time period in which they were created, was very helpful. I can see that being extremely beneficial in helping students understand the time, space, and context of the artworks and how they relate under the greater chapter theme. The Wrap Up, News Flash, and Where Do I Go From Here segments at the end of each chapter was also a very helpful way to culminate the information in an easily referenced way. The mix of ancient, historical, and contemporary art might be slightly confusing from chapter to chapter but I didn't find that to be a problem.

Interface rating: 4

Some of the images of the art don't feel as crisp and clean as they could be, with some words in graphs a little out of focus (for example on page 140). Art reproductions are a big part of any art history text and the slightly diminished quality of the images that are included does take away from the overall presentation just a bit.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Grammar appears to be super solid even with the informal approach to the writing.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Very respectful representation of a wide variety of cultures and traditions, which is not typical of most survey style art history textbooks. The descriptions of each artwork and its connection to the greater world and where/how/why it was created are very detailed and thoughtful. It feels like great care was given in the attention that was paid to parts of art history that are often ignored.

I love that the main vibe of this text is how it really gets to the "heart" of what art making and art history are all about. By making connections to greater themes and questions that many of us contemplate in our real life, it brings to life the idea and reassurance that art is for everyone. Many of my students come to art history with the thought that it's for an elite few who just "get it." From the more accessible and informal writing style to the way that each artwork is described in the context of very human issues, this text will definitely help most everyone relate to art history in a more meaningful and individual way.

Reviewed by Anne Yoncha, Assistant Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 10/19/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The author puts this together for what some people call a "Multicultural Art History" course, so voices from the Global South are most present. You won't find a comprehensive "canon" of art history here, but in some ways a reparative effort. It's long and there is no index for a quick look at what artists and ideas it covers. Each section has a "where do I go from here" wrap up at the end with bibliography. Images vs text is often a trade off for art history textbooks, and this one seems to provide much more text than images.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Generally seems accurate and unbiased, although the reparative work and political nature of the art chosen is not neutral. It might be critiqued also for not going "far enough".

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book does a solid job situating itself within the scope of art history texts, and identifying others and their main focal areas. I have always had to search out that information separately so I love seeing it here! I'm not sure a typical survey class, which seems what this book is most targeted for and useful for, would have time to address this in depth.

Clarity rating: 5

This type of writing seems really accessible for a student today, addresses important ideas in a way that's easy to engage with. Some parts seem a little informal.

Consistency rating: 5

Sections do a pretty good job traveling between global regions. Some sections (ie "What is Divine?" feel much longer and more comprehensive than others (ie "Who are We?"), but these can also tend to drag. There is some overlap in sections, referencing back to ideas, cultures, and artists discussed previously. This might help with retention and connecting the themes of each section together. In fact many sections link directly to other sections.

Modularity rating: 5

Yes - modularity is a strength of this book. Each section is driven by a guiding question, and the text seems like it could easily be used in part or in full. It might lend itself well to a course integrating art history with studio practice because of this focus on inquiry and thematic threads.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

It's a tough task for an art history book to toe the line between chronological and geographical and thematic order. I think this one does a decent job with that. Some of the transitions between artworks are a little sudden and might leave students feeling disoriented.

Interface rating: 5

Links out to other resources are helpful! The amount of these might be overwhelming for students and/or fragment the flow of their reading, especially if they're not given direction about which to pay attention to. There are lots of quirky visual elements included throughout (drawings from students, maps and charts visualizing art historical ideas and trends, etc). In general the book has lots of big blocks of text which might be overwhelming to some students.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

I've spotted a few errors but nothing overly distracting. Well, any grammatical error is a little distracting to me.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The book opens with a first work from Japan about family, hierarchy, and order; a second one from Iran exploring gender from an Islamic perspective; and third an Indigenous work about two-spirit, non-binary identity. It's not shying away from tough topics, and it's drawing connections between different cultures.

It's great to see a text like this, however I'd probably continue using resources like Khan Academy and Smarthistory for a college level art history survey course. Khan for example has more flexible modularity (I can choose artworks from the canon OR repairing it), modality flexibility (some artworks have text and video options), and a chance to hear two art historians dialogue about artworks.

If I were teaching a Multicultural Art Survey, this would be a more appealing option. It's working similarly to the book "Real Spaces" by David Summers (review here: http://www.caareviews.org/reviews/585) though this text has a much less western focus, and is probably more manageable in size, scope, and writing style for most students.

Reviewed by Nancy Pettigrew, Associate Instructor, Tidewater Community College on 12/22/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Made specifically for a global art history course, this resource is different from traditional art history textbooks. Unlike conventional surveys of global art, it is organized thematically rather than chronologically or geographically. The themes are based on “human questions” that are answered by objects from a variety of non-Western cultures that best relate to the theme. Each culture is not covered as a discrete whole. This approach is fresh and novel but makes it difficult to evaluate the question of comprehensiveness. The focus is primarily on the cultural contexts of the objects. It lacks the component of formal analysis found in more traditional art history textbooks. The textbook does not have an index or glossary. I did find that the introduction to the Western Canon of art history presumed some prior knowledge.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I am not an expert in all of the objects and cultures covered by the textbook, however, the information provided in the textbook seems to be accurate and error-free. It does have an explicit bias to break away from the Western canon of art history to provide a more inclusive view of art. It prioritizes indigenous traditions from the point of view of decolonization. This bias is discussed in the introduction to the textbook. In my opinion, an instructor who adopts this resource would need to subscribe to the same priorities.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The textbook is quite up-to date. The sources are timely and represent current thinking in the field. The introduction states that necessary updates to the text will be relatively straightforward to implement. The introduction also explains that the authors will even consider adding excellent student research papers or projects if they are sent to them.

Clarity rating: 5

The textbook is purposely written in an informal tone that avoids academic jargon. The informality makes the text clear and accessible. The downside of this is that students are not introduced as effectively to the language of art history as they would be in a more-traditional textbook.

Consistency rating: 5

The textbook is consistent in its pedagogical framework and use of terminology.

Modularity rating: 4

Due to the thematic structure of the textbook, I think it would be difficult to carve it into modules to adapt to a differently-organized course. For example, in a more traditional course, an instructor might cover a unit on the art of Mesoamerica. The information about art from Mesoamerica in this course is distributed throughout the thematic units. It would be challenging to extract the information. It would be possible to reorder the themes. They do not follow a particularly discernible logic.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The textbook has a clear introduction that explains the authors’ approach to designing the textbook. Beyond the introduction, it is broken into thematic chapters. These chapters do not seem to seem to follow any particular internal logic, except the chapters on key life events are ordered chronologically. I don’t think this is necessarily a weakness of the textbook, depending on an instructor’s plan for the course.

Interface rating: 5

I did not encounter any interface issues. The navigation in the online text version was straightforward and easy to understand. The course has many links in it, which are easy to use.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not encounter any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook is inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds in the authors and in its content. This is a key goal of the resource, as described in the section “Where does art come from? An introduction.” Many authors contributed to writing the course, which helps to expand its inclusiveness.

Reviewed by Cate Simmons, Instructor, Huntington University on 12/15/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

As shared before, the focus of the book covers subjects within the scope of particular cultures as needed by the course it was designed for. I would say it was mostly appropriate. I couldn’t seem to find a glossary or index. Some information instead is covered through the chapter, “How to Read this Book & Land Acknowledgement” but having an organized glossary and index would be especially helpful.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

To my knowledge, content seems accurate. The delivery of information does seem to pull readers into very specific conclusions, but this may be due to the nature and needs of the course it was created for.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This text consistently works to associate the topics with questions that are relevant to today’s reader in the US. Beyond art history, this book, while approaching broad topics and bringing great context to the table, has a specific focus for the artwork covered, so it probably would not be the only textbook to be used in a general art history or art appreciation course. In the about section, it is clarified that the text was created “for the UTA core curriculum art history introductory course” which is ART 1317 “Arts of Africa, Asia, Islam, Oceania, and the Indigenous Americas.” This is meant to tell specific stories and perspectives of the mentioned cultures and religions only. However, Judeo-Christian faiths are mentioned in contrast to other religions, but assume prior knowledge of the reader; so if you do not have a basic understanding of those belief systems, you can end up with a kind of “caricature” of how those faiths operate.

What is also interesting is how much cultural, historical, and historical background is given to provide context into a region. Sometimes at the risk of trailing off topic, but I think this context really helps the reader overall in understanding how an artwork “fits” within its time and place.

Clarity rating: 5

This book seems very clear as well as accessible to it readers. Context and definition are often given to new terms and concepts.

Consistency rating: 5

This felt consistent from chapter to chapter, and terminology and framework often repeated as needed.

Modularity rating: 5

One could probably try to read select chapters without reading previous chapters, however the text does make reference to prior reading (eg. Maize God of the Olmec is referenced a few times after it is introduced in earlier chapters). Outside references and resources were included throughout. I reading the online publication, the incorporation of video as well within chapters is a great resource and addition.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Instead of focusing on a particular era or culture or style, each chapter covers a particular topic or question that can be addressed through art.
For instance, the chapter “what is Divine” uses a variety of examples of art from different cultures to demonstrate how these cultures and religions have answered such a question. This is a refreshing layout, however I do wish there were a more structured introduction or perhaps wrap up to each chapter. When looking at multiple examples over a chapter, it can help to have key points (maybe bullet points) drafted out. On that note, I do like the links provided at the end of each chapter, allowing for further learning of a topic.

Interface rating: 4

Something I had not seen before was the use of digital illustrations to represent some artworks, due to licensing. It was not a issue to click links to visit the full image of the actual artworks elsewhere but it was a curious choice ( a downside being that some links are no longer available to view.) The incorporation of video as well within chapters is a great resource and addition.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

To the best of my ability, I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

What is also interesting is how much cultural, historical, and historical background is given to provide context into a region. Sometimes at the risk of trailing off topic, but I think this context really helps the reader overall in understanding how an artwork “fits” within its time and place. This focuses on specific cultures, due to the nature of the course it was designed for.

I would specify that the book has more of a social, possibly political, and anthological focus, rather than a general study of art. The example essays at the end give a good demonstration of how this focus shapes the views and topics of that particular course. While not a replacement of text for a general art course, this would be a great book to direct students to for a better scope of how art tells us about society, especially those that are not always recognized in more western-focused books. I definitely plan to incorporate some of the content into my AR115 Intro to Art course next year, as many of the artworks and cultures are ones we cover in our current textbook. A reframing of content and more context and historical background (both offered by this textbook)is helpful!