{"data":{"id":1158,"title":"Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2016,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-ShareAlike","language":"jpn","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning offers a comprehensive introduction to the world of Art. Authored by four USG faculty members with advance degrees in the arts, this textbooks offers up-to-date original scholarship. It includes over 400 high-quality images illustrating the history of art, its technical applications, and its many uses.Combining the best elements of both a traditional textbook and a reader, it introduces such issues in art as its meaning and purpose; its meaning and purpose; its structure, material, and form; and its diverse effects on our lives. Its digital nature allows students to follow links to applicable sources and videos, expanding the students' educational experiences beyond the textbook. Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning provides a new and free alternative to traditional textbooks, making it an invaluable resource in our modern age of technology and advancement.","contributors":[{"id":5695,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Pamela","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Sachant","location":"University of North Georgia","background_text":"Pamela Sachant is an art history professor at North Georgia College \u0026 State University located in Dahlonega, Georgia."},{"id":5696,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Peggy","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Blood","location":"Savannah State University","background_text":"Peggy Blood is Director of Confucius Institute and Full Professor in the Department of Fine Arts Humanities \u0026 Wellness. Prior to SSU she Directed satellite campuses (Fairfield \u0026Travis AFD) for Chapman Universities in California. Her area of specialization is Fine Arts, Higher Education \u0026 Administration. She is a Fulbright Specialist \u0026 Fulbright Specialist Program Peer Reviewer, and reviewer for other academic fellowships and scholarships. Blood is a visiting scholar at Jiujiang University in Jiujiang, China."}],"subjects":[{"id":29,"name":"Arts","parent_subject_id":6,"call_number":"N85","visible_textbooks_count":56,"url":"https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/arts"},{"id":6,"name":"Humanities","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":null,"visible_textbooks_count":418,"url":"https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/humanities"}],"publishers":[{"id":1137,"url":"https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/https://ung.edu/university-press/index.php","year":2022,"created_at":"2022-05-02T07:58:49.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-05-02T07:58:49.000-05:00","name":"University of North Georgia Press"}],"formats":[{"id":2884,"type":"MS Word","url":"https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks/3/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":4,"reviews":[{"id":34099,"first_name":"Bianca","last_name":"Rawlings","position":"Adjunct","institution_name":"Tidewater Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"A well composed resource that covers art and context, primarily focusing on European examples.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I did not notice a lack of accuracy, although it could be argued that there could be a more thorough examination of other cultures.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Certainly relevant in terms of using art as a tool and relevant to introductory students.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Quite accessible.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The subject matter and terminology are consistent throughout.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Very useful for modularity and easy to assign specific chapters.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization makes sense.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface is straight forward; not unlike any regular textbook.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors that I noticed.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"As other reviewers have said, more on non-European art and culture is definitely needed here.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"A good resource for introductory students to supplement lectures about art and context. A useful tool for social art history, other than the lack of more non-European art.","created_at":"2022-11-02T10:24:36.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-11-02T10:24:36.000-05:00"},{"id":34407,"first_name":"Johannah","last_name":"Silva","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"City Colleges of Chicago","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"There is a table of contents and chapters that progress from \"What is Art?\" in Chapter 1 to theme-based chapters such as \"Art and Identity\", \"Art and Power\", etc. At the end of each chapter, there are also some questions that could help summarize the chapter readings and could serve as quiz questions. Key terms follow these chapter summary questions. One thing that perhaps could be added as far as overall content is a timeline of the history of art from ancient cave paintings to contemporary art. I appreciate though that each chapter seems to provide examples of art from different cultures/time periods/styles/media, etc.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Content is accurate and I like that art examples seem to be chosen with an eye to making sure art from different cultures are represented.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The themes towards the last few chapters of the book are broad enough that others could add artworks to discuss here and update with more contemporary examples.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The structure of the book is clear and progresses sequentially. Terminology is explained and key terms are defined at the end of each chapter.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The structure of each chapter is consistent, with the summative questions and key terms helping to encapsulate each chapter's readings.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Chapter 2 seems to me could be divided into different media (2D, 3D, 4D) and elements of art/principles of design. This Chapter would likely be covered in a few class sessions if I were to use this text.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The sequence of chapters from What is Art to the structure of art/meaning of materials to visual literacy/analysis to themes in art makes sense to me. It might be helpful to have a broad survey/timeline of art from ancient times to contemporary art somewhere, but I like how art from various time periods are addressed within the theme-based chapters in the end of the book.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The text is easy to navigate. Visual images are clear and identified and interspersed well with the text.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical error that I saw.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Examples from various cultures/time periods/styles are used as examples in each chapter.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"None at this time.","created_at":"2023-02-15T17:18:28.000-06:00","updated_at":"2023-02-15T17:18:28.000-06:00"},{"id":35242,"first_name":"Brittney","last_name":"Barnhart","position":"Adjunct Professor","institution_name":"Blue Ridge Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book covers a wide array of information that would be appropriate for a beginner's level of art appreciation, however the book that I currently use has a lot more information about the elements and principles of art and design, and I feel like this text could use more information covering this. There are many wonderful examples of art through out history, though I would like to see more examples of contemporary art and artists, as well as a bit more diversity with more artwork from non traditional art history/cultures. Also, more women artists could be included as well. I feel like this book would make an excellent supplement to the course that I teach and I found information that I would like to include in my lectures. I really enjoyed the chapters with themes that could be explored specifically. I also feel that it would be appropriate for the high school learners that I interact with at my other job.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content is very accurate and informative.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This book would be great for an absolute beginner and it breaks down an immense subject into something very approachable. I would like to see more inclusion of contemporary artwork and artists however. There could be a lot more artworks brought into this text, as a visual learner, I feel like I need more images to look at when describing the themes and ideas in the book. I feel like this book could easily become a favorite if the above critiques were included in the future.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Very clearly written with easily digestible information that would be appropriate for learners to comprehend. The vocabulary is clearly identified and easy to understand. The text has a clearly defined layout with learning objective, test yourself, and key comprehension review which can be helpful. It would be helpful, however, to have a glossary at the end of the book.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text is overall consistent, especially with the chapter structure leading with learning objectives and ending with a review and questions to test yourself with.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Overall the divisions on themes seem to be the most successful, though I would like to see the earlier chapters delving more specifically into elements and principles of art and design, and have more information on the media used in art.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"It has clear organization and the way the chapters build upon each other are relevant. It would be helpful perhaps to have more of a clear section breaking down the timeline of art history. There is clarity on how each chapter progresses into the next, though they could also be used independently in a course that is not as specifically art appreciation.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Overall the reading experience was pleasant and the text easy to navigate. I did find a few links that did not seem to work, but that seems to be something that would be hard to stay perfectly on top of. Images overall were clear accurate representations of the artwork and diagrams of processes.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Overall the reading experience was unhindered by numerous errors, though a few small issues were seen from time to time. They did not detract from the readability to me.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The text does delve into cultures and representation beyond that of the Eurocentric approach to learning about art, but I would like to see that expanded a bit more. It could explore more LBGTQIA material as well. Also, as mentioned already, the book is lacking in contemporary art references and this seems to be something that is necessary in an introduction to art course.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I think this is a wonderful book, especially as it is free and easily accessible. There are a few things that could be added in a newer edition, but overall I could see myself using this text to supplement my courses.","created_at":"2024-09-11T10:29:52.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-09-11T10:29:52.000-05:00"},{"id":35628,"first_name":"Skipper","last_name":"McFarlane","position":"Part Time Instructor","institution_name":"Lane Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book skillfully navigates the complex world of art, moving the reader from the fundamental aspects of creation to a deeper understanding of how culture, media, and the artist's environment shape its meaning. It delves into the power art holds in our society and the ethical considerations that come with its creation. The book's structure is a notable strength; each chapter is built for comprehension, starting with clear learning outcomes and ending with a useful glossary of key terms and thought-provoking reflection questions.\"","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The book's content is both accurate and insightful, effectively capturing the evolving nature of art. It successfully navigates how cultural and societal impacts influence artists and how the ethics surrounding art continue to change.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The author's approach ensures this book's longevity by acknowledging that art itself, and its definition, are constantly evolving. This forward-thinking perspective, combined with a discussion of timeless core concepts—such as the fundamental structure of art and the approaches artists take—makes the book a lasting resource. By also exploring how issues of identity and culture impact art, the author ensures the book's continued relevance.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book's clear and concise language, along with its well-chosen examples, significantly increases the accessibility and understanding of the ideas presented.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book's consistency is one of its core strengths. From the clear language and uniform examples to the predictable chapter structure—with learning outcomes, key terms, and a fill-in-the-blank review section—the author creates a dependable framework for learning. The content's logical organization into a series of subsections that build on each other further enhances the reader's understanding.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book's modular design is one of its greatest strengths. The content is broken into well-defined chapters of appropriate length, allowing instructors to select, reorder, or omit chapters as needed to fit the specific curriculum of their course. This flexibility ensures the book remains a valuable resource, providing students with solid information regardless of the order in which it's presented.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book's topics and chapters are generally presented in a clear and logical fashion. However, the section on Art in Architecture feels somewhat out of place. While the surrounding content focuses on the meaning, identity, and power of art in our lives, this specific chapter's placement disrupts the flow. While this may be a matter of personal preference rather than an inherent flaw in the book's structure, I would have likely placed this chapter later in the text.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"There are no issues with accessing the information or clearly seeing the images and examples.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not encounter any grammatical errors in the content of this text.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I appreciated that this text included examples that were not exclusive to Wester images and thus broadened the idea of what art is and how it appears in the world around us.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"Personally I greatly enjoyed this book and can see easily utilizing this, in full or part, in some of the courses I teach and look forward to exploring this further.","created_at":"2025-09-12T17:56:03.000-05:00","updated_at":"2025-09-12T17:56:03.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/introduction-to-art-design-context-and-meaning-2016","updated_at":"2026-05-18T02:07:26.000-05:00"}}