ART MATTERS

A Contemporary Approach 

to Art Appreciation

Second Edition 

Pamela Gordon 

Art Matters introduces students to the wide range of art that is around them. Featuring an enormous assortment of types of art that diverse artists have created for different people around the world, it demonstrates how pervasive and critical art is in our lives—from the emojis we text, to the furniture we sit on, to the buildings we live in, to the photographs we see.

Through stories, examples, thoughtful pedagogy, and in-depth discussions of process and history, Art Matters motivates students to experience art actively and meaningfully. By asking questions and exposing students to different viewpoints
and ideas, the author gives them the tools to speak, write, think critically, and form conclusions about what they see in
familiar and unfamiliar works.

PART FOUR. THE HISTORY OF ART

13. The Art of Prehistory and Ancient Civilizations
in Europe and the Mediterranean

14. Early Jewish and Christian, Byzantine, and Medieval Art

15. Renaissance and Baroque Art

16. The Art of Africa and Islam

17. The Art of the Pacific and the Americas

18. The Art of Asia

19. Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Art
in the West

20. Modern Art in the Twentieth-Century
Western World

21. Art Since 1980

PART ONE. INTRODUCTION

1. Art Matters

2. Understanding and Defining Art

PART TWO. THE LANGUAGE OF ART

3. The Visual Elements of Art

4. The Principles of Design

PART THREE. THE MEDIA

5. Drawing

6. Painting

7. Printmaking

8. Photography, Film, and Video

9. Graphic Design

10. Sculpture

11. Traditional Craft Media

12. Architecture

Pamela Gordon has been teaching at Connecticut State Community College Norwalk (formerly Norwalk Community College) since 2009. At CT State, Pam offers two classes: Art Appreciation and The Creative Voice (an interdisciplinary class in which students explore their own creative processes). Pam teaches both in-person and online classes.

Before she began her teaching career, Pam worked in the college textbook industry, first at McGraw-Hill as an editor, then at Longman as an executive editor, and finally at her own freelance editorial business. Over her years in publishing, Pam concentrated on texts in art and a variety of other disciplines. While she has worked on hundreds of books, Art Matters is the only one that she has authored.

Pam holds a B.A. in Art History from Dartmouth College and an M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. At Teachers College, Pam focused on teaching, learning, and art education.

How We Meet Course Challenges 

Understanding

When explaining different principles and core concepts of art we offer (instead of blocks of text) accessible,

student-friendly pedagogy that breaks down the concepts into easy-to-understand diagrams and tables.

Students are then able to see those concepts up close through Interactive Image Walkthroughs.

Engagement

“How Art Matters Stories” introduce students to compelling narratives with OUP-exclusive videos that engage
them in every chapter.

Discussion Questions about the “How Art Matters” videos provide professors with thought-provoking materials for in-class discussions or online discussion boards.

Sample questions for the Faith Ringgold video (from the Instructor’s Manual):

• The male prisoners did not like the painting. Does public art have to be liked by everyone? What are some considerations an artist should have in making public art? Who should decide whether a work of art stays in place?
• Ringgold’s painting was attached to a wall and originally intended to remain in this location. Given this fact, how much of a responsibility did Ringgold have to collaborate with the inmates when creating the painting?
• Ringgold used many layers in creating the painting, including the canvas surface, the preliminary coating, the base coat
  of paint, colors of paint, and varnish. Why would she need to have so many layers?
• Do you think that all of the women saw the message of the work in the same way? Do you think they understood the message in the same way that Ringgold did? Why or why not? Why does this matter?
• Why is the medium of painting an effective means for conveying messages?

Application 

As the final part of the learning path students are able to apply the concepts they learned with the immersive experiences and "Practice How Art Matters" activities. Students’ critical and creative thinking skills are put to use in these activities where they apply the principles and concepts they learned in the chapter.

Oxford Insight

Art Matters: A Contemporary Approach to Art Appreciation, Second Edition, is available in Oxford Insight. Oxford Insight delivers best in class content within a powerful, data-driven learning experience designed to increase student success. A guided and curated learning environment—delivered via your LMS or standalone—Oxford Insight provides access to the e-book, digital resources, assignable/gradable activities and exercises, and analytics on study achievement and progress. Get the most out of your Art Appreciation course with Oxford Insight.

Digital Features included in Oxford Insight

All of the resources listed below are housed in Oxford Insight. They are tools that students and instructors can use to make Oxford Insight an all-encompassing learning platform.

Student Resources  

Instructor Resources (housed in the Insight center)

• Self-assessment quizzes

• Chapter review

• Flashcards

• Chapter quiz

• Study center

• How Art Matters videos

• Art Technique videos

• Practice Art Matters activities

• Interactive Image Walkthroughs

• Immersive Experiences

• Quick Review questions

• Essay questions

• Critical Thinking questions

• Explore Art Matters activities

• Annotated Bibliography

• Content customizablity 

• Sync-able gradebook 

• Student engagement indicator 

• Individual course calendar
• Instructor’s Manual

• PPT Lecture Slides

• Test Bank

• Image Bank
• Museums and Beyond: Guided Activities for Engaging with Art 

We reviewed Oxford Insight with 70 Art Appreciation instructors. See what they had to say
about the platform.

For more information, click here to view the Art Matters Quick Review demo.

New Artwork

The second edition offers many new examples of interesting and stunning artwork.  

Nathaniel Mary Quinn. Double-Barreled Shotgun. 2021.

Faig Ahmed. Doubts. 2020.

 Jeanne Gang. MIRA urban residential development. 2020, San Francisco.

 Patricia Piccinini. The Dreamer. 2020.

Marie-Guillemine Benoist. Portrait of Pauline Bonaparte. 1808.

Standing figure. From pit 2, Sanxingdui, China. c. 1250–1050 BCE

 Nina Chanel Abney. Imaginary Friend. 2020. Augmented reality.

Hildegard reveals her visions. From a facsimile of the Liber Scivias of Hildegard of Bingen, from Trier or Bingen, Germany. Original c. 1150–75.

"Art Matters is thorough, interactive, and forward-thinking; meaning it is very much moving toward the global approach to art appreciation that so many institutions strive for. The "Practice Art Matters" [activities] reach a broad range of students, and should make them think practically and maybe emotionally about some works of art. In a course with an overwhelming number of nonmajors, this type of info and approach is critical."

—Alice Jackson, University of Alabama at Birmingham

"Art Matters really connects students to the importance of art and helps them appreciate the way art reflects its time and culture. Starting with the controversy of Maya Lin's Vietnam Memorial [in Chapter 1] it really intrigues all of the students and sets them up for understanding different points of view with art right away."

—Julie Sawyer, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

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