Learn Art History with the Khan Academy

“You only have to know one thing: You can learn anything.”

That’s the motto of the Khan Academy!

If you’re not familiar with the Khan Academy, and you have an interest in Art History (for any reason – whether you’re a parent, student, teacher, or lifelong learner) you’ll be amazed by the education that’s available to you for free!

The Khan Academy, founded in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, is a non-profit educational organization with the goal of “providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere” …. all you need is access to a computer and the web.

Many people already know the Khan Academy for their extensive collection of videos for learning math, science, computing, and more, but may not realize that they also offer a collection of Art History resources – perfect for middle school, high school, or home school students, parents, teachers, and anyone with curiosity and desire to learn!

You’ll find lots of great videos to help you gain a better understanding and appreciation of art, such as The Skill of Describing, Paul Cezanne’s Approach to Watercolor, and Appreciating Chinese Calligraphy, just to name a few.

The engaging Brief Animated Guide to the History of Western Art, gives you an entertaining synopsis of the history of western art from the ancient world to the present in a series of short videos.

There are informative articles such as An Introduction to Africa’s Arts and Cultures, and even an occasional quiz, like Cubism and Its Impact, to check your progress. Related links extend your learning to museum sites and more.

All of the Khan Academy‘s materials and resources are available completely for free to everyone. There’s even an App for that! My quick fly-over here barely scratches the surface of what’s possible. So take a minute to scan the subjects available and see what you or your students might want to learn.

For more motivation to keep learning, watch this inspiring video from Khan Academy… you were born to learn!