Receive certification in subjects such as fashion, photography, contemporary art and more – all for free, with flexible deadlines.
New York’s world famous Museum of Modern Art is running five free online courses during July. If you’ve got some spare time on your hands (or you’re in lockdown in Victoria), you can learn about fashion, photography, contemporary art, abstract painting and modern art theory – all for free and all at your own pace.
Courses are offered in several languages, run completely online and all take 24 hours or less to finish. Upon completion, you’ll receive a certificate to help boost your CV, as well as a wealth of knowledge from one of the world’s best museums. A great chance for creatives to upskill or learn more about unfamiliar fields. Here are some we recommend.
This course teaches you to appreciate and contextualise both everyday and high-end fashion. You’ll learn about the history of garments and style, find out how fashion ties into history, politics, economics and culture, and get insight into the life cycle of clothing from production to consumption. Fashion as Design takes approximately 18 hours to complete and is perfect for any emerging designers, label founders and other fashion-industry hopefuls.
A great entry-level course for anyone hoping to gain a broad understanding of modern artists and their influences, Modern Art & Ideas is all about where art comes from. With interviews with artists, designers and curators, you’ll unpack works from Moma’s gallery and discover how artists take inspiration from their environments and identities. You’ll also learn how social, cultural and political issues influence art over roughly 13 hours of course material.
With just 11 hours of material, this course is a quick way to bring yourself up to speed with contemporary art forms and find inspiration for your own creative projects. You’ll learn about 3D-printed sculptures, museum performances, portraits and even art created by artificial intelligence.
Taking photos on our phones has become second nature, and sometimes the art of photography is lost in the noise of documenting everyday life. Over 15 hours, this course will help you understand photography’s role in modern culture and learn how context influences the ways images are produced and received. You’ll also find out how to experiment with photography and develop skills to better analyse images. Perfect for any aspiring or established photographers.
This 24-hour course offers insight into some of the most renowned artists of the 20th century. Learn about works from Yayoi Kusama, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt and more. You’ll also have the option of participating in studio exercises where you can post your own work for critique and advice. A great way to hone your art analysis, gain employable skills for fields in the arts or impress your friends at the next dinner party.
Photography: Scott Renton
