Welcome to our Intersession 2016 ARTS & VALUES class (ART 125L-721)!
My name is Jan Mainzer, and I’m looking forward to working with you as we consider works of art produced
by Western culture at various times from antiquity to the present, and the social contexts and the values they
reflect. For example, in the detail of the 17th century Dutch painting pictured above, the overturned glass and
goblet, and pocket watch all speak of the transience and fragility of life—an understandable theme in the
context of Holland’s severely Protestant society, tendency to avoid overtly religious images, and with the
horrific Thirty Years War in the background.
You will need no prior knowledge of or experience in Art to flourish in our class. And from my twenty three
years of teaching at Marist (the photo below is an old one!) I’m assuming that some of you are groaning
inwardly at the thought of taking a class in art history—which is OK. You will need a sense of inquiry about
how artists communicate their perceptions of the world, and a willingness to engage in the topics we discuss.
You’ll also need a commitment to keep up with the work of this fast-paced semester, and to contact me right
away with any concerns that may emerge. I’ll do my best to support you in your endeavors, and I hope that
by the end of the semester your interest in Art, and the pleasure you receive from it, will have grown.
As our semester progresses I think you’ll see evidence of my background and interests. I trained as an artist,
dong ceramics, jewelry, printmaking, drawing, bronzecasting, and welded steel. And when health issues
emerged in the art studio I focused in more closely on my interest in art history—which is closely related to
the history of ideas. And I’ve long been intrigued by the use of computer technology to enhance learning.
Our online course has its roots in an Arts and Values class website I developed in 1995.
Our required textbook is Fred Kleiner’s Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History, 15th edition, and
the recommended text is David Macaulay’s Cathedral: The Story of its Construction. Please order your
books now, if you haven’t done so already. In a postscript below I’ve put information on some places you
can buy them, and the different formats that are available. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages 15th ed. is a
revision of Helen Gardner’s original book, and one of the best survey art history books in print. I chose the
hardbound Global edition because it’s considerably cheaper than the two volume paperbound set, and when
our course is done you’ll have a handsome, top-notch resource for your personal library—or, if you prefer
(but I hope you won’t) a book with good re-sale value on campus. This is the one the Art Department uses as
the textbook for our History of Western Art 1 and 2 survey courses. Cathedral: The Story of its Construction
may seem like an odd choice as the publisher presents it as a children’s book. But you’ll find that
Macaulay’s superb drawings will give you valuable insight on how a cathedral was built.
Our iLearn course site will be open at noon on 17 December . . . “See” you soon online, and please don’t
hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Textbook info is on page 2 of this letter.
Sincerely,
Jan Mainzer, Ph.D. ~ Senior Lecturer, Art and Digital Medua, Marist College
jan.mainzer@marist.edu ~ Home phone number: 845 691-5511
TEXTBOOK INFO for online Arts and Values, Intersession 2016:
OUR REQUIRED TEXTBOOK is: Fred Kleiner, Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History, 15th
Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2016. ISBN 978-1-285-754994.
Where to buy or rent the book:
Campus bookstore http://marist.bncollege.com/
Publisher’s website, with choice of hardbound book, e-book and e-chapter rentals
http://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/en/US/storefront/US?cmd=catProductDetail&showAddButton=true&productID=2138
327326287928030393140050735972252&cid=APL1
Amazon:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1285754999/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop1&pf_rd_r=11S4SQ09WEM29QZT7YJ1&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop
Older 14th edition, used. You can get the 14th edition used at considerable savings, but remember
that there’s been a major revision of Chapters 29 and 30, so if you choose this option, plan on a
brief e-chapter rental (see the publisher’s website, above) for these chapters. Budget a total of
about $10 for the e-chapters http://smile.amazon.com/gp/offerlisting/0495915424/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
If you buy an earlier edition, be sure that you buy either a SINGLE VOLUME of MORE
THAN 1,000 PAGES OR 2 VOLUMES THAT TOGETHER ARE MORE THAN 1,000
PAGES. There is an abridged version of this book that is NOT adequate for this course.
In making your decision on which version of the textbook to buy, remember that the
hardbound version I chose will be a top notch reference book for your personal library.
OUR RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK is: David Macaulay, Cathedral: The Story of its Construction.
Revised and in full color. ISBN 978-0544100008
Where to buy the book:
Campus bookstore http://marist.bncollege.com/
Amazon http://smile.amazon.com/Cathedral-Story-Construction-RevisedColor/dp/054410000X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431545901&sr=11&keywords=david+macaulay+cathedral+revised+in+color
Used http://smile.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/054410000X/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&sr=11&qid=1431545901
The older version with black and white images is also fine to use, is probably in the collection of
your local Library, and is available on Amazon for as little as a penny plus shipping.
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0395316685/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&sr=11&qid=1431546077
Welcome letter for online Arts and Values Summer 2015
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