Whether it takes the form of painting, dance, or fashion, art can have a powerful impact on people, especially the young. It can inspire empathy and challenge us to see things from new points of view, plus creating our own art can boost creativity, strengthen motor skills, and even improve test scores. Infobase has content that can help inspire an appreciation for the arts and even encourage patrons of all ages to create their own, from handouts that can help elementary students get creative, to illustrated articles on the history of dance, to videos on the lives and works of renowned artists.
Grades PreK–6: Get Crafty with The Mailbox® Plus
Looking for ideas and activities to get your youngest students and homeschooling patrons’ creative juices flowing? The Mailbox® Plus is what you need, with 52,000+ fun and engaging ideas, activities, and worksheets for grades PreK through 6 that help inspire imaginations while teaching essential skills. Educators can find more than 2,500 crafts via Advanced Search—all created by teachers, for teachers—on the easy-to-use, intuitive platform. Have your young learners make puffy pumpkins for fall, mitten magnets for winter, birdhouses for spring, or a wide range of holiday and other seasonal crafts!
Grades K–12: Learn360 Puts Art Streaming Media Content at Your Fingertips
Learn360 is the ultimate streaming multimedia resource for K–12 schools—the complete district solution, with more than 191,500 educational media resources for students, teachers, and parents to explore. You may have heard of Learn360’s new Topic Centers, which bring together videos, interactives, printables, and more for a wide range of curricular topics in one spot. But, did you know that Learn360’s STEAM Topic Centers include one on art—the “A” in “STEAM”?
An excellent time saver for teachers putting together lesson plans, the Art Topic Center brings together in one place 50 resources that explore techniques and strategies on how to draw, paint, and create. Show students videos on how to draw a bat and how paint is made, or have them play with an interactive jigsaw puzzle of the Mona Lisa. Educators will also find a collection of printables featuring seasonal and holiday-themed crafts you can use in the classroom.
Artrageous with Nate series (2018, Item #288326)
Also available from Learn360, Artrageous with Nate is a eleven-time Emmy award-winning series from Big Media Holdings LLC that’s on a mission to inspire. Join artist and world traveler Nate Heck as he wanders the globe exploring where creativity and innovation are happening. Learn how Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, learn about Vincent Van Gogh’s life and influences, visit Andy Warhol’s favorite eating spots as well as his works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and much more.
Other art-related titles you can find on Learn360 include:
- How to Draw a Dog (Lingokids, 2021, Item #274964)
- How to Draw a Pumpkin (Lingokids, 2021, Item #274965)
- Vincent van Gogh (Makematic, 2023, Item #288574)
- AI Art (NewsHour Productions, 2023, Item #290371; available in the U.S. and Canada)
- London’s Modern Buildings series (Distribution360, 2018, Item #194105; available in the U.S., Canada, and Australia/New Zealand)
- Dancetime! 500 Years of Social Dance (Dancetime Publications, 2017, Item #129456; also in Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Films On Demand—see below for details)
- And more!
Grades 6–8: Learn About Art, Fashion, and Dance with a Trusted Source
Intermediate students who want to learn more about art history can turn to The World Almanac® for Kids, which features three illustrated topic areas on the arts that provide resources for homework, reports, and projects. Each of these topic areas include full-color images (including images of works of art), videos, Fun Facts articles, and biographies of related key people for inspiration.
- History of Fashion describes in detail what people wore during iconic historical periods and, in doing so, helps students better understand the world of society, work, leisure, and professional and family life during those eras. The module features information on available fabrics, dyes, and lifestyle constraints, plus helpful hints for costume recreation are also included for classroom application or staging.
- Understanding Art presents an overview of art—from painting and sculpture to architecture, installation, and performance art—covering what art is, major art movements from prehistoric art to Pop Art, and the ways art intersects with social and cultural influences. Students will find hundreds of full-color images of famous pieces of art, as well as videos on art, art history, and painting and drawing techniques, plus links to biographies of famous artists.
- World of Dance presents a brief history of dance, complete with book-length sections covering modern dance, ballet, and traditional dances from around the globe. Students will also find biographies of related key people, including Fred Astaire, Josephine Baker, Savion Glover, Twyla Tharp, and Elvis Presley.
Grades 9–Up: Art and Dance with Bloom’s Literature and Credo
You might know Bloom’s Literature for its coverage of literature-related topics, including its Shakespeare Center, its articles on how to write about literature, and its wide range of reference essays and scholarly criticism examining great authors and their works. But, Bloom’s also features Topic Centers about the fine and performing arts—all accessible from the homepage!
- Fine Art covers the entire history of art, from the Paleolithic era to modern times, from Africa and Asia to Europe, the Americas, and beyond. All major forms of visual art are represented, including architecture, painting, drawing, and sculpture, as well as other art forms such as ceramics and metalwork. More than 1,400 biographical entries explore the lives and works of important artists, with biographical data, characteristics and significance of the artist’s creative output, career milestones, and locations where major work is displayed. In addition, more than 2,500 full-color fine-art images have been added, most available in high resolution and directly supplementing the text. Users will also find more than 30 full-length videos on topics in visual art from such producers as the BBC, PBS NewsHour, and more.
- World of Dance explores various genres of dance, including forms indigenous to particular regions and cultures, contemporary styles, and more. The overview essays provide technical insight on specific dancers and in-depth historical and cultural context for the development of various dance genres. Other entries offer biographies of important dancers and choreographers. More than 180 full-color images illustrate the text, and more than 20 full-length videos provide a crucial look at dancers in action.
Looking for more images of great works of art? Credo Source for high schools and Credo Reference for higher education institutions and public libraries feature hundreds of articles on art from award-winning, notable, and peer-acclaimed reference sources. Browse tens of thousands of paintings, sculptures, and photographs from museums around the world with the Bridgeman Art Library Archive collection. Or choose from more than 190 short documentaries on major works of art from Arthaus Musik’s Masterworks. Find them via the “Arts & Leisure” category under “Browse by Subject” on the platform homepage.
For more art content aimed at higher education-level researchers, check out the Art History Essentials Collection. One of Credo’s Essentials Collections, the Art History Essentials Collection features insightful articles and breathtaking images and spans humanity’s relationship to art and design through the millennia and around the globe. Researchers will find biographies, criticisms, and explorations of technique across media and cultures.
Explore Careers in the Arts with Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center
Some of you may ask, “But what about a career in the arts? Can you make a living out of it?” Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center says, “You sure can!” The award-winning reference database for lifelong career exploration and planning features content on a variety of industries in the arts—including dance, design, fashion and apparel, music, performing arts, photography, theater, and visual arts—with a wide range of related professions linked to them. Career explorers will find current information on earnings, employment trends, job requirements, and essential skills—all the things you need to know when considering taking up a creative profession—using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, professional associations and unions, industry reports, and working professionals.
Some of the professions you can explore include:
- Costume designers
- Makeup artists
- Musicians
- Choreographers
- Ethnoscientists
- Architects
- Fashion designers
- Clowns
- Actors
- Comedians
- Video game art directors
- Multimedia artists and animators
- Tattoo artists
- Gallery owners and directors
- Medical illustrators and photographers
- Photojournalists
- And more!
In addition, users considering an art degree can explore Ferguson’s School Search for two- and four-year colleges that offer degrees in areas such as architecture and visual and performing arts. They can also explore available internships in art and design-related careers with Ferguson’s internship search.
Streaming Art Videos for All Ages
Just for Kids for Public Libraries
Librarians know that Just for Kids Streaming Media is an excellent kid-friendly, advertisement-free alternative to YouTube, featuring the educational shows children want to watch, plus songs, games, and other interactives that will entertain and educate young library patrons. In the Arts & Music category, found under “Subjects” via the drop-down menu in the upper left hand corner of the platform, children (and their parents!) can find hundreds of titles on arts and crafts, dance, and music that will motivate children to get creative.
Crayola: Create to Learn™ series (Makematic, 2022, Item #282891)
Dive into dozens of creative activities that help kids to understand our world through creativity with the Crayola: Create to Learn™ series! Developed in partnership with Crayola Education, this 50-part series dives into dozens of creative activities to support literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional learning.
Titles include:
- The Arts Communicate (Item #282926): In every community, individuals and families pass down their cultural heritage through fables and folktales, the stories that are timeless. In this video, children discover that the arts provide every culture ways to creatively communicate universal values and their community’s specific traditions.
- We All Contribute (Item #282928): In this video, the children each contribute something to collectively drawn images. Moving around to a different drawing station to respond to each prompt, they learn to build upon others’ ideas and work together to make their art come alive.
- Connect with Community Artists (Item #282936): Nontraditional artists enhance every community’s quality of life by meeting everyday needs while bringing rich cultural traditions to many art forms: bread-making, gardening, hairstyles, home décor, and head coverings, to name just a few. Let’s learn a little about how some of them make their art and how enjoying their artistry teaches us more about the cultural diversity and common needs in our community.
- And much more!
Other Crayola series you can find on Just for Kids include:
- Crayola Pilot Project series (Makematic, 2021, Item #274981)
- Crayola: Moved by Math series (Makematic, 2021, Item #275012)
- Crayola: Writing Art Inspired Stories series (Makematic, 2021, Item #275023)
- Crayola: STEAM for 21st Century Learners series (Makematic, 2021, Item #275034)
Streaming Video for Secondary Schools, Public Libraries, and Higher Education
Our On Demand products—Classroom Video On Demand for secondary schools, Access Video On Demand for public libraries, and Films On Demand for colleges and universities—each include hundreds of titles on creating art and art history sure to inspire all viewers. Here are just a few titles students and patrons can find that may encourage a greater appreciation of the arts and even the courage to try to make their own great works. (The titles appear on all three platforms unless otherwise noted. Some of these titles contain mature themes or content; viewer discretion is advised.)
- Carracci: The Silent Revolution (Codalunga S.r.l., 2019, Item #274445): This documentary focuses on the essence of the Carracci’s art, from the dynamics of their working in a team—the Carracci were the first art collective in history—to the great legacy of their new aesthetics born out of a dedication to practice over theory, still so relevant today.
- Art 21: Art in the Twenty-First Century (Season 10) series (PBS, 2020, Item #215274): This season of the Peabody Award-winning Art in the Twenty-First Century television series—the longest-running television series on contemporary art—features twelve artists and one collective, charting artmaking in London, Beijing, and regions around the United States–Mexico border. (Available in the U.S. and Canada.)
- Craft in America (Season 13) series (PBS, 2021, Item #279964): This two-part series explores America’s creative spirit through the handmade. The episode “Harmony” celebrates the joy of music and the creation of handcrafted instruments. “Jewelry” explores the history, artistry, and impact of personal adornment. (Available in the U.S. and Canada.)
- To Feel the Earth and Touch the Sky: Living the Legacy of American Modern Dance (Dance Currents, 2023, Item #289841): This program highlights the boundary breaking figures in the evolution of American Modern Dance. Iconoclasts in their own time, they have become icons in ours. Dancers covered include Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, Katherine Dunham, Anna Sokolow, The New Dance Group, José Limón, Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, David Parsons, Robert Battle, and Mark Morris.
- Dancetime! 500 Years of Social Dance (Dancetime Publications, 2017, Item #129456): This video looks at four centuries of Western social dance history. Authentic re-creations of the dances teach the viewer about socializing and romance in past times. Dancers in period costume introduce historical context and explore how many social dance styles migrated from Europe to America, such as Italian Renaissance formalism, French Baroque classicism, and 19th century Romanticism. The video also includes simultaneous instructive text and diagrams with descriptions that truly take advantage of combining video with original sources, allowing users to view text that provides historical context and identify each movement source.
- Black Art: In The Absence Of Light (HBO®, 2021, Item #238735): At the heart of this feature documentary is the groundbreaking Two Centuries of Black American Art exhibition curated by the late African American artist and scholar David Driskell in 1976. Held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, this pioneering exhibit featured more than 200 works of art by 63 artists and cemented the essential contributions of Black artists in America in the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibit would eventually travel to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and the Brooklyn Museum. The film shines a light on the exhibition’s extraordinary impact on generations of African American artists who have staked a claim on their rightful place within the 21st-century art world. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Access Video On Demand and Films On Demand.)
- Munch: Suspecting the Truth (Academy Media, 2021, Item #280882): This documentary covers the life and times of the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch and his importance in the development of art. (Available through Films On Demand.)
- Saving Notre Dame (PBS, 2020, Item #237680): When the Notre Dame cathedral caught fire in April 2019, Paris came very close to losing more than 800 years of history. As engineers rebuild, researchers use cutting-edge technology to piece together what happened and restore the cathedral. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Films On Demand.)
- Modigliani and His Secrets (ARTE France, 2020, Item #274259): Modigliani’s work is among the most recognizable in modern art, but we know almost nothing about the man himself. Based on an ongoing scientific study, the film reveals the secrets behind the myths surrounding this Bohemian artist, to coincide with the centenary of his death in 1920. This film sets out to retrace his life, exploring key locations and relationships, and his influences. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Films On Demand.)
- Treasures of Baroque Art series (Blue Bird Productions, 2020, Item #215392): The series features the most beautiful cathedrals, churches, and palaces all in the Baroque style, found mainly in the countries that were under the domination of the Austrian Habsburg Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Access Video On Demand and Films On Demand.)
- Decoding da Vinci (PBS, 2019, Item #203125): Journey to Florence to discover how Leonardo da Vinci used science, from human dissections to innovative painting techniques, to create his legendary artwork. Learn why Mona Lisa‘s smile is so captivating—and what it took to create it. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Films On Demand.)
- Leonardo da Vinci—An Uncomfortable Genius (Academy Media, 2019, Item #204692): This program is a biography and examination of Leonardo da Vinci ‘s work. It explores the major paintings and drawings and uncovers some of the ways in which Leonardo does not easily fit into any category or creed either in his own times or now. (Available through Films On Demand.)
- Masterpieces of Painting in the World’s Greatest Museums series (Blue Bird Productions, 2019, Item #215379): These programs present the most remarkable works on display in the greatest museums of the West, including classical painting from the 14th to the 19th century up to modern painting from Impressionism to Pop Art. About fifty masterpieces are presented and explained, as well as the period and the artistic context in which the painter evolved. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Access Video On Demand and Films On Demand.)
- Gauguin: A Dangerous Life (TVF International, 2019, Item #210646): Paul Gauguin is one of the world’s most popular—and controversial—artists. In recent years, Gauguin’s life and his works have come under intense and often angry reassessment. With the rise of feminist, colonial, and indigenous studies, this is the first film about the artist to view him afresh and ask the essential and fundamental questions about Gauguin’s role in perpetuating the prejudices and myths which have until now ruled much of our lives. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Films On Demand.)
- Civilizations series (PBS, 2018, Item #166852): Survey the history of art, from antiquity to the present, on a global scale. This nine-part series reveals the role art and creative imagination have played in forging humanity, and introduces viewers to works of beauty, ingenuity, and illumination across cultures. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Access Video On Demand and Films On Demand.)
- Basquiat: Rage to Riches (PBS, 2018, Item #191937): Learn about Jean-Michel Basquiat, who went from anonymous graffiti writer to epoch-defining art star and emerged as one of the most important artists of his generation, exhibiting in museums all over the world. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Films On Demand.)
- Dali’s Greatest Secret (MVD, 2018, Item #191937): This is the story of artist Salvador Dali and The Vision of Hell, a painting that was hidden under a nun’s bed for 30 years yet had a profound effect on the life and work of Dali. The Vision of Hell was a painting of one of the religious visions seen by three children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. (Available in the U.S. through Films On Demand.)
- Delacroix: From Paris to Morocco (TVF International, 2018, Item #188668): Follow the leading light of French Romanticism, Eugène Delacroix, on his journey from Paris to Morocco. This seminal biography reveals for the first time the inspiration behind the artist’s most famous works, featuring sumptuous historical reconstructions based faithfully on Delacroix’s travel diaries and exquisite sketchbooks. (Available in the U.S. and Canada through Access Video On Demand and Films On Demand.)
- The Mystery of Art (Academy Media, 2018, Item #204693): An examination of how art works—the balance between talent and sensitivity, emotion and reason, sophistication and simplicity, and between past and present. How all these factors relate, though, remains a mystery. (Available through Films On Demand.)
- Van Gogh—An Artist and His Art (Academy Media, 2018, Item #204694): This film explores the remarkable images and life of the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. While the depression from which he suffered is touched on, what the filmmaker is concerned with are the charming paintings he produced and the way in which he handled his rather solitary but immensely productive life. (Available through Films On Demand.)
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