Research Guide for

ART 1104 Contemporary Art Survey (Peterson)

Main

Find Artist Biographies

Biography (Gale in Context)
Biographical profiles of pubic figures with links to magazine and newspaper articles and other sources.


Oxford Art Online [trial access]

Information on artists, techniques, and movements from the Grove Dictionary of Art and the Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Available through April 30, 2026 only.

How to access: click the person icon in the upper right, then choose the Personal Account sign-in option. Use the username and password your librarian provided in class or in D2L.


MoMA Artists List
Artist profiles and exhibition records for all MoMA exhibits and collections. Includes gallery photographs of most exhibits.

 

Video Documentaries

Kanopy Streaming Videos

A streaming video service with documentary, educational, and feature films.

PERSONAL ACCOUNT REQUIRED to watch videos. To create an account on Kanopy, use the orange Visit the Normandale Collection button. If you already have a Kanopy account, sign in using the Login link.

The Library pays a per-view fee for Kanopy. To keep costs down, only use Kanopy for educational purposes.


Art21
A video series of contemporary artists at work — organized by artist name.
 

Search Art Publications

Fine Arts (Gale OneFile)
Articles from magazines and academic journals devoted to the arts. Includes ArtForum, Aperture, C: International Contemporary Art and more.



Art News Websites

Learn About Art Forms, Materials, & Techniques

Look Up Art Terms

The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms
Concise definitions of art terminology.

 

Find History Overviews

History Research Center (Infobase)

Search across several history databases at once for encyclopedia entries, chapters from history books, images, timelines and some primary sources.

History Research Center searches these databases: Ancient and Medieval History, American History, African American History, American Indian History, and Modern World History.



 

Search for Even More Library Books and Articles

NEED MORE SOUCES? Use the Library's Combined Search to look for articles, videos, and books and ebooks on art and history including specific artists and works.

Search Tip: You may need to put the artist's name in quotation marks to get relevant results. For example, "Jeff Wall".

Ask a Librarian

Call, e-mail, or chat with a librarian for more research assistance. We're happy to help!

  (952) 358-8290

 Email

Lacey Mamak
Reference and Instruction Librarian
lacey.mamak@normandale.edu
 

Note: Your chat question may be directed to a librarian from another college when Normandale librarians are unavailable.
 

Access Our Databases from Anywhere

Online Library Access Info
To access databases and other Library resources, login with your StarID and password when prompted.  Access is only available to current Normandale students and employees.

 

Cite Your Sources (MLA or Chicago)

MLA Quick Guide (PDF)
See MLA citation examples for the most common types of sources (9th edition).

Chicago Quick Guide (for Notes-Bibliography Style)
The Chicago style of citation uses numbered notes; either footnotes, which appear at the bottom of each page, or endnotes, which appear at the end of the paper.