Guides: Studio Art: Home

Getting Started

For background information, start with an exhaustive reference work such as Grove Art Online Both the 'Guided Tour' and 'Tips for Users' (available from the Home page) provide useful information on searching Grove/Oxford Art Online.

Bibliographies located in books or at the end of journal articles can be very helpful. To learn if Pepperdine has access to a particular journal, search for the name of the journal in the library catalog, or use the 'Journals & Periodicals' search feature on the Library's Web site.

Locate artists' works on the Internet using a search engine such as Google; or visit a site that collects information about works from over 180,000 artists: Artnet.com

Artsy, a resource for collection and education, aims to make all the world’s art accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

Specialized Online Encyclopedias

Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques
Historical and current uses of materials and techniques in a wide range of areas from painting and sculpture to non-traditional media such as digital and video art.
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Coverage includes materials in art practice (e.g. ink, enamel, digital materials); materials in conservation (e.g. adhesives); classes of artifacts (e.g. wallpaper, mosaic, ceramic); techniques and methods (e.g. book binding, gilding, printing, weaving), terms (e.g. rustication), tools (e.g. easel, laser), theory (e.g. technical examination, conservation controversies), fakes & forgeries, and conservation theorists and practitioners.
Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts
Contains over 3,000 entries covering thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western cultures including hundreds of entries on the qualities and historical uses of materials, concise definitions on art forms and styles, and in-depth articles discussing the history of armor, jewelry, furniture, textiles, and ceramics.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome
Overview of the major cultures of the classical Mediterranean world from the Bronze Age to the fifth century CE, plus the legacy of the classical world and its interpretation and influence in subsequentical world centuries.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt
Contains 600 entries covering the prehistoric, predynastic, and dynastic phases of ancient Egypt within the context of its contiguous and sometimes conquering neighbors, tracing its history through the Islamic conquest of 642 CE, with the focus on dynastic Egypt.
Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture
Covers all aspects of Islamic art and architecture ranging from the Middle East to Africa to Central, South, and East Asia and includes entries on artists, rulers, writers, ceramics, sculpture, metalwork, painting, calligraphy, textiles, and more.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican culture
Chronicles Pre-Hispanic, colonial, and modern Mesoamerica, defined as the lands stretching from Mexico to the southern tip of Central America with 600+ articles on the great civilizations of the pre-Columbian era (including the Olmec, Aztec, and Maya peoples) up through the colonial and postcolonial periods.
Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
Articles on all aspects of the period from the fifth to the fifteenth century, exploring art, architecture, religion, law, science, language, philosophy, and theology, as well as cultural, religious, intellectual, social and political history. With a focus on focus on Europe and Christendom, the Encyclopedia also covers the rise of Islam and people of other cultures with whom Europeans came into contact.
Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art
Covers a wide range of subject areas, addressing people and subjects specific to all areas of Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, and including articles on artists, artisans, patrons, painting, architecture, sculpture, cities, centres of production, theory, criticism, and more.

The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art by Joan Marter (Editor)
ISBN: 0195335791
Publication Date: 2011
The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art (GEAA) deals with all aspects of American art and architecture from Native American art to Colonial art to contemporary American art. Drawing upon the expansive scholarship in The Dictionary of Art (DOA) and adding hundreds of new entries not previously covered in the DOA, GEAA is a comprehensive and current reference resource for information on this important area for students, researchers, and the general public.

Encyclopedia of American Studies
Brings together a large range of disciplines related to the history and cultures of the United States, from pre-colonial days to the present.
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Click on 'Resources' and then on 'Arts and Literature'

Career Resources

Jobs & Opportunities | College Art Association
Guidelines for Job Seekers and other resources from the CAA.
Artists and Related Workers: Occupational Outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Includes statistics, job outlook and projections, earnings information, related occupations.
Career Services, Arts and Entertainment, UC Berkeley
Guide from UC Berkeley. Extensive lists of links to professional associations, career sites, etc. Has some California-specific occupational outlook information on media-related jobs. Some resources may be restricted to the UC Berkeley campus community.