M
MA, pl. MAs
(no periods, no apostrophe)
Magic Realism, Magic Realist
Mannerism
as art movement
masterwork
matte
not mat, not matt
MB
for megabyte (e.g., 3.2 MB file)
McFarland Dewey
media
use mediums if appropriate
medieval
medium-sized
Mesoamerica
metalwork
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
less formally, Metropolitan Museum, the Met
MFA, pl. MFAs
Microsoft
not MS
Microsoft Word or Word
not MS Word
mid-1960s
but early 1960s or late 1960s
mid-Atlantic
midtown Manhattan
Middle Ages
Middle East
Middle Eastern
Minimalism, Minimalist, Minimal art
as art movement
mission statement
mixed media
noun
mixed-media
adj.
mobile phone
modeling, modeled
modernism, modernist
this is an adj., not a movement
MoMA
for Museum of Modern Art
MoMA PS1
as of 2010; before, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, P.S.1
monoprint
motif
not motive, pl. motifs
multimedia
adj.
Museum of Modern Art
also MoMA
Mylar
N
National Coalition Against Censorship
National Gallery
in London
National Gallery of Art
in Washington, DC
Native American
naturalism
Neoclassical, Neoclassicism
as art movement
Neoexpressionism
as art movement
Net art
as art movement
Netherlands, the
New Image painting
new media
noun
new-media
adj.
New World
New York
rarely New York City
New York Times
as full title, but the New York Times, the Times in some instances in run of text
nonart
rarely non-art or non art
non-Eastern
nonnative
nonnegotiable
nonprofit
preferable to not-for-profit, noun and adj.
non-tenure-track
non-Western
North, the
as in the global North or, occasionally, the American North
Northern California
O
office
not offices
offsite
not off-site or off site
okay
not OK
old master
Old World
online
not on-line or on line
onsite
not on-site or on site
Oriental
prefer Asian
Other, the
as concept
P
Pacific Rim
page numbers in citations
do not use “p.”: 23, not p. 23; in run of text spell out: page 23
paint stick
paintbrush
papermaking
papier-mâché
no italics
Parsons the New School for Design
part-time
adj. (e.g., part-time worker, but she works part time)
part-timer
noun
paywall
pen-and-ink
adj. followed by a noun
performance art
PhD, pl. PhDs
photoengraving
photograph
not photo; spell out in captions and credit lines
Photorealism
as art movement
Plexiglas
PM
not pm, p.m., or P.M. (e.g., 3:32 PM)
PO Box
in addresses
polystyrene
not Styrofoam unless the brand name is used
Pop art
as art movement
postclassical
postdoctoral
postgraduate
Postimpressionism, Postimpressionist
as art movement
Postminimalism, Postminimalist, Postminimal
as art movement
postmodernism, postmodernist, postmodern
not an art movement but a general term
poststructuralism, poststructuralist
pottery making
preclassical
Precolumbian
predoctoral
Pre-Raphaelite, Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, PRB
usually art movement names with “Pre” or “Post” take no hyphen
president-elect
printmaking
private collection
provenance
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
less formally, P.S.1; after 2010, MoMA PS1