Smithsonian Associates July 2025 program guide

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In the 1830s, a gift from a single benefactor led to the birth of the Smithsonian. Today, you can share the same visionary spirit and generosity embodied by James Smithson by becoming a founding member of the Associates Legacy Society.

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Dear Friends and Members,

During the month marking the anniversary of America’s emergence as a nation, Associates’ 60th anniversary spotlight focuses on individuals and events that shaped the struggle for independence (pp. 2–3). In July’s guide, you’ll also find programs that offer insights into an array of topics from the nation’s history.

Trace the evolution from New Amsterdam to New York City, arguably the first truly modern metropolis (p. 5). Discover the courage of a Massachusetts regiment that was a Revolutionary-era version of a special-operations unit (p. 7). The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas and in turn became one of the most influential world’s fairs in history (p. 8).

The Boston Massacre of 1770 is a touchstone of the colonial period. A historian examines why the redcoats and the Bostonians held differing opinions about its importance and impact (p. 9). Canadians in the late 18th and early-19th centuries repeatedly resisted an allegiance with the United States. Find out why their connection to Britain was steadfast (p. 11).

Step into history with study tours: View public works projects built during the New Deal that became Washington, D.C., landmarks (p. 54); take in the rich military history of Arlington National Cemetery (p. 56); and follow in the footsteps of the Union and Confederate troops who clashed in the Battle of Gettysburg (p. 58).

And while July is closely related to fireworks, Smithsonian Associates will be lighting sparklers of our own during a dazzling anniversary weekend October 17th through 19th. Look for a complete schedule of programs and events in the August guide and get ready to celebrate 60 years of wonder with us!

Frederica R. Adelman, Director adelmanf@si.edu

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LIFELONG LEARNING

On the cover George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) by Gilbert Stuart, 1796

Photo:Mark Gulezian, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES

LIFELONG LEARNING

Celebrating 60 Years of Learning at the Smithsonian

Sparking Curiosity, Conversations, and Connections

July 4, 2025, brings us one year closer to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The years in which the United States fought for and then created its identity as a new nation might be simply seen as “history,” a period and people far removed from today’s America. As Smithsonian Associates celebrates a milestone of our own, this month’s anniversary spotlight invites you to rediscover the transformative late-18th and early 19th centuries through the lives of key individuals who both shaped their era and helped build the foundations of America in its 249th year.

They include the military forces and civilians swept up in the burning of Washington during the War of 1812 and two future presidents for whom a New England excursion cemented a friendship. Discover how the unlikely combination of opposites—a gifted artist and an American president—produced one of the most recognizable portraits ever created. The United States Navy already has 250 years of history. It comes alive on a study tour of the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Enter the rarified world of Angelica Schuyler Church, a brilliantly influential American woman of the Revolutionary period. And learn how political differences undermined the relationship of Benjamin Franklin and his son William.

When Washington Burned

The British Invasion of the Capital and a Nation’s Rise from the Ashes

Perhaps no other single day in U.S. history was as threatening to the survival of the nation as Aug. 24, 1814, when British forces captured Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812. Historian Robert P. Watson of Lynn University examines the British campaign and American missteps. He also covers the stories of the courageous young clerks and bold first lady Dolley Madison, who risked their lives to save priceless artifacts and documents, including the Constitution, from the flames.

Tues., July 8, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-590; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Jefferson, Madison, and the Forging of a Friendship

In the spring of 1791, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison journeyed through Upstate New York and parts of New England. Some observers wondered whether this excursion into Federalist New England by the two most prominent Southern members of the Democratic-Republican Party had an ulterior motive. Historian Louis Masur of Rutgers University reveals that their journey—described as one for “health, recreation, and curiosity”—was also about friendship. Madison recalled that it made Jefferson and him “immediate companions,” solidifying a bond that thrived for decades.

Wed., July 9, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-587; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Art + History

Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait)

Smithsonian Associates speaker Paul Glenshaw returns to the Art + History series to look at great works of art in their historical context. He examines Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) of 1795, one of the most-recognized paintings in American art and history. He reveals how two completely opposite personalities came together in their rare sittings in Philadelphia to create the powerful image: one that reflects Stuart’s remarkable ability to capture a subject’s inner life and the often-overlooked complexity of Washington himself.

Wed., July 30, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-597; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

In

Person

Anchors Aweigh

A Day at the United States Naval Academy and Annapolis

Spend a day exploring the rich history and traditions of the Navy with a walking tour of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The tour includes the domed Naval Academy Chapel, Bancroft Hall with its 1,639 dorm rooms, and Herndon Monument, the granite obelisk that first-year students work together to scale at the end of their freshman year. You also visit the U.S. Naval Academy Museum on campus and enjoy a scenic afternoon cruise on area waterways.

Fri., Aug. 8, 8 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-059; Members $224; Nonmembers $285

William Franklin: Divided Loyalty

Angelica Schuyler Church A Revolutionary Woman

Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton’s sister-in-law, witnessed American history at its birth. A woman of great influence in a time of influential women, she was the heart of Thomas Jefferson’s “charming coterie” of artists and salonnières in Paris. Her transatlantic network of important friends spanned the political spectrum, and her brilliant letters kept them well informed. Biographer Molly Beer explores Angelica Schuyler Church’s life and legacy, revealing how American women wielded their power to shape history and shedding new light on the early political and social fabric of the United States.

Wed., Aug 13, 6:45 p.m. CODE 1D0-108; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

William Franklin, son of Benjamin Franklin yet loyal servant of the British king during the American Revolution, lived a tumultuous life. His journey from familial devotion to political defiance offers a compelling study in divided loyalties as the colonies clamored for independence. Historian Richard Bell explores the stark contrast between Benjamin’s ideals of liberty and William’s unwavering belief in the stability of monarchy, creating a portrait of personal and political estrangement that underscores the sacrifices within families that often accompany great historical upheavals.

Wed., Sept. 24, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-405; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

LIFELONG LEARNING

Look for this icon to find more programs that are part of Smithsonian Associates’ 60th Anniversary offerings

George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) by Gilbert Stuart, 1796

Naval Academy Chapel

Portrait of William Franklin

Smithsonian Associates In Person

We invite you to join us for selected in-person programs, concert series, and studio arts classes and workshops in our nation’s capital, as well as walking tours, full-day study tours, and overnight tours.

Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs

Dinner at Casa Teresa

Wed., July 9

Inspired by the life and cooking of his abuela Teresa, chef Rubén García founded Casa Teresa in downtown Washington as an homage to the home cooks who created the tradition of Catalan cuisine. Enjoy a three-course menu designed for Smithsonian Associates that reflects García’s roots in simple, wood-fired dishes that offer diners a taste of the big family feasts from his childhood in Catalonia. (see p. 15)

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra

Jazz Rides the Rails Sat., Aug. 23, 7 p.m.

To celebrate the centennial of the railroad labor union Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters—the first of its kind—SJMO presents music highlighting railroads across America. (see p. 21)

Smithsonian Chorus: Legends of Song

Thurs., Sept. 4–Nov. 13 | Thurs., Nov. 20 performance

Join fellow music lovers in a choral program led by conductor Ernest Johnson. No audition is required; final song list and musical arrangements are chosen to fit the specific vocal and musical abilities of the group. 11 rehearsals culminate in a free Nov. 20 performance. (see p. 22)

Florence: Where the Renaissance Began Thurs., Aug. 14

Elaine Ruffolo, who surveys Italy’s artistic and architectural heritage during her Art-full Fridays series, has cultivated a devoted audience. Here’s a rara opportunità to meet the Florence-based art historian while she’s visiting Washington, D.C., this summer. While the day of the week—Thursday—might be a surprise, the topic of her presentation isn’t: Ruffolo focuses on the place she calls home.

She reveals Florence as a city replete with frescoes, paintings, sculpture, and architecture created in an era in which art was the cornerstone of cultural activity.

Join Ruffolo as she traces the art and history of this jewel of a city, from the dawn of the Renaissance to the era of the Medici dukes. (see p. 36)

Studio Arts

Let your creative side shine in a wide variety of hands-on classes led by professional artists. (see pp. 41–52)

Tours

Discover expert-led tours that offer one-of-a-kind travel experiences. And get a preview of overnight tours that will go on sale in coming months. (see pp. 54–60)

Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.

Birth of a City

From New Amsterdam to New York

In 1664, England decided to invade the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in New Netherland. Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York, had dreams of empire, and the Dutch were in the way. But Richard Nicolls, the military officer who led the English flotilla, changed his strategy once he encountered Peter Stuyvesant, New Netherland’s canny director general.

Author Russell Shorto reveals the founding of New York to be the result of creative negotiations that blended the multiethnic, capitalistic society of New Amsterdam with the power of the rising English empire. Shorto’s book Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America (W. W. Norton) is available for purchase.

Mon., July 7, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-479; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Arms and Armor: Bringing the Past into the Future

In our modern world, arms and armor reign supreme in the fantasy realms of pop culture. One of the world’s largest private collections of arms and armor holds more than 6,000 objects, spanning 6,000 years. It includes pre-Middle Age Viking swords, a rare ancient Greek iron breastplate, and one of the best examples in the world of a Chalcidian bronze helmet (ca. 450 B.C.E.). Nick Richey, “keeper of the arms,” introduces the collection and discusses avenues of preservation that range from traditional restoration to cutting-edge digitization for a burgeoning metaverse.

Thurs., July 10, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1T0-025; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Fri., Oct. 17 Sat., Oct. 18 Sun., Oct. 19

Toast our Diamond Anniversary during a fantastic fall celebration. Join us in person in Washington, D.C., or with livestreamed events throughout the weekend.

You’re invited to a Friday-evening birthday party that sparkles (in every sense) and to register for an array of engaging lectures, studio arts classes, walking tours, and other activities on Saturday and Sunday.

Look for the full itinerary of offerings in the August program guide.

Corinthian helmet, early 6th century

William F. Buckley Jr.

Architect of Modern Conservatism

In 1951, William F. Buckley Jr.’s book God and Man at Yale, a scathing critique of his alma mater, launched the 25-year-old onto the national stage. He became a towering figure in American politics and media, founding National Review magazine, shaping political debate on television, and mentoring a new generation of conservative leaders including Ronald Reagan. His designated biographer, Sam Tanenhaus, explores Buckley’s life as an intellectual and political force as well as lesser-known aspects of his history—including secret CIA missions in Latin America. Join Tanenhaus, in conversation with author and educator Rebecca Boggs Roberts, as he unpacks Buckley’s multifaceted legacy, exploring his influence on modern conservatism, his ideological battles, and the complex, often-surprising life of a man who left an enduring mark on American public life. His book Buckley: The Life and Revolution that Changed America (Random House) is available for purchase.

Mon., July 14, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-105; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Hidden Histories of the Viking Age

It’s time to meet the real Vikings—not the storied kings, raiders, and saga heroes but the ordinary people: the merchants, children, artisans, slaves, and storytellers who

shaped the medieval Nordic world. Historian Eleanor Barraclough digs into their day-to-day lives through artifacts such as a comb engraved with the earliest traces of a new writing system, a pagan shrine found deep beneath a lava field, and a note from an angry wife to a husband too long at the tavern. Barraclough brings to life this culture that spread from the Scandinavian heartlands to Greenland, the Arctic, Eurasia, all the way to the Byzantine empire and Islamic caliphate.

Her latest book, Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age (W.W. Norton), is available for purchase.

Fri., July 11, 12 p.m.; CODE 1T0-024; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

From Millionaires’ Row to Embassy Row

Massachusetts Avenue in the Gilded Age

Washington’s movers and shakers once strolled the streets of Dupont Circle, where Massachusetts Avenue was the city’s most fashionable residential address. Heiresses, industrial magnates, newspaper tycoons, and members of the political elite built opulent mansions along the avenue to impress the capital city’s society. After the Great Depression, many of these magnificent residences were converted into embassies, social clubs, and offices. Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, offers stories of the capital’s ruling class and their links to the history of Washington’s premier promenade.

Mon., July 14, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-136; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

German-Jewish Responses to the Rise of Hitler

In a 1933 letter, German painter Max Liebermann wrote, “Like a horrible nightmare the abrogation of equal rights weighs upon us all, but especially upon those Jews who, like me, had surrendered themselves to the dream of assimilation. ... As difficult as it has been for me, I have awakened from the dream that I dreamed my whole life long.” Historian Michael Brenner, author of In Hitler’s Munich, explores the ways in which German Jews awoke from their dream of being German citizens of the Jewish faith, examining their reactions to the rapid changes during the first weeks after Hitler became chancellor of Germany in January 1933, ranging from attempts of accommodation with the new regime to religious responses to calls for emigration.

Wed., July 16, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-872; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Embassy Row, Massachusetts Avenue

Jews being deported from Würzburg, April 1942

The Indispensables

How the Marblehead Regiment Saved Washington’s Army

A group of white, Black, Hispanic, and Native American soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts, played a significant role during the American Revolution. Nearly a decade before the war started, Marbleheaders spearheaded the break with Britain and helped shape the United States through governing, building alliances, seizing British ships, forging critical supply lines, and establishing the origins of the U.S. Navy.

The Marblehead Regiment became truly indispensable: They battled at Lexington and on Bunker Hill and formed the elite guard that protected George Washington, foreshadowing today’s Secret Service. The special operations–like regiment conveyed 2,400 of Washington’s men across the Delaware River on Christmas night of 1776, delivering the surprise attack on Trenton that changed the course of history. Military historian and author Patrick K. O’Donnell discusses the exploits and heroism of this unique group of soldiers.

Thurs., July 17, 6:30 p.m; CODE 1H0-871; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Saffron gatherer in fresco, Akrotiri, Santorini

Santorini: Pompeii of the Aegean

The island of Santorini boasts one of the most well-preserved archaeological sites of the Greek Bronze Age. It is often described as the “Pompeii of the Aegean” because around 1600 B.C.E., a cataclysmic volcanic eruption engulfed the island in layers of pumice and ash up to 60 yards deep. While knowledge of the ancient community was brought to light in the second half of the 19th century, it was not until 1967 that systematic excavations were begun in earnest. Art historian Renee Gondek delves into the site and discusses the colorful frescoes found in many of the preserved structures.

Thurs., July 17, 12 p.m.; CODE 1T0-026; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Thomas Cromwell: Villain or Victim?

Was Thomas Cromwell, chief courtier of Henry VIII and architect of the English Protestant Reformation, a villain or a victim? Is he more the pragmatic striver depicted in Hilary Mantel’s trilogy of Wolf Hall novels or the sinister nemesis of the martyr Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt’s play and film A Man for All Seasons?

Consolidating royal power in both England and Ireland by establishing the new Church of England, dissolving the monasteries, and suppressing Irish rebels, Cromwell succeeded until he incurred the enmity of the most dangerous resident of the court: the king himself. Historian Jennifer Paxton explores the true story behind the intrigues of Henry VIII’s court, where religion, politics, bureaucracy, and sex were entangled in a dangerous mix that led Cromwell to follow his enemy More to the scaffold.

Wed., July 23, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-395; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

Your programs...your time

Registered for a Smithsonian Associates online program but missed it because of a schedule conflict? Wish you could take a second look at a presentation you loved? Associates Encores offers the answer to these questions—and more.

Portrait of Thomas Cromwell by Hans Holbein, ca. 1532–1533

The Birth of the Mafia

Crime, Power, and the Making of Modern Sicily

The Mafia conjures images of violence, secrecy, and strict codes of honor—but how did it all begin? Ross King, author of The Shortest History of Italy, sheds light on a dark but fascinating chapter in Sicilian history that still shapes the island’s identity today. In 19th-century Palermo and Western Sicily, the rise of the Mafia was closely tied to the upheavals of Italian Unification, exploiting political instability, corrupt officials, and lucrative industries such as lemon and sulfur exports.

King explores how organized crime thrived by infiltrating the very institutions meant to uphold justice. Along the way, he separates legend from reality, revealing a world of ruthless ambition, hidden networks, and the uneasy relationship between crime and the state.

Thurs., July 24, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-867; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Age of World’s Fairs

Spectacles of Innovation

World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. These international expositions brought together nations to display advancements in technology, industry, art, and science, often reflecting the aspirations and challenges of their times. Notable inventions—such as the telephone, the Ferris wheel, and television—were introduced to the world, while cross-cultural exchange and collaboration flourished.

Beyond technological marvels, these fairs embodied a sense of optimism, inspiring societies to imagine what could be achieved through human ingenuity and cooperation. They fostered national pride, promoted modernization, and expressed a collective yearning for peace and unity.

Art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into three pivotal world’s fairs, examining how these landmark events showcased their eras’ most groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, art, and architecture.

JULY 28 London, 1851: The Origins

AUG 18 Chicago, 1893: World’s Columbian Exposition

SEPT 29 Paris, 1900: The Exposition Universelle

3-session series: Mon., July 28, Aug. 18, and Sept. 29, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-104; Members $60; Nonmembers $70

Individual sessions: Mon., July 28 (CODE 1D0-104A); Mon., Aug. 18 (CODE 1D0-104B); Mon., Sept. 29 (CODE 1D0-104C); 6:45 p.m.; Members $25; Nonmembers $30 Opening ceremony of the 1900 Paris World’s Fair

LIFELONG LEARNING

The Great Museum of the Sea

Why Shipwrecks Capture the Imagination

The sea is the largest museum on earth, with more than a million lost ships resting in its depths. These shipwrecks date back thousands of years, some from civilizations long vanished, others from more recent history. Some are famous, others obscure and unremembered, but each has a story to tell.

Maritime archaeologist James P. Delgado discusses the world’s wrecks, including many of the more than 100 he has personally discovered or investigated, including the RMS Titanic, USS Arizona, and the slave ship Clotilda. He explains how and why ships experience catastrophes at sea and why their remains have captured our imagination for millennia.

His book The Great Museum of the Sea: A Human History of Shipwrecks (Oxford University Press) is available for purchase.

Tues., July 29, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-596; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

“Fire!”

The Real History of the Boston Massacre

By March 1770, the people of Boston had lived almost a year and a half under British military occupation. Tensions, resentments, and open threats of violence issued by both civilians and soldiers had long become a fact of life. The town was a powder keg—and on the evening of Monday, March 5, it exploded.

The Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770, lithograph, ca. 1850s

An argument between a wigmaker’s apprentice and a sentry posted outside the town hall on King Street drew a crowd of townspeople who pelted the sentry with stones and snowballs. A squad of Redcoat guardsmen arrived, and in the chaos, someone yelled “Fire!” Shots rang out, and when the smoke from the soldiers’ muskets cleared, five local men lay dead and dying on the street. The official British report called it a “unhappy disturbance,” but Boston leaders took to calling it a “horrid massacre.” Historian Richard Bell draws on the latest scholarship as he argues that the real history of the “affray on King Street” is far more intriguing than even Paul Revere’s famous engraving of it has led us to believe.

Wed., July 30, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-397; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Evolution of the Euro

Used by over 340 million people daily, the euro is the second–most-used currency worldwide. But the official adoption of this currency by 20 of the 27 European Union countries had a storied start as a currency without a state. Historian Christopher Brooks offers a deep dive into the euro’s origins, tracing its evolution from the formation of the European Economic Community in 1957 to the creation of the eurozone in 1999. Drawing on his experiences while working in Germany during the currency transition, Brooks discusses the implementation of the euro, the advantages it brings to member states, its role in global finance, and its competition with the U.S. dollar.

Wed., July 30, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1CV-066; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Rome’s Gladiator Emperor

The Mystifying Madness of Commodus

Commodus as Hercules, the Capitoline Museums

Lucius Aurelius Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius, ruled Rome from the year 180. Reared in the house of one of the most philosophical, moderate, and admired Roman emperors, Commodus inexplicably and suddenly descended into bizarre megalomania around 190. As one of his many antics, the emperor traded philosopher’s curls for a gladiator’s crop, staging gruesome spectacles— slaying bears, exotic animals, and even Rome’s disabled citizens. Even stranger, Commodus proclaimed himself a reincarnated Hercules, a demi-god with the right to reshape Roman traditions and institutions that had endured for centuries. Historian Colin Elliott investigates why Commodus abandoned the moderate and judicious style of rule of his predecessors and embraced brutality in the arena, exploring how trauma, crisis, sycophancy, and absolute power forged—and felled—Rome’s gladiator emperor.

Mon., Aug. 4, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-602; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

The Twilight of the British Empire

In 1875, when Britain acquired a majority share of the Suez Canal, it already possessed a worldwide empire. Conquests between then and World War I made the empire even bigger, backed by a strong industrial economy and a faith that imperialism was good and right. For many Britons, such as Winston Churchill, possession of the empire was a source of national pride, though there were already a few, especially in the labor movement, who rejected the idea of dominating other peoples.

Historian Patrick Allitt traces how the British Empire reached its zenith during and just after World War I and subsequently entered its decline. He considers influences including critics such as Gandhi; the beginning of the empire’s breakup after World War II under the Labour government of Clement Attlee; and the humiliation of British forces during the Suez Crisis of 1956.

Wed., Aug. 6, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-874; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Maginot Line

From Guernica to Hiroshima

The Rise of Strategic Bombing in WWII

World War II stands as the most destructive event in human history. Among its devastating innovations was the widespread use of strategic bombing—the deployment of aircraft to strike civilian targets. At the war’s beginning, all sides rejected using air power to target civilians directly. By its conclusion, however, every belligerent had incorporated some form of strategic bombing as a key element of their military strategy.

Historian Christopher Hamner examines the technology, strategy, philosophy, and moral implications of strategic air power. Drawing on primary sources and firsthand observations from the war years, he covers pivotal events, including the German bombing of Guernica; the London Blitz; the Allies’ Combined Bomber Offensive in Europe; the Allied raid on Dresden; the firebombing of Japan; and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Thurs., Aug. 7, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-106; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Maginot Line—an array of defenses that France built along its border with Germany in the 1930s to prevent an invasion—was a marvel of engineering. Eight decades on, it is remembered as an expensively misguided response to obvious danger. Historian Kevin Passmore of Cardiff University reevaluates the massive undertaking by tracing the controversies surrounding its construction, the lives of the soldiers who manned the forts, the impact on German-speaking inhabitants of the frontier, and the fight against espionage from within.

Far from a backward step, Passmore argues, the Maginot Line was an ambitious project of modernization— one that was let down by strategic error and grow ing dissatisfaction with fortification. His new book, The Maginot Line: A New History (Yale University Press), is available for purchase.

Tues., Sept. 9, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-604; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Operation Mincemeat

In the spring of 1943, on the eve of the Allied invasion of Sicily, British intelligence staged one of the most audacious deceptions of World War II. Hoping to convince Adolf Hitler and German military leadership that the target was the Balkans, the British created a fictitious character who would carry false invasion plans intended to fall into German hands.

The invention was “William Martin”—an officer in the Royal Marines—and a corpse carrying official papers, pictures of a “sweetheart,” and documents for a Balkan invasion was dumped off the coast of Spain. A fisherman recovered the body and turned it over to German intelligence. Hitler, believing that the Allies were planning to strike in Greece, moved reinforcements to the Balkans instead of Sicily. Historian Christopher Hamner examines this elaborate ruse by using original documents from 1943.

Wed., Sept. 10, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-146; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

ID card crateded by British intelligence for "Major Martin"

East London building in 1940 after one of many German bombing raids during the London Blitz

Churchill the Artist

Winston Churchill, renowned for his leadership during World War II, harbored a deep and enduring passion for painting, which provided him with a vital escape from stresses and frustrations for almost half a century. He began painting in 1915, at the age of 40, and over the course of his life painted more than 500 canvases, comprising landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, and portraits. The largest collection of his works is displayed at his former home at Chartwell in Kent.

Katherine Carter, curator of Chartwell’s collections for more than a decade, argues that in the absence of having kept a written diary, Churchill’s artworks are a visual one. He acknowledged the vital role painting played for him, and Carter’s illustrated presentation spotlights this important yet often-overlooked aspect of the statesman’s life and legacy.

Wed., Aug. 13, 2 p.m.; CODE 1K0-599; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Experimental Archaeology

Recreating the Experiences of Lost Civilizations

Whether it’s the mighty pyramids of Egypt, the majestic temples of Mexico, or the magnificent Colosseum of Rome, we have an idea of what the past looked like. But how can we understand the past with our other senses? From the tang of Roman fish sauce and the springy crust of Egyptian sourdough to the boom of medieval cannons and the clash of Viking swords, history often neglects vivid elements like these that were an intimate part of our ancestors’ lives.

Author Sam Kean reveals how a new generation of researchers is resurrecting these hidden details and pioneering a new discipline called experimental archaeology. His book Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Recreating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations (Little, Brown) is available for purchase.

Thurs., Aug. 14, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-400; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

One Border, Two Nations

U.S.–Canadian Relations, 1774–1816

Even before the United States gained independence, colonial leaders hoped Canadians would join in resisting what they considered British abuses. In 1774, the First Continental Congress sent “A Letter to the Inhabitants of the Province of Quebec,” urging unity with the colonies. Invitations to send delegates to the Continental Congress followed in 1775 and 1776. At the same time, American forces launched three invasions into Canada, attempting to draw it into the conflict.

These repeated diplomatic and military efforts aimed at winning over the French-speaking population to the American revolutionary cause ultimately failed. Historian Ralph Nurnberger explores the reasons why Canadians in the late 18th and early-19th centuries remained fervently nationalistic and how their connection to Britain helped define the country’s distinctive path in North American history.

Thurs., Aug. 21, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-109; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Civilizations of the Andes A Cultural Exploration

During an extraordinary 4,000-year history, the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Andean world created the earliest cities of the Western hemisphere, stupendous monumental architecture, magnificently crafted artifacts—and, on the eve of the arrival of Europeans, one of the most extensive empires the world has ever known, the Inca. In a full-day seminar, George L. Scheper, a senior lecturer in advanced academic programs at Johns Hopkins University, provides a cultural overview of these achievements. Sat., Aug. 23, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1M2402; Members $100; Nonmembers $120

View of Chartwell by Sir Winston Churchill

Machu Picchu

LIFELONG LEARNING

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Nazi Art Plunder in

Postwar Western Europe

Art looting was a central feature of Nazi expropriation throughout Europe during World War II. After the war, hundreds of thousands of artworks were recovered. Well-publicized restitution cases, such as that of Gustav Klimt’s luminous golden Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, illustrate the legacy of Nazi looting.

But not all looted art was returned to its rightful owners. Following cultural property norms of the time, several European governments created custodianships over unclaimed pieces, without using their archives to help determine ownership. This policy has extended the dispossession of Jewish owners well into the 21st century.

Historian Elizabeth Campbell provides an overview of Nazi art looting in Europe and the continuing recovery and restitution process. Her latest book, Museum Worthy: Nazi Art Plunder in Postwar Western Europe, is available for sale.

Tues., Aug. 26, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1T0-027; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Exploring Ancient Egypt

Culture, Commerce, and Daily Life

Building the Home Front

The U.S. Housing Crisis of World War II

Following the fall of France in 1940 during World War II, the United States rapidly ramped up production for the war effort, prompting massive conversions of existing factories and the construction of enormous new plants. With 20% of the U.S. population moving due to job demands and private home construction stifled by the war, a housing crisis of unprecedented scale emerged.

In response, the government launched programs to build housing swiftly, creating approximately 2 million housing units by the end of the war in 1945. Bill Keene, lecturer in urban studies and architecture, explores the development of the crisis, examining the wide range of housing solutions and assessing both the challenges these initiatives faced and their successes.

Thurs., Sept. 4, 7 p.m.; CODE 1CV-067; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Discover the fascinating world of ancient Egypt in programs that explore the daily life, culture, and innovations of one of the world’s most influential civilizations. Scholar Shelby Justl of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia draws on the discoveries of ongoing archaeological explorations and experimental archaeology to bring to life the rich history of Egypt and its expanding role on the global stage.

SEPT 4 Eating and Drinking Like an Egyptian

SEPT 11 Ancient Egyptian Adornments

SEPT 18 The Fairer Sex: Women in Ancient Egypt

SEPT 25 Ships, Travel, and Trade on the “Great Green” Mediterranean 4-session series: Thurs., Sept. 4–25, 12 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1NV-EGY; Members $80; Nonmembers $100

Individual sessions: Thurs., Sept. 4 (CODE 1NV-141); Thurs., Sept. 11 (CODE 1NV-142); Thurs., Sept. 18 (CODE 1NV-143); Thurs., Sept. 25 (CODE 1NV-144); 12 p.m.; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Gold necklace with pendant of the goddess Sekhmet, 570–526 B.C.E.

Statuette of woman preparing beer, Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty

Walking Hadrian’s Wall

Life at the Edge of the Roman Empire

Running 73 miles from Britain’s Wallsend on the North Sea to Bowness-on-Solway on the Solway Firth, Hadrian’s Wall was a significant frontier of the Roman Empire. Constructed by Emperor Hadrian, who ruled between 117 and 138, the boundary marking the northern border of the province of Britannia consisted of curtain walls, forts, and watchtowers along with deep trenches.

While an impressive example of military fortification, the archaeological remains of this barrier offer insight into wider topics of Roman culture. Well-preserved examples of objects from daily life—birthday invitations, militar y equipment, and religious artifacts—paint a vivid picture of life at the edge of the Roman imperium. Art historian Christopher Gregg explores the history of Hadrian’s Wall and its associated ruins and shares anecdotes from his 2019 walk along the wall’s full length.

Thurs., Sept. 11, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-875; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Istanbul Unveiled

Istanbul is a city of wonders whose architectural treasures are enduring legacies of Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman rule. Once a major stop along the Silk Road, Istanbul’s historic center is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are reminders around every corner of the city’s place in world history, from Hagia Sophia to Topkapi Palace to the Chora Church to the underground ruins of the Byzantine Great Palace.

Tour guide Serif Yenen delves into storied sites to visit, along with ones still waiting to be discovered by visitors.

Fri., Sept. 12, 12 p.m.; CODE 1J0-484; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Hudson’s Bay Company

From Fur Trading to a Political and Economic Powerhouse

Founded in 1670, Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Company was once the most important political and economic force in northern and western North America. Now, after a storied run of 355 years, Hudson’s Bay is shutting its doors.

Stephen R. Bown, author of The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson’s Bay Empire, examines how a smattering of foreign agents transformed into a culturally blended and self-sustaining domestic entity with territory once including much of the Pacific Northwest. He explores how tapping into pre-existing Indigenous commercial networks enabled its expansion. Along the way, the culture and economy of Indigenous peoples from Montreal to Oregon to Vancouver Island were reshaped—and the entire northern North American world was transformed.

Tues., Sept. 16, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-876; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

What time does the program end? Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1 hour 15 min.–2 hours, including Q&A

Hadrian's Wall near Birdoswald Fort

Hudson's Bay Company, British Columbia, 1890s

Louis XIV: The Sun King and His Legacy

Louis XIV remains one of the most influential and fascinating figures in European history. His reign, spanning over 70 years from 1643 to 1715, defined an era of absolute monarchy, cultural splendor, and military ambition.

Historian Alexander Mikaberidze explores the life and legacy of Louis XIV, from his early years as a boy king under the guidance of Cardinal Mazarin to his transformation into the embodiment of royal authority—famously declaring “L’État, c’est moi” (“I am the state”) and crafting an image of unrivaled grandeur.

Louis XIV’s model of power endured beyond his lifetime. His vision of centralized authority shaped modern governance and his courtly rituals influenced monarchies across Europe. Mikaberidze surveys his successes and failures and considers how his legacy continued to affect France and the world.

Thurs., Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-406; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Mutiny on the Black Prince

In 1768, the British slave ship Black Prince departed England, bound for West Africa. But before reaching the African coast, the crew mutinied, murdering the captain and his officers. The mutineers renamed the ship Liberty and set out for Brazil. The ship eventually wrecked off the coast of Hispaniola, and the crew fled.

History professor James H. Sweet unravels the dramatic story of the events onboard the vessel and the owners’ efforts to capture the rebels. The owners mobilized the power of the British government to seek justice and restitution, Sweet says, foreshadowing forms of corporate-state capture that persist to this day.

His new book, Mutiny on the Black Prince: Slavery, Piracy, and the Limits of Liberty in the Revolutionary Atlantic World (Oxford University Press), is available for purchase.

Thurs., Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1T0-030; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Jews vs. Rome: Resilience and Resistance

One of the most momentous eras in human history was the 200 years of ancient Israel’s battles against Rome that reshaped Judaism and gave rise to Christianity. Historian Barry Strauss examines the courageous yet tragic uprisings, the geopolitical clash between the empires of Rome and Persia, internal conflicts among Jews, and the ethnic conflict between Jews and Gentiles in Judea.

He focuses on the Great Revolt of 66–70, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, culminating in the Siege of Masada, where defenders chose mass suicide over surrender; the Diaspora Revolt, ignited by humiliating taxes on Jews; and the Bar Kokhba Revolt, which flared up in response to the Roman decision to rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city.

Strauss is the author of Jews vs. Rome (Simon & Schuster), which is available for purchase.

Thurs., Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-877; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Genius of Benjamin Franklin

Lessons from the Age of Invention

With his wild hair, tiny spectacles, and larger-than-life persona, Benjamin Franklin was the genius of his age—more famous than the moon, or so he liked to claim. But what can this master inventor, statesman, and self-made celebrity teach us about genius today? Caroline Winterer, a professor of history at Stanford University, leads a survey of Franklin’s most remarkable creations and groundbreaking ideas—from harnessing electricity and inventing bifocals to revolutionizing the postal system and crafting a musical instrument that inspired Mozart and Beethoven. And, of course, his greatest invention: himself. Discover how Franklin was very much a man of his own century, as well as how he continues to offer timeless lessons that help us explore our own possibilities for genius today.

Mon., Oct. 6, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-114; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (detail) by Benjamin West, 1816

Portrait of Louis XIV (detail) by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1701–02

Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.

A History of the TV Talk Show

From Carson to Oprah to Stephen Colbert

From its start in the early 1950s, the talk show has been one of television’s most durable formats. Pioneering programs like “Today,” “Person-to-Person,” and “Tonight” established the basic features that have guided the format.

Whether it was the sophisticated wit of Dick Cavett, the magnetic empathy of Oprah Winfrey, the innovative comedy of David Letterman, or the sharp political satire of Jon Stewart, the talk show has continued to provide viewers with a lively mix of entertainment, information, and compelling conversation. Media historian Brian Rose looks at the history of the television talk show and examines its changing appeal.

Thurs., July 10, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-474; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Dinner at Casa Teresa

Exploring the Cuisine and Culture of Catalonia

As a leader in food and gastronomic excellence and a pioneer in wine tourism, Catalonia on Spain’s Iberian Peninsula boasts a cuisine that reflects its rich history, stunning landscapes, vibrant people, and enduring customs. It has been designated as the 2025 World Region of Gastronomy, marking the first time a European region has received this distinction.

Inspired by the life and cooking of his abuela Teresa, chef Rubén García founded Casa Teresa in downtown Washington as an homage to the home cooks who created the tradition of Catalan cuisine. Enjoy a menu designed for Smithsonian Associates that reflects García’s roots in simple, wood-fired dishes that offer diners a taste of the big family feasts from his childhood in Catalonia. Registration includes a three-course dinner and non-alcoholic drinks. Wine, beer, and cocktails are not included but can be ordered separately.

Wed., July 9, 6 p.m.; Casa Teresa, 919 19th St. NW; CODE 1L0-639; Members $150; Nonmembers $175

We are recruiting volunteers who love art and would like to assist instructors and students during online and in-person Studio Arts classes each quarter. It’s a perfect opportunity to learn by observing the classes, and no expertise in art is required.

For more information about opportunities, contact us at volunteer@smithsonianassociates.org

Stephen Colbert interviews Michelle Obama on “The Colbert Report,” April 11, 2012

Charlie Chaplin and the Art of Screen Comedy

During the 1920s and 1930s, he was perhaps the most famous man on Earth. His beloved Little Tramp—a scrawny, polite vagabond outfitted in bowler hat, baggy pants, and rattan cane—was instantly recognizable on cinemas across the globe. He was Charles Chaplin, pantomimist, actor, dancer, filmmaking perfectionist, and undisputed king of Hollywood comedy. Chaplin’s remarkable 52-year career, however, was not without its fair share of personal and political traumas, and by the early 1950s, this British-born comic artist found himself banished from his adopted country as the Cold War ignited.

Film historian Max Alvarez examines the legend behind the Tramp character and the influence Chaplin’s 70-plus comic shorts and 11 feature films had on the emerging art form of cinema. Enjoy the laughter and experience the heartbreak as Alvarez demonstrates why Chaplin remains one of the unsurpassed geniuses of 20th-century screen comedy.

Tues., July 15, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1K0593; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

The Exquisite Enigma of Maurice Ravel

Polished Perfection, Hidden Genius

The music of Maurice Ravel brings a unique form of magnetism, delicacy, passion, and a frisson of disquiet to our concert experience. Beneath his shimmering sound canvases lie an extraordinary craft and fanatical precision that underpins every silken phrase and melody.

Concert pianist and speaker Rachel Franklin celebrates Ravel’s 150th birthday by exploring a wide range of his works from such masterpieces as Daphnis et Chloé and La Valse to solo display works like Tzigane that dazzle with their beauty and technical brilliance. Examining compositions from before and after World War I, Franklin illustrates that no matter the style he chose to explore, Ravel’s music remained individual, intensely sophisticated, and profoundly moving.

2-session series: Wed., July 16 and 23, 12 p.m.; CODE 1K0-589; Members $50; Nonmembers $60

Kierkegaard on the Madness of Mass Media

The 19th-century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard was one of the earliest and most insightful critics of the phenomenon of mass communication—in particular, the way it fosters a culture of anonymity and conformity, leading to a kind of madness in society and eroding the foundations of meaning, truth, and moral responsibility. Steven M. Emmanuel, chair of the philosophy department at Virginia Wesleyan University, explores the parallels between Kierkegaard’s inquiry and present-day concerns about the effects of algorithm-driven social media and news culture.

He discusses Kierkegaard’s analysis for understanding and responding to the challenges of living in a media-saturated society and notes that while much of the modern conversation focuses on political implications—such as misinformation, polarization, and the erosion of democracy—Kierkegaard calls attention to the moral and spiritual dimensions of the problem, suggesting that the dangers may be even graver than we suspect.

Thurs., July 17, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1K0-594; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855)

Keep Connected—Your Way

Smithsonian Associates members now can select how you hear from us. Want everything by email? Prefer to keep your program guide in print? You decide. Visit SmithsonianAssociates.org, log into “My Account,“ select “Go Green & Contact Preferences,” and you’re ready to fly.

Choose email-only, email with a printed Smithsonian Associates program guide, or stick with a mix of both email and print. Our communications will be winging their way to you—just the way you like.

Publicity photo from Charlie Chaplin's 1921 movie The Kid

Maurice Ravel

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

There are 1,223 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, each one offering a glimpse into the evolution of complex civilizations, empires, and religions. In this monthly series, historian Justin M. Jacobs gives an in-depth overview of both well-known and lesser-known locations.

Programs on this page are part of Smithsonian Associates’ 60th Anniversary offerings

Bamiyan Buddhas

The stone statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, were the largest representations of standing Buddhas in the world until their destruction by the Taliban in 2001. Jacobs delves into the history of the Bamiyan Buddhas, their construction and original purpose and function, and how they exemplified Buddhist civilization in Central Asia. He also examines their complex and surprising relationship with successive Muslim rulers of Afghanistan.

Wed., July 9, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-473; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Angkor Wat

The magnificent temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia marks the rise of the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia and its incorporation of Indic cultural influences into the architecture of one of the largest religious monuments in the world. Jacobs explores how Angkor Wat later became a center of Buddhist worship, a symbol of French imperial pretensions, and finally an icon of the modern Cambodian nation.

Wed., Aug. 27, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-477; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Acropolis

Few ruins of the ancient world are more instantly recognizable than the majestic white columns of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens. Jacobs provides a comprehensive historical overview of the many incarnations of the monuments on the Acropolis, including some that no longer exist. After revisiting the original function and appearance of the classical Acropolis, he explores how its monuments were altered over time to serve new rulers and new cultural contexts until reaching their current whitewashed form in the 20th century.

Wed., Sept. 10, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-483; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Taj Mahal

The grief of a Muslim shah for his dead wife inspired the 17th-century construction of what would become the architectural jewel of the Mughal empire in India. The Taj Mahal, built as a tomb for the Persian wife of a male descendant of Genghis Khan, showcases the splendid craftsmanship of South Asian artisans, the motifs of Persian-inspired Muslim art and architecture, and the political influence of Central Asian conquerors in India. Jacobs simulates the experience of a visit to the Taj Mahal complex, highlighting historical themes and revealing architectural details along the way.

Wed., Oct. 8, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-492; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

LIFELONG LEARNING

Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Angkor Wat temple and lotus pond

The Parthenon on the Acropolis

A TOP SOMMELIER'S GUIDE TO WINE Summer Wine Adventures: Ancient Roots

JUL 18 Spain on the Brain

Reaching back to the Romans in the 3rd century B.C.E., Spain’s history is inexorably linked to wine. Today, Spain boasts over 70 demarcated wine regions, producing everything from fresh, bright coastal wines to intense wines from inland regions to unique fortified wines—accompaniments for every palate and every plate.

Spend three fascinating evenings expanding your knowledge of wine as you travel the world with sommelier Erik Segelbaum in a series of delectable wine-tasting adventures. Each immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.

SEPT 12 The Ancient World: Israeli Wines Explored Israel has over 11,000 years of viticultural history. It is the only place in the world where wines are still being produced from the same biblical-era grapes used to make those that Moses and Jesus drank. This delicious tasting explores the full range of Israeli wines, including rare indigenous varieties from the biblical era. It’s perfect for any lover of wine and history.

AUG 15 Sensational Sicily

Sicily’s reputation as a food and wine paradise has remained intact for more than 3,000 years. Beginning with the Greeks in the 8th century B.C.E. and continuing with the Phoenicians and Romans, the best vines were propagated, viticulture developed, and Sicilian wines were promoted on and off the island. Today, we see—and taste—the fruits of these labors. Whether robust flavors from the slopes of still-active Mount Etna or the fresh, bright wine from coastal and inland vineyards, Sicily has something for everyone.

3-session series: Fri., July 18, Aug. 15, and Sept. 12, 6 p.m.; CODE 3WINE2025; Members $180; Nonmembers $210

Individual sessions: Fri., July 18 (CODE 1L0-646); Fri., Aug. 15 (CODE 1L0-647); Fri., Sept. 12 (CODE 1L0-648); 6 p.m.; Members $70; Nonmembers $80

Wine-tasting kit information: The cost includes a curated personal tasting kit with enough wine for one person to sample the full lineup of wines. Additional participants must register individually to receive their own tasting kit, which is an essential component of the workshop. Kits are available during two scheduled pick-up times the day before the program and the day of the program, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., at Shilling Canning Company (360 Water St. SE, Washington, DC; Metro: Navy Yard-Ballpark station, Green line).

NOTE: Patrons will receive additional wine tasting kit pick-up information by email prior to the program. Due to state and federal laws, Smithsonian Associates cannot ship wine kits. However, SOMLYAY may be able to provide kits to participants outside the Washington, D.C., area (who must cover shipping costs). Please contact erik@thesomlyay.com for more information

Read more about programs in this guide on our website. Search by code or date. Expanded program descriptions, presenters’ information, and more at SmithsonianAssociates.org.

Deep Listening

Shaping Transformative Conversations

Why do some conversations leave us feeling unheard and disconnected? Former BBC journalist, executive coach, and mediator Emily Kasriel argues that it’s because we’ve forgotten how to truly listen. Distracted by our own agenda, we so often hear without understanding, impatiently waiting for our turn to speak, says Kasriel.

Drawing from her book Deep Listening, she introduces an innovative approach to transformative conversations, illustrating how shifting from surface-level exchanges to more profound encounters can enrich our relationships as friends, parents, and partners, as well as enhance our effectiveness as leaders and strengthen the social fabric. Kasriel offers a reminder that we can listen to and better understand each other, even when we fiercely disagree.

Kasriel’s book, Deep Listening: Transform Your Relationships with Family, Friends, and Foes (William Morrow), is available for sale.

Thurs., July 24, 12 p.m.; CODE 1NV-148; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Georges Bizet and Carmen

A Life in Music, a Legacy in Opera

When Georges Bizet died suddenly at the age of 36 in 1875, his new opera, Carmen, had just been dubbed a humiliating failure, panned by critics at its Paris premiere barely three months beforehand. Bizet would never know that only a few months later its performances in Vienna, St. Petersburg, London, and New York were triumphant, and this vibrant and revolutionary work has never been absent from the world’s opera stages since then.

In this 150th anniversary year of Bizet’s death and Carmen’s birth, speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores how, despite enjoying only modest success during his lifetime, Bizet’s innovative, emotionally compelling style has influenced countless composers and profoundly shaped opera history to this day.

Tues., Aug. 5, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-601; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Uncovering the Cheapside Hoard

Buried Treasures and Stories of the Past

For nearly 400 years, a treasure lay buried under the streets of London. Unearthed by accident, this dazzling collection of nearly 500 jewels and gemstones, necklaces, pins, rings, and other precious objects was most likely the stock of a goldsmith jeweler in Cheapside. Probably buried in the mid-17th century, the stash—now known as the Cheapside Hoard—is the largest surviving collection from the era.

Tudor scholar and historian Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger examines the story of these luxury items and what they reveal about life in Renaissance England. She links specific pieces of jewelry to similar items in portraits and considers how the jewels, scent bottles, and salt cellars reveal how royals and nobility of the period used such items to communicate power.

Wed., Aug. 6, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-398; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

All Smithsonian Associates online programs are closed captioned

Jewelry worn by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in a ca. 1565 portrait matches items found in the Cheapside Hoard

Georges Bizet's Carmen, detail from the poster for the première, 1875

The Shubert Brothers’ Broadway

In the early 20th century, Manhattan’s Times Square was a gritty neighborhood full of horse stables. Today, it’s the vibrant center of Broadway’s Theater District. The dramatic transformation has its roots in a battle between a group of entertainment moguls and three scrappy Lithuanian-born brothers: Lee, J.J., and Sam Shubert. Their vision revolutionized Broadway as they built a theatrical empire that evolved into today’s Shubert Organization.

Actor Tim Dolan, founder of Broadway Up Close tours, delves into the remarkable ascent of the Shubert brothers—Broadway’s most powerful theatrical dynasty—revealing the obstacles they conquered and the longtime collaboration with the architect who shaped many of their theaters. With a trove of rare photographs and archival videos, Dolan brings to life the heart of the Shubert empire: the Theater District between 44th and 46th Streets. Along the way, he shares captivating behind-the-scenes stories about classic musicals that made Broadway history there.

Mon., Aug. 11, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-137; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

How Netflix Disrupted the Entertainment Industry

From its start as a DVD-by-mail rental service, Netflix has systematically changed the rules of the entertainment media business. Its introduction of streaming in 2007 led to the decline of video rental stores such as Blockbuster and dramatically increased the use of broadband internet.

Starting in 2013, Netflix’s innovation of offering its own programming, from “House of Cards” to “The Crown,” challenged the traditional ways viewers watched TV. Now its original movies, like Emilia Perez and All Quiet on the Western Front, are upending the operations of the Hollywood studios. Media historian Brian Rose explores how Netflix is primed to become the dominant source of online entertainment throughout the world.

Tues., Aug. 12, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-475; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

It Don’t Mean a Thing

Looking at Fashion

Writer Virginia Woolf dismissed clothes as “vain trifles” but acknowledged that “they wear us and not we them.” The way we dress reflects our times, our sense of self, and our aspirations, says author Debra N. Mancoff. Mancoff reveals how clothing tells stories over time and across cultures. Just as vocabulary and syntax give language structure and fluency, the elements of dress, construction, and style make a statement. Items of apparel offer insight into an age, an era, and an individual’s place in society but only within the context of how they are worn. And that context is fashion.

Mancoff’s latest book, Looking at Fashion (Getty Publications), is available for purchase.

Wed., Aug. 13, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1CV-068; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Off-Key History of Jazz Movies

Jazz has consistently defied efforts to capture its essence, milieu, dynamics, and quicksilver magic effectively in the mainstream medium of movies. Although cinema and jazz were born at roughly the same time, they have often appeared to be two art forms at odds with one another.

Tim A. Ryan, a professor of English at Northern Illinois University, surveys the history of jazz on film and assesses the challenges of dramatizing the world of jazz in film, from short “soundies” to feature-length narratives, the classic golden age of the major studios to the fragmented ecology of the 21st century, and from popular American cinema to European art films.

Wed., Aug. 13, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-873; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

BRIAN CANTONI

Lee Schubert Poster for the 1930 film King of Jazz

Sam Shubert J. J. Shubert

“The Little Mermaid”

Today, the popular 1989 Disney film ensures that most people think of “The Little Mermaid” as a tale of triumph. But in Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” fairy tale, which loosely inspired the movie, the mermaid fails to meet the terms of the sea witch’s bargain and dies. Though this is a far cry from the happy ending most expect, it is in line with traditional tales of mermaids. The heart of the mermaid’s story is always longing to be part of a world that seems forever closed to her.

Disney’s Design DNA Creating Place

Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman do a deep dive into “The Little Mermaid” fairy tale to discuss folkloric and literary tales that inspired it. They also explore how the story has been retold in contemporary times. The lecture includes prompts for audience interaction.

Wed., Aug. 20, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-481; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Walt Disney is remembered both for creating enduring characters and films and building a cultural empire rooted in imagination, optimism, and storytelling. Guided by this outlook, he and his Imagineers conceived something special: an architecture of reassurance in Disney theme parks. Walt aimed to welcome guests into places that respect the individual, allowing the entertainment entrepreneur to share timeless stories.

Former urban planner Sam Gennawey, author of Walt Disney and the Promise of Progress City, decodes Disney’s design DNA and reveals the techniques his team employed at Disneyland—which are more than just showbiz magic. From the moment you walk through the turnstiles, Walt and company have relied on eight design principles to take you on a journey through spaces that continue to delight.

Wed., Aug. 20, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-139; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

LIFELONG LEARNING In Person

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra

Under the artistic direction of maestro Charlie Young, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (SJMO) has celebrated some of the greatest jazz music throughout its 35-year history as one of the crown jewels of the National Museum of American History.

Jazz Rides the Rails

Led by A. Philip Randolph, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was organized in 1925 to fight the substandard treatment and working conditions of African Americans in Pullman car service. To celebrate the centennial of this historic railroad labor union—the first of its kind—SJMO presents music highlighting railroads across America. Selections include “Last Train from Overbrook” by James Moody; “Blues in the Night” by Harold Arlen; and “9:20 Special” by Earle Warren, Bill Engvick, and Jack Palmer. Sat., Aug. 23, 7 p.m.; Warner Bros. Theater in the National Museum of American History; CODE 1P0-872; Members $30; Nonmembers $40 2025–2026 CONCERT DATES: Sat., Nov. 8; Sat., Dec. 13; Fri., Sat., Feb. 28; Sat., April 11; Sat., June 6. Registration information to be announced.

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra in concert

Disneyland Castle with 50th-anniversary decorations

Paris Noir: Black Musicians in the City of Lights

When the 369th infantry regiment eventually known as the “Harlem Hellfighters” arrived in France in December 1917, none of them could have imagined that they would initiate a trend of African Americans moving to Paris, a migration that continues to this day, says Michele L. Simms-Burton, a former professor of African American studies.

The unit’s band helped Parisians chase away their wartime blues by introducing them to jazz. Simms-Burton explores how jazz took Paris by storm, the circumstances that made the city ripe for embracing this new musical form, and why Paris continues to be a place where African American musicians work, create, and live.

Wed., Sept. 3, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-482; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Bob Dylan: Jewish Roots, American Soil

Bob Dylan arrived in New York City one winter morning in 1961. His music and spirit would go on to have a huge impact on popular music for decades. What hardly anyone knew then was that—like so many before him—Dylan was concealing his Jewish origins. He had been born Robert Allen Zimmerman to Jewish parents in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1941.

Dylan’s instincts for escape and reinvention have helped shape his long career, says author Harry Freedman. Freedman traces the folk revival movement spearheaded by Dylan and the heady creativity of the 1960s.

Freedman’s book Bob Dylan: Jewish Roots, American Soil (Bloomsbury) is available for purchase.

Thurs., Sept. 4, 12 p.m.; CODE 1T0-028; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Smithsonian Chorus

Legends of Song

Looking for a choral program that celebrates memorable music across the decades? This is the one for you. Choral conductor and music educator Ernest Johnson leads the ensemble in arrangements of the hits you know and love. Songs may include favorites from the stage and screen, classic standards from the American Songbook, and legendary hits by pop artists. Some selections will be from the 1960s, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Smithsonian Associates. (The final song list and musical arrangements are chosen to fit the specific vocal and musical abilities of the group.)

No audition is required. Rehearsals culminate in a free performance on Nov. 20 for invited guests.

11 sessions plus performance: Thurs., Sept. 4–Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m.; Thurs., Nov. 20 performance, 7:30 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1P0-882; Members $150; Nonmembers $165

The “Harlem Hellfighters”

The Invention of Charlotte Brontë

Ever since the death of Charlotte Brontë in 1855, her tragic life story–entwined with those of her novelist sisters Emily and Anne–has been a cultural legend. Much of this legend originates in Elizabeth Gaskell’s controversial 1857 biography, The Life of Charlotte Brontë, which created a furor on publication. As a result, a censored edition was issued that remained the standard until the middle of the 20th century. The question of how much of it is true has persisted.

However, doubts about the biography’s integrity rely on a false confession Gaskell was forced to make to save her publisher from being sued, argues author Graham Watson. Watson discusses why he believes the findings from his research challenge many long-held assumptions about Brontë and her family.

His new book, The Invention of Charlotte Brontë (Pegasus), is available for sale.

Fri., Sept. 5, 12 p.m.; CODE 1CV-069; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

What “Downton Abbey” Teaches About British History

In addition to engaging drama, the popular TV series “Downton Abbey” offered a window into the social, political, and cultural life of a period that spans from the Edwardian era to the 1920s. Historian Julie Taddeo explores the show’s appeal—which goes deeper than its period fashions and lavish sets—to examine its historical accuracy and what it says about the 21st century, from the 2008 economic crash to Brexit to America’s fascination with British royalty.

In a discussion timed to coincide with the release of the third “Downton Abbey” movie, she considers the upcoming film as well as the preceding two. Taddeo also addresses Maggie Smith’s death in 2024 and why so many people connected with her as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham.

Mon., Sept. 8, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-607; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Hope and History: The Poetry of Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney (1939–2013) is the most celebrated poet of his generation, a Nobel Prize winner whose facility for language is matched by a readiness to question the place of art in a world of moral and political crisis. Born in Northern Ireland, Heaney left a body of work that transcends the specifics of its time and place yet also confronts the descent of the region into sectarian violence in thought-provoking ways.

Though his Irish identity is foundational to this work, Heaney is also a poet of the world, as influenced by Robert Frost as he is by W. B. Yeats. Lucy Collins, an associate professor at University College Dublin, explores Heaney’s evolution as a poet from early encounters with the natural world to later texts of political and philosophical inquiry.

Mon., Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-878; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Yoga and Aging

A Path to Wisdom, Courage, and Connection

Yoga therapist Linda Lang offers a unique exploration of aging—its challenges, potent discoveries, and unexpected opportunities. Through a blend of lecture, experiential practices, and yogic philosophy, Lang invites participants to examine the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of growing older.

Drawing on evidence-based practices and in-depth experience with older students, Lang shares tools to manage anxiety; cultivate emotional resilience; and approach life transitions with clarity, a sense of purpose, and deep appreciation for the process. Key topics include understanding the psychological impact of aging; yoga-based practices to support mental and emotional well-being; finding strength and meaning through shared human experience; and cultivating perspective through compassionate detachment and self-inquiry. The program is open to all—no prior yoga experience required.

Wed., Sept. 10, 12 p.m.; CODE 1NV-145; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

“Downton Abbey” was filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire

Seamus Heaney

Elements of Fiction Writing

In this course for both beginning and seasoned writers, author Judy Pomeranz examines the basic elements of fiction such as plot, character, setting, and point of view and explores how these tools are deployed in effective storytelling. Discussions include finding story ideas; turning ideas into short stories and novels; creating compelling beginnings and endings; the logistics of writing; and the life of a writer. Optional writing assignments are offered for participants interested in practicing what will be examined in theory, along with brief exercises to stimulate creativity.

Pomeranz is the author of the novel Love Without Asterisks and Love on a Small Island, a collection of short fiction. She has also written numerous non-fiction articles, art reviews, and short stories published in a variety of newspapers and magazines.

2-session series: Thurs., Sept. 11 and 18, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-609; Members $50; Nonmembers $60

Translator or Traitor?

Reading Dante’s New Life

The Italians have a phrase, “traduttore, traditore,” which means the “translator” of a book can be a “traitor” to it if they fail to capture both its letter and its spirit. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi takes a deep dive into his forthcoming translation of the Vita Nuova, or “New Life,” Dante’s first book. It is a moving account of his youthful love for his muse, Beatrice, and discovery of his passion for poetry. Luzzi shares his experiences of trying to remain faithful to Dante’s original language while bringing his own understanding and interpretation of Dante’s work into this early masterpiece by Italy’s sommo poeta, or “supreme poet.”

Sat., Sept. 13, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1J0-485; Members $80; Nonmembers $95

Reading Dante’s Divine Comedy

Even though it was written seven centuries ago, Dante’s Divine Comedy is essential reading today. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi explains why as he leads three all-day seminars focusing on each of the Divine Comedy’s three canticles: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He highlights the originality and brilliance of Dante’s poetic vision, explaining how this great poem became one of the most influential works in literary history.

OCT 4 Inferno

NOV 1 Purgatorio

DEC 13 Paradiso

3-session series: Sat., Oct. 4, Nov. 1, and Dec. 13, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1J0-490; Members $200; Nonmembers $240

Individual sessions: Sat., Oct. 4 (CODE 1J0-490A); Sat., Nov. 1 (CODE 1J0-490B); Sat., Dec. 13 (CODE 1J0-490C); 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; detailed program information on website; Members $80; Nonmembers $95

All Smithsonian Associates online programs are closed captioned

Dante and Beatrice by Henry Holiday, 1882–1884

A 1910 promotional poster for an edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy

The Magic of Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire was one of the 20th century’s greatest magicians: His sorcery depended on making some of the most complex dancing ever seen on the screen seem as effortless as breathing. Whether partnering with Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, or a hat rack—or dancing on the ceiling or on roller skates—he made it appear easy and elegant. Revered as a genius by everyone from Balanchine to Baryshnikov, Astaire appeared in a total of 133 dance numbers in 31 films, many of which are considered classics of movie choreography.

Media historian Brian Rose surveys the sweep of Astaire’s remarkable career in a program illustrated with video clips.

Tues., Sept. 16, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-487; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the film Top Hat

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

With its magic spells, soaring lyricism, and playful plot, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most beloved and frequently performed of Shakespeare’s comedies. Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, explores the poetic forms and central themes of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as he situates the play within both the broader arc of Shakespeare’s career and his evolving understanding of the comic genre. Early modern notions of gender and love as well as the ways in which Shakespeare’s comedies enable characters to shift their identities in unique and innovative ways are highlighted.

Thurs., Sept. 18, 6 p.m.; CODE 1J0-488; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Glorious Waltz Music, Dance, and Society in Three-Quarter Time

The waltz, that intoxicating and graceful music with its simple melodies and sinuous rhythms, has never gone out of style. The music and dance that blossomed in Vienna and then spread like a mania through Europe has long defined “romantic.” Springing from rough peasant revelries into the more refined strata of aristocratic and bourgeois entertainment, the waltz proclaimed a new freedom of sexual expression and individual liberties in the early 19th century. It was a musical form and a dance that changed history.

Classical music and opera expert Saul Lilienstein transports participants to some of the world’s great ballrooms as he traces that development through the beautiful music of great waltz composers such as Johann Strauss Sr., Josef Lanner, and Johann Strauss Jr.; film clips; vivid illustrations; and the firsthand reports of entranced and aghast observers of the phenomenon.

Fri., Sept. 26, 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; detailed information on website; CODE 1M2-407; Members $80; Nonmembers $95

Read more about programs in this guide on the website. Search by code or date. Expanded program descriptions, presenters’ information, and more at SmithsonianAssociates.org.

Titania Sleeping in the Moonlight Protected by Her Fairies by John Simmons, 1860–1869

The Ball by Julius LeBlanc Stewart, 1885 (detail)

Saul Lilienstein

RISA RYAN

Haunted: Remembering Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe, the storyteller who gave us such enduring classics as “The Purloined Letter,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” is often referred to as America’s Shakespeare. With his tales of mystery and imagination, Poe both broke new literary ground and set the pattern for generations of writers to come. At the same time, in mysterious and lyrical poems such as “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee,” Poe struggled to perfect what he called “the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.”

On the anniversary of his death—Oct. 7, 1849—author Daniel Stashower explores the life and art of the original “man in black,” as actor Scott Sedar offers a dramatic reading of Poe’s most powerful works, giving voice to his haunting genius.

Tues., Oct. 7, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-113; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Ballet Music: The Soul of Movement

Japanese Traditional Theater

Audiences love the spectacle and the sets, adore the costumes, and thrill to the brilliance and beauty of the choreography and the performers, and above all are moved and exalted by the music. Ballet made a rapid journey from French courtly dance to an internationally beloved artform, with its path traveling directly through the magnificent scores of composers like Debussy, Stravinsky, Copland, and, of course, Tchaikovsky.

Speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses live piano demonstrations and historic and contemporary film clips to illustrate how the music from such ballet masterpieces as Giselle, Swan Lake, Daphnis and Chloë, Le Sacre du Printemps, and Appalachian Spring became a treasured part of our cultural landscape.

4-session series: Tues., Oct. 7–28, 12 p.m.; detailed information on website; CODE 1K0-606; Members $100; Nonmembers $120

Enter a world colored by mythology, history, romance, and spiritual exploration with Japanese traditional theater, a living art form that stretches back centuries. Its many varieties range from masked Noh dance-dramas during medieval times to the Tokugawa/Edo period’s boisterous Kabuki plays and Bunraku puppet theater to the Shingeki (literally “new drama”) forms inspired by Western stage plays and the Butoh dance-theater.

Linda Ehrlich, who has taught Asian studies and traditional theater for several universities, delves into these traditions. Ehrlich shows images of beautiful costumes, evocative masks, and a strong gestural language. She also discusses the transmission of conventions from generation to generation, as well as examples of innovation and renewal.

Thurs., Oct. 9, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-494; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

What time does the program end? Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1 hour 15 min.–2 hours, including Q&A

Swan Lake, composed by Tchaikovsky

Kabuki actor Onoe Kikugorō VI in performance, 1949

Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.

The Backstory of Washington, D.C.’s Bedrock

The capital of the United States is underlain by rocks that have a history as turbulent as that of the nation itself. Geologist Callan Bentley explores the variety of rocks found in the Washington, D.C., area and what they tell us about geologic events stretching back a billion years into Deep Time.

He discusses dirty sediments dumped in an extinct ocean, granites at the foot of Andean-style mountains, and rushing rivers in which dinosaurs swam. Bentley also covers very young faults in the area and explores the implications for earthquake risk.

Tues., July 8, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1L0-643; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Galileo: Lessons from a Great Scientist

Galileo Galilei is one of the largerthan-life heroes of intellectual history. There aren’t many scientists who have inspired plays, scores of poems, and even an opera by Philip Glass.

Astrophysicist Mario Livio traces this fascinating life as he examines Galileo’s monumental achievements in astronomy, mechanics, and the development of the scientific method. He also analyzes Galileo’s complex and tragic interaction with the Catholic Church, which eventually led to the scientist being denounced as a suspected heretic by the Inquisition.

Livio, author of Galileo and the Science Deniers, emphasizes Galileo’s relevance for our world today as a potent reminder of the importance of freedom of thought. Though his intricate personality was grounded in late-Renaissance Italy, the impact of Galileo’s enduring contributions to science and thought spans time and cultures.

Thurs., July 17, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-394; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Are We Alone?

The Search for Life Beyond Earth

The Stories We Tell

The Role of Storytelling in Human Evolution

Storytelling, whether around a campfire, in a café, or in a sold-out theater, is ubiquitous in human culture. The universality of storytelling suggests that this behavior has deep roots. It also begs the question of why we as humans find stories so compelling. Building on ethnographic data, archaeologist and professor April Nowell explores the evolutionary context, adaptive features, and cognitive underpinnings of storytelling.

Drawing on examples from cave art, including recent research in Australia, she presents archaeological evidence for storytelling and narrative in the Ice Age. She argues that storytelling is a vehicle for sharing knowledge across generations as she considers the role of this form of teaching in human survival over the millennia.

Tues., July 22, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-870; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

What are the odds of finding distant worlds that support life? Are other planets trying to contact us—and would we be able to recognize extraterrestrial life if it exists? To find the answers, Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, follows the efforts of astronomers to find Earth-like worlds that have the essential elements to sustain life. He also recaps the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, which seeks to intercept transmissions from distant technologically advanced civilizations.

Tues., July 22, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1L0-645; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Igneous dikes at the upstream end of Mather Gorge show offset that may indicate a fault beneath the Potomac River

Portrait of Galileo Galilei by Justus Sustermans, 1635

A section of the Allen Telescope Array at California’s Hat Creek Observatory

Taking the Wild Out of the Animal

A Story of Siberian Silver Foxes

Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs but foxes. They are the result of one of the most astonishing experiments in breeding ever undertaken, intended to speed up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. Evolutionary biologist Lee Alan Dugatkin takes you inside this groundbreaking experiment by Soviet biologists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut, begun in 1959.

Mon., Aug. 11, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-455; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Recent Discoveries in the Deep

Dark Oxygen, the Rare Biosphere, and a $17 Billion Shipwreck

Deep ocean exploration has come long way since 1882, when Jules Verne published Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Using an extraordinary suite of tools, marine scientists and explorers are returning with stunning knowledge about the universe beneath the waves: fantastical new species; astonishing insights into how Earth’s life-support systems work; and high-resolution seafloor maps that reveal hidden landscapes and buried treasures that even Verne could never have dreamed of, including a 17th-century Spanish galleon carrying a cargo some estimate to be worth more than $17 billion. Journalist and author Susan Casey dives into the latest discoveries in the deep ocean, offering a glimpse of the tantalizing mysteries that still lie on its floor.

Tues., Aug. 12, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-611; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Argus, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) used for deep-ocean exploration

Orchids: Sex and Lies

Steve Nicholls, a wildlife filmmaker with a lifelong interest in botany and horticulture, explores the extraordinary beauty of the mysterious and romantic orchid. But in nature, such beauty always serves a purpose. For orchids, it’s a way of ensuring pollination. The flowers need to entice insects to move pollen from plant to plant, often using nectar as a reward.

But there’s a dark side to orchids: a world of trickery and deception. About half of all orchids don’t produce nectar, so why do insects pollinate them? Some lure insects with the promise of sex, and others have equally fiendish ways of convincing insects to visit the blooms. Still others provide the ingredients for male bees to make a perfume that females find irresistible. Nicholls provides insights into the intricate dynamics of this fascinating botanical seduction.

Fri., Aug. 15, 12 p.m.; CODE 1K0-600; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

These programs are part of Smithsonian Associates I N SI DE S C I ENCE

Read more about programs in this guide on our website. Search by code or date. Expanded program descriptions, presenters’ information, and more at SmithsonianAssociates.org.

Siberian silver fox

Pink lady's slipper

The Geology of the Channel Islands

Geologist Kirt Kempter leads a fascinating tour that explores the tectonic origin and geology of the four main islands of Channel Island National Park. They are part of the western Transverse Ranges, an unusual east–west trending mountain range in Southern California, representing a block of continental crust that has been rotated more than 90 degrees clockwise during the development of the San Andreas fault system.

The region’s oldest mammoth fossils date to just over 80,000 years ago, and Kempter examines how as the sea level rose more than 350 feet in the past 18,000 years, islands formed and the stranded mammoths began to decrease in size due to a shrinking habitat.

Mon., Aug. 18, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-138; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

La Brea Tar Pits: Peril and Promise

In the heart of Los Angeles, geologic processes have conspired to create the richest Ice Age fossil site on Earth. For more than 50,000 years, underground crude oil has seeped to the surface, trapping plants and animals in the La Brea Tar Pits and painting a picture of a lost world.

The rich fossil treasure troves preserved in petroleum are being used both to reveal the past and help plan for a climate-resilient future in one of the continent’s most populous and biodiverse regions. Emily Lindsey, associate curator and excavation site director at La Brea Tar Pits & Museum, leads a virtual tour of the site spanning 20 million years, from ancient seabed to LA’s modern car culture.

Mon., Aug. 25, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-140; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

The Story of CO2

Every year, the climate is affected by gigantic amounts of carbon dioxide that enter the air. But CO2 isn’t merely the dangerous byproduct of burning fossil fuels—it is also fundamental to how the Earth works. It has kept the planet’s climate livable, its air breathable, and its oceans hospitable to complex life for hundreds of millions of years. In short, says science journalist Peter Brannen, it is the most important substance on Earth. But how can something so essential to life be capable of destroying it?

Brannen examines how CO2 has been responsible for the planet’s many deaths and rebirths, for shaping the evolution of life, and for the development of modern human society. His book The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World (HarperCollins) is available for purchase.

Thurs., Sept. 4, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-603; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death

Celebrating the Author’s 135th Birthday

Mystery writer Agatha Christie, who was born on Sept. 15, 1890, is renowned for her captivating plots and creative ways of killing off victims—including poison. The surreptitious ways it can be administered, the characteristic symptoms different ones produce, and the difficulty in detecting some of these killer chemicals make them perfect for a whodunit.

Kathryn Harkup, a former chemist, investigates the science behind some of Christie’s more unusual choices of deadly substances, their use in real-life murder cases, and the feasibility of obtaining, administering, and detecting them in Christie’s time and today.

Harkup’s new book, V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death (Bloomsbury), is available for purchase.

Mon., Sept. 15, 12 p.m.; CODE 1T0-029; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

These programs are part of Smithsonian Associates I N SI DE S C I ENCE

Pit 91 of the La Brea Tar Pits, 1915

Channel Islands looking west

Wild, Wonderful Wetlands

Whether it be fish nurseries, migratory bird pit stops, or natural water filterers, wetlands provide near-limitless value to humans and wildlife around the world. Since the Revolutionary War, more than 100 million acres of wetlands have been drained for human use.

Liana Vitali, a naturalist and educator at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, offers an audio-visual journey into the marshes, ponds, swamps, and peat bogs of North America to discover just how important these ecosystems are to life on Earth. Through images and films, Vitali shares how wild and wonderful wetlands can be.

Tues., Sept. 16, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-612; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

A Natural History Road Trip

The Everglades to the Great Smoky Mountains

Embark on a virtual journey with interpretive naturalist Keith Tomlinson, traveling from the subtropical wilderness of Florida’s Everglades to the towering peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains through some of the United States’ most biodiverse regions.

In Florida, explore the vibrant Myakka River and Highlands Hammock state parks and visit the crystalclear Ichetucknee River. Venture into Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, teeming with alligators, black bears, and migratory birds. Discover South Carolina’s Congaree National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and one of the tallest temperate forests in the world. Head to the Great Smoky Mountains, known for their amazing biodiversity. Along the way, Tomlinson explores topics including landscape ecology, wildlife, geology, and climate and shares the myriad recreational opportunities these exceptional natural areas offer.

Wed., Sept. 17, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-147; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Paradise Found

The Martians

A mere century ago, Martians were thought to be real, not fictional, creatures. “Mars is inhabited by a highly civilized and intelligent race of beings,” proclaimed Alexander Graham Bell. When in 1899 Nikola Tesla detected radio signals he believed came from Mars, an all-out craze swept society. You could read about Martians in The New York Times, hear of them in Sunday sermons, and see them depicted on the Broadway stage. In a lively program filled with period photographs and depictions of the putative Martians themselves, journalist David Baron reveals what the episode says about the human mind: the fallibility of our senses, the power of belief, and the lure of sensationalism. Baron’s book The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-theCentury America (Liveright) is available for purchase.

Mon., Sept. 29, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-605; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Nature in North America at the Time of European Discovery

If we had a time machine to take us back five centuries, we’d find the natural abundance before us astonishing: skies filled with birds, seas and rivers teeming with fish, and forests and grasslands of a hunter’s dream, alive with diverse populations of game. For one part of the world, such a time machine exists. In North America, countless historical reports, books, paintings, and documents describe firsthand the extraordinary sights that greeted European explorers, settlers, and pioneers. Drawing from his book Paradise Found: Nature in America at the Time of Discovery, wildlife filmmaker Steve Nicholls discusses these historical sources to present a picture of the spectacular environment found in an unknown America.

Fri., Sept. 19, 12 p.m.; CODE 1K0-608; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

These programs are part of Smithsonian

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary

American black bear, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Among the Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt, 1868

Cephalopod Life Cycles

From Alien Larvae to World’s Most Patient Moms

Octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish captivate us with their clever disguises and sophisticated behavior, and nowhere are these features more prominent than in the realm of reproduction. When it comes to finding a partner, cephalopods pull out all the stops. Pygmy squid squirt inky backdrops to highlight their dazzling courtship displays. Cuttlefish multitask, decorating one half of their bodies to seduce a mate while the other half flashes a warning to rivals.

After fertilization, the situation gets even more incredible. Market squid carpet the seafloor with ghostly egg fingers that repel predators even as the parents are devoured. Deep-sea octopuses set a world record: The mothers guard their eggs for over four years. Biologist Danna Staaf leads a journey through the bizarre beauty of cephalopod life cycles.

Tues., Sept. 30, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-489; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

This program is part of Smithsonian Associates I N SI DE S C I ENCE

How Things Are Made

The Hidden World of Manufacturing

We live in a world surrounded by a multitude of manufactured products— furniture, technology, clothing, even food. Yet the processes behind how these things come into our lives remain largely invisible. Where do the things we buy come from? How are they made? How do they end up in our hands?

Tim Minshall, a professor at the University of Cambridge, traces the paths everyday items travel, from design and creation to delivery. He explores the world of manufacturing, uncovering the workings of a system that produces and distributes everything from cars and cakes to phones, planes, medications, and medical devices—shaping nearly every aspect of our daily lives. His book, How Things Are Made: A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing (Ecco), is available for purchase.

Tues., Sept. 30, 12 p.m.; CODE 1D0-112; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Famous Orchids in History

Humans and orchids have a long and storied history. Confucius wrote about them in 500 B.C.E., and over the millennia, orchids have found their beautiful place in society. Learn about highlights, including the Vanilla orchid, Darwin’s orchid, ghost orchid, and the Cattleya orchids named after first ladies. Orchid expert Barbara Schmidt discusses the sometimes unexpected presence of orchids throughout history.

Tues., Sept. 30, 7 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZT; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

You love art. Now go deeper.

Art is all around us. It excites us, enriches our lives, and enlivens our imaginations. To truly appreciate any work of art, we need to understand the context and culture in which it was created. That’s why Smithsonian Associates offers a World Art History Certificate Program

The wide-ranging offerings are designed to provide a global perspective on art and architecture and draw on the Smithsonian’s world-class collections, the rich resources of other Washington institutions, and museums from around the world.

Look for World Art History Certificate throughout the program guide to see current listings. Get started today and complete the certificate requirements at your own pace. Registration is ongoing; Credits are counted from day of registration and are not given retroactively.

Ghost orchid

CULTURE

Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.

Reflective Writing Workshops

Mary Hall Surface

Experience the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. These reflections can become creative fertile ground for memoir, poetry, and more. The workshop has a limited enrollment to maximize interaction among the instructor and students.

AUG 7 Metaphors and Meaning

Step into an intriguing contemporary painting by the German artist Sigmar Polke to discover how close looking at art can help us navigate challenging times and deepen our self-understanding.

AUG 14 Winds of Change

Inspired by the masterful prints of one of Japan’s most innovative artists, Katsushika Hokusai, and by poetry across time, slow down, look closely, and reflect to explore the metaphor of wind in our world and in our lives.

AUG 21 Give Sorrow Words

The experience of grief is universal and yet we often feel alone and unmoored when faced with loss. Inspired by works of visual art and poetry, participants give words to grief through a gentle series of reflective writing prompts to discover how reflective writing can offer a creative buoy for engaging with loss. Experience a process in which reflection and writing become a place of comfort and a space for holding sorrow as well as remembrance.

3-session series: Thurs., August 7, 14, and 21, 10 a.m.; CODE 1K0-622; Members $105; Nonmembers $115

Individual sessions: Thurs., Aug. 7 (CODE 1K0-614); Thurs., Aug. 14 (CODE 1K0-615); Thurs., Aug. 21 (CODE 1K0-616); 10 a.m.; Members $40; Nonmembers $45

Last chance to register

Summer’s Discoveries

LIFELONG LEARNING

Inspired by works of art by Georgia O’Keeffe and poetry by Mary Oliver, explore the lessons that the summer season offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect. Designed for writers of all levels, and for the curious, the workshop led by Mary Hall Surface invites you to look at the world through the lens of painting and poetry and to respond through reflective writing.

Tues., July 15, 10 a.m.; CODE 1K0-592; Members $40; Nonmembers $45

Ejiri in Suruga Province from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Katsushika Hokusai, ca. 1832

Lake George (formerly Reflection Seascape) by Georgia O'Keeffe, 1922

The Club

A Haven for American Women Artists in Belle Époque Paris

Belle Époque Paris served as the epicenter of modernity and a haven for artists and intellectuals from around the world. American women artists, unable to thrive or be taken seriously stateside, made the journey to Paris to gather at a residence known as the American Girls’ Club. Opened in 1893, “The Club” became their sanctuary, and over the next two decades it harbored a generation of independent, talented, and driven American women.

Curator and art historian Jennifer Dasal shares the story of the club and the women who lived there, tracing how it evolved into a revolutionary source of creativity, activism, and empowerment. Dasal’s book The Club: Where American Women Artists Found Refuge in Belle Époque Paris (Bloomsbury Publishing) is available for purchase.

Mon., July 14, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-591; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit

Glass Flowers and Royal Chandeliers

Inside the World of Czech Glass

From dazzling royal chandeliers to intricate glass flowers, Czech glassmaking has captivated the world for centuries. What began in the medieval regions of Bohemia and Silesia has evolved into a renowned tradition celebrated for its artistry and innovation. Art historian Jennie Hirsh explores the development of Czech glassmaking, the distinctive techniques that define it, and the wide range of goods that that artisans produce— from luxury objects to more accessible works cherished by collectors worldwide. She also offers a virtual tour of the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants at Harvard University. Made between 1876 and 1936 by father-and-son artisans Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, they capture nearly 800 plant species in more than 4,300 stunning glass models.

Fri., July 18, 12 p.m.; CODE 1D0-103; Members $20; Nonmembers $25 Bohemian glassware, ca. 1840–1860

Creative Writing Workshop

Write Into Art

Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. In a series of workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. Mary Hall Surface leads workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts.

SEPT 2 Sunlight, Shadow, and Story

SEPT 9 Surprise, Connect, and Experiment

SEPT 16 Journey, Imagine, and Dream

3-session series: Tues., Sept. 2–16, 10 a.m.; CODE 1K0-617; Members $105; Nonmembers $115

Individual sessions: Tues., Sept. 2 (CODE 1K0-618); Tues., Sept. 9 (CODE 1K0-619); Tues., Sept. 16 (CODE 1K0-620); 10 a.m.; Members $40; Nonmembers $45

Breakfast in the Loggia by John Singer Sargent

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Andalusia:

An Empire of Three Faiths

From the 8th to the 14th centuries, Andalusia—Spain under Muslim rule— flourished as an artistic, cultural, scientific, and intellectual hub for the Mediterranean world. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic artisans, translators, philosophers, architects, and scientists all contributed to a vibrant cultural exchange, mostly supported by the ruling Muslim caliphs.

Art reached unparalleled heights, blending Islamic design, Christian symbolism, and Jewish expressiveness in its aesthetic. Jewish and Christian artisans often collaborated with Muslim ones, sharing techniques in building, metalwork, textiles, and manuscript illumination, and this synergistic collaboration was also evident in poetry and music. Art historian Louisa Woodville discusses Andalusia’s artistic legacy and this unique convergence of cultures. Mon., July 21, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1L0-644; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit

Understanding Modern Art

The radical innovations made by European and American painters and sculptors between 1900 and 1960 forever altered the way we think about visual art. Before World War I, Fauvist and Expressionist painters challenged the traditional Western concept of beauty, while Pablo Picasso and Kazimir Malevich took on thousands of years of art history by exploring the controversial realm of abstraction.

Between the wars, artists as different as Salvador Dalí and Frida Kahlo made images based on their dreams and hallucinations. Later, American art finally achieved international recognition through the enormous, dramatic canvases of Jackson Pollock, paving the way for several decades of cultural prominence that began in the 1960s. Art historian Nancy G. Heller discusses major works by the period’s seminal painters and sculptors, emphasizing their broader socio-political and aesthetic contexts.

5-session series: Tues., July 29–Aug. 26, 6:30 p.m.; detailed information on website; CODE 1M2-396; Members $110; Nonmembers $130

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Elizabeth Catlett: Art for the People

Throughout her long career as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker, Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) celebrated and memorialized Black people—especially Black women. Her philosophy was that “art should come from the people and be for the people.” Catlett helped to shape the aesthetics of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s even though the U.S. government deemed her an “undesirable alien” while she was working in Mexico, making her unable to permanently return to the United States until 2002.

Michele L. Simms-Burton, a former professor of African American studies, examines why Catlett was among the most formidable artists of the 20th century.

Thurs., Aug. 7, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-480; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Acquire your own limited-edition Elizabeth Catlett print with the Smithsonian Associates Art Collectors Program. See pg. 53.

Read more about programs in this guide on our website. Search by code or date. Expanded program descriptions, presenters’ information, and more at SmithsonianAssociates.org.

The Civilization of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the Time of Abd-al-Rahman III (detail) by Dionisio Baixeras Verdaguer, 1885

Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso, 1921

Children with Flowers by Elizabeth Catlett, 1995

Lesser-Known Museums and Churches of Italy

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit for each

In this ongoing series, Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero spotlights the significant collections of sometimes-overlooked museums and churches throughout Italy.

Palazzo Vecchio

Constructed in 1299, Palazzo Vecchio was built to be the town hall of Florence. Although it remains a symbol and center for local government, Palazzo Vecchio is now a museum that is home to frescoes by Giorgio Vasari and Domenico Ghirlandaio as well as statues by Michelangelo, Donatello, and Giambologna. It also features frescoes depicting allegories of the four elements of nature and trefoils with allegorical figures of the four cardinal virtues. Ruggiero explores this lesser-known museum that has become a symbol of Florence.

Tues., July 8, 12 p.m.; CODE 1J0-472; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

Church of the Frari

The Church of Santa Maria Glorioso dei Frari, commonly known as Frari’s Church or the Church of the Frari, is a minor basilica in Venice, Italy. It has an unassuming façade, but don’t let that fool you: The church contains splendors from over 500 years of Venetian history, including the Assumption of the Virgin and Pesaro Madonna by Titian, St. John the Baptist by Donatello, the Virgin Mary Enthroned with Christ Child and Saints triptych by Giovanni Bellini, and an altar piece by Titian. Ruggiero delves into the church and the treasures inside.

Mon., Aug. 25, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-476; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

The Capitoline Museums

Pinacoteca di Brera

The Pinacoteca di Brera, or Brera Art Gallery, is the main public gallery for paintings in Milan. It grew out of the Brera Academy, an academy of fine arts in Milan, and in 2024 added a new modern art wing. With masterpieces by Andrea Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini, Piero della Francesca, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, and Francesco Hayez, the Pinacoteca is a pre-eminent collection of Italian paintings from the 13th to the 20th century. Ruggiero analyzes this impressive art gallery.

Mon., Sept. 15, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-486; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

The Capitoline Museums are a group of art and archaeological museums located on top of Capitoline Hill, which was the political and religious center of ancient Rome. The museums’ collections focus on the history of Rome and include masterpieces such as the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, the “Capitoline Wolf,” the “Dying Gaul,” both a reconstruction of the Colossal Statue of Constantine and fragments of the original, and a bust of Medusa by Bernini. Ruggiero highlights these impressive collections.

Wed., Oct. 15, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-495; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

Capitoline Wolf

Palazzo Vecchio

High altar showing Assumption of the Virgin by Titian

The Kiss (detail) by Francesco Hayez, 1859

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

The Contemporary Architecture of Paris

Paris, renowned for its signature landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral, blends rich history with modern innovation. While celebrated for its classical beauty, the city has evolved into a dynamic hub for cutting-edge design. Art historian Jennie Hirsh leads an illustrated walk through the city, highlighting some of the most innovative and visually striking buildings of the modern era.

She explores notable sites including the Pyramid extension by I.M. Pei at the Louvre; the remarkable transformation of the former Gare d’Orsay train station into the Musée d’Orsay by Gae Aulenti; the Philharmonie de Paris by Jean Nouvel; the sleek Institut du Monde Arabe by Jean Nouvel; and the monumental Bibliothèque Nationale by Dominique Perrault. The survey concludes with a look at distinctive residential buildings such as Gérard Grandval’s Les Choux de Créteil and OMA’s avant-garde Villa dall’Ava.

Fri., Aug. 8, 12 p.m.; CODE 1D0-107; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit

Master Painters of the Venetian

Renaissance

Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese

World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit

The Art of Gandhara

Where India Met Greece

Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos by Titian, ca. 1553–1555

The art of painting in 16th-century Venice was largely transformed by four great artists whose innovative approaches would shape the art of both their contemporaries and generations to come. In this lavishly illustrated seminar, art historian Sophia D’Addio of Columbia University explores the works of Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese, highlighting their unique stylistic and compositional approaches, as well as the critical reception of their works.

Sat., Aug. 9, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; detailed program information on website, CODE 1M2-399; Members $80; Nonmembers $95

Situated between India, Persia, and the Greco-Roman world, the region of greater Gandhara produced artwork that blended influences and ideas from many cultures. Treasure hoards including glasswork from Rome, Central Asian jewelry, and South Asian ivory are a testament to the region’s central role in long-distance commerce. Art historian Robert DeCaroli examines the origins of the region’s material culture and the role of trade in the exchange of ideas.

NEW DATE: Sat., Sept. 6, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1J0-478; Members $100; Nonmembers $120

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Florence: Where the Renaissance Began

With

Elaine Ruffolo

Elaine Ruffolo, who surveys Italy’s artistic and architectural heritage during her Art-full Fridays series, has cultivated a devoted audience. Here’s a rara opportunità to meet the Florence-based art historian while she’s visiting Washington, D.C., this summer. While the day of the week—Thursday—might be a surprise, the topic of her presentation isn’t: Ruffolo focuses on the place she calls home. She reveals a city in which narrow alleys lead to graceful piazzas where the massive scale of churches and civic buildings—and the splendid artworks they house—reflect the wealth once generated by the city’s thriving economy. The cradle of the Renaissance, Florence is replete with frescoes, paintings, sculpture, and architecture created in an era in which art was the cornerstone of cultural activity.

Works by Giotto, Masaccio, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci, and Raphael are all concentrated in the city’s churches, museums, and public spaces. Join Ruffolo as she traces the art and history of this jewel of a city, from the dawn of the Renaissance to the era of the Medici dukes.

Thurs., Aug. 14, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1D0-116; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

I.M. Pei’s Pyramid extension at the Louvre

Monumental Bodhisattva head, 5th century

LIFELONG LEARNING

Elaine Ruffolo

Art-full Fridays | Live from Italy, with Elaine Ruffolo

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Elaine Ruffolo, a Florence-based Renaissance art historian, examines the rich heritage of Italian art and architecture

The Renaissance Court of Urbino

The most powerful of Renaissance Italian courts competed to become centers of literary and artistic patronage, scholarly research, and learning. In Umbria, Federico da Montefeltro was nicknamed “The Light of Italy” for his contributions to the era’s culture. With his beloved wife Battista Sforza at his side, Federico’s court of Urbino came to reflect the virtues of the period in art, intellect, justice, governance, and public welfare.

Artists from Italy and abroad, including della Francesca, Raphael, and Titian, flourished under patronages here, shaping the Montefeltro family’s aristocratic identity and the politics of style. With the Ducal Palace providing the splendid backdrop, Urbino became the ideal princely court among the most illustrious of Europe. Return to the 15th century with Ruffolo to experience a Renaissance court in all its glory.

Fri., Sept. 19, 12 p.m.; CODE 1D0-111; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Assisi: Where the Past and Present Live

The spirit of the Middle Ages is potently felt in the Umbrian hill town of Assisi. A holy city for Christians and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Assisi has long been a destination for pilgrims wanting to see the places where St. Francis was born, worked, and died.

Many of the most important examples of Umbria’s incomparable patrimony of paintings and architecture are found here. The great frescoes portraying Francis’ life—attributed to Giotto—are often referred to as bellwethers of Renaissance art. They hang in the Basilica of St. Francis, an architectonic complex that has heavily influenced the development of art and architecture. Ruffolo leads a journey into Assisi’s extraordinary art, breathtaking architecture, and enduring sacred legacy.

Fri., Oct. 3, 12 p.m.; CODE 1D0-115; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Mary Cassatt

An American Among the Impressionists

Mary Cassatt was the most celebrated and innovative female artist of her time and the only American to exhibit with the renowned Impressionist group of French painters. Invited into their circle by Edgar Degas, Cassatt became a supportive participant in organizing the group’s independent exhibitions.

For Degas, Cassatt and her sister Lydia posed for genre scenes of a feminine world—genteel depictions of ladies at tea, at the theater, reading, and sewing. After Lydia’s death, Cassatt’s subject matter turned to domestic scenes of mothers and children as the focus of the latter half of her life. Art historian Bonita Billman examines the range of Cassatt’s oeuvre and the media she used in her work; her role within the Impressionists; and her emphasis on scenes of women and children as her own family dynamics changed.

Thurs., Aug. 21, 12 p.m.; CODE 1M2-401; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

St. Francis Preaching to the Birds by Giotto, 1299

Ducal Palace, Urbino

Caresse Maternelle by Mary Cassatt, 1902

World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit

Expressionism: The Art of Emotions

Expressionism as an artistic movement developed in the early 20th century, a period in which new and influential explorations of psychology and human behavior were taking place. Artists began to look at the world much more subjectively, often distorting its depictions to achieve an emotional effect. For these creators, personal experiences and feelings became more important than physical reality, and the art inspired by Expressionism still holds the power to move and challenge viewers.

Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar traces the movement’s roots, meaning, influences, and most notable practitioners, including artists of the Die Brücke collective and the Der Blaue Reiter group.

4-session series: Wed., Sept. 3–24, 10:30 a.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1K0-598; Members $100; Nonmembers $120

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

The Complex Beauty of Japanese Gardens

Japanese gardens are among the calmest and most restorative spaces ever conceived by the human imagination. Their aesthetic seems effortless, but they are the product of great artifice. Often they evoke broad landscapes distilled in a tiny space. Sometimes they refer to famous poems or to ideas. Others are spaces for quiet and profound contemplation. Timeless yet constantly evolving, apparently simple and yet carefully constructed, these gardens express the fruitful contradictions that lie within the Japanese soul.

Art historian Nigel McGilchrist explores centuries of breathtaking Japanese gardens, tracing the historical and cultural influences—both foreign and domestic—that have shaped their distinctive artistry of plants, rocks, and water.

Tues., Sept. 9, 12 p.m.; CODE 1M2-403; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Sculpting Space: The Architecture of Frank Gehry

Few architects have reshaped the way we see buildings—and experience space—quite like Frank Gehry. Famed for his deconstructivist style, Gehry blurs the boundaries between architecture and sculpture, creating structures that ripple, fold, and shimmer like living works of art. From the soaring curves of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to the gleaming surfaces of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, his imaginative designs have made an indelible mark on skylines around the world.

Art historian Jennie Hirsh surveys Gehry’s remarkable career, examining his contributions to residential, commercial, cultural, and educational buildings in North America and Europe. Beginning with the Gehry Residence—the suburban California home he reimagined for his family—Hirsh traces the evolution of Gehry’s unique postmodern vision. Mon., Sept. 8, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-110; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Water garden at Tenryu-ji Temple, Kyoto

Promenade by August Macke, 1913

The Walt Disney Concert Hall

An Armchair Tour of Oxford and Cambridge

The histories of the two greatest academic centers of England—Oxford and Cambridge—reach back to the 12th and 13th centuries. Many notable people have studied and taught at both institutions, such as Charles Darwin at Cambridge and J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford—not to mention royals, prime ministers, and Nobel Prize winners.

The college libraries evoke the Middle Ages; the quads, chapels, and gardens remain places of serene beauty; the River Thames and the River Cam enhance the landscape with natural beauty; and the significant amounts of preserved historical and cultural material continue to attract scholars. Historian Gary Rendsburg of Rutgers University, who has resided and conducted academic research at both Oxford and Cambridge, brings the verve and culture of these great university towns to life, sharing history flavored with a pleasant dose of Anglophilia.

Sat., Sept. 20, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1M2-404; Members $40; Nonmembers $50

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit

The Splendors of the English Country House

The country houses of England are among the country’s greatest treasures. Art historian Bonita Billman surveys a selection of these grand estates, known for their architectural magnificence, spectacular decorative art and art collections, and glorious gardens.

Cambridge

They represent a wide range of styles and periods, among them the Elizabethan and Jacobean influences reflected in Hardwick Hall and Chatsworth; the Baroque exuberance of Castle Howard, the inspiration for Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead; Chiswick House, in the Palladian style; the Gothic Revival majesty of Balmoral Castle; and Eltham Palace, a medieval structure with an Art Deco addition. Two Rothschild family estates, Ascott, with its medieval half-timbered look, and Waddesdon Manor, in the style of a French Renaissance chateau, are mansions in historicist styles. Sat., Sept. 27, 10 a.m.–4:15 p.m.; detailed information on website; CODE 1M2-408; Members $100; Nonmembers $120

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

The Golden Age of Vienna

The

Art

of Gustav

Klimt

and Egon Schiele

At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna was the capital of a great empire ruled by the Hapsburgs. The city was a center of political power as well as avant-garde culture, home to some of the world’s greatest composers, architects, writers, and artists. Two who helped define this age of glamour, elegance, and decadence were artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Art critic and adviser Judy Pomeranz explores the lives and art of these extraordinary individuals and the age in which they lived. She examines how they were influenced by their time and place and illustrates how powerfully they reflected them in works both beautiful and shocking.

Tues., Sept. 30, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-613; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Oxford

LIFELONG LEARNING

Balmoral Castle

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, 1907–1908

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

The Book of Kells

The Flowering of Celtic Art

The Book of Kells, housed at Trinity College in Dublin, is one of the most spectacular works of art in history. Yet it nearly did not survive the tumultuous era in which it was created, when Viking raiders plundered the monasteries of Ireland and Britain and even held similar manuscripts for exorbitant ransoms.

Historian Jennifer Paxton looks at the diverse strands that influenced the Book of Kells, from indigenous Irish elements to motifs imported from the Christian Near East and the Germanic and Scandinavian north. She also discusses its influence on the revival of Celtic art from the 19th century to the present.

Mon., Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-409; Members $30; Nonmembers $40

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit

The 10 Greatest Photographs of All Time, Part II

Historian Clay Jenkinson, who has previously shared his list of notable photographs, returns with another selection of 10 magnificent images—this time Pulitzer Prize winners—to explore how great photographs epitomize a moment or an era, capture an extraordinary event, provide a window into the human condition, or fill us with appreciation and wonder.

Jenkinson’s list includes William Gallagher’s photo of the hole in Adlai Stevenson’s shoe (1953); William Beale’s “Faith and Confidence” (1957), capturing a policeman bending down to a 2-year-old boy; Yasushi Nagao’s “Tokyo Stabbing” (1961); and Nat Fein’s “Babe Ruth Bows Out” (1949), among others. Jenkinson covers the backstory of each image and its influence on the world. Audience members are encouraged to nominate their own favorites to add to the discussion.

Mon., Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1K0-621; Members $35; Nonmembers $45

World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit

Cave Art to the Renaissance

In a 4-session survey, art historian Joseph P. Cassar traces how the creative legacies of centuries of ancient civilizations affected the art of the Early Renaissance. He examines the collective influences of the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras; the ancient Near East; Egypt and its pharaohs; the Aegean world; and Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art.

Cassar discusses several works from each period—including paintings from Altamira and Lascaux caves, Neolithic monuments from Malta, the Temple of Knossos in Crete, the pyramids of Giza and Hatshepsut, and Etruscan burial art—leading up to the artistic climax reflected in Giotto’s magnificent Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.

4-session series: Wed., Oct. 8–29, 10:30 a.m.; detailed information on website; CODE 1K0-610; Members $100; Nonmembers $120

World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit

Exploring the Arts of Latin America

From colossal Olmec heads to the paintings of Frida Kahlo, Aztec temples to Mexican murals, this survey of Latin American art sweeps through the centuries and locations including ancient Mesoamerica, coastal Peru, and the top of the Andes. Michele Greet, professor of art history at George Mason University, traces the significant creators, works, influences, and trends that defined and shaped the arts of Latin America from their earliest expression through the 19th and 20th centuries.

4-session series: Thurs., Oct. 9–30, 12 p.m.; CODE 1J0-493; Members $100; Nonmembers $120

Book of Kells, Folio 7v, Madonna and Child

“Faith and Confidence,” 1958 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Photography

Omniscience, by José Clemente Orozco, 1925 (mural detail)

Mosaic of Justinian I (detail), Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, 547

Summer Classes

Last Chance to Register for these Classes

ART THEORY & PRACTICE

Visual Journaling: Creativity Workout

INSTRUCTOR: Renee Sandell

ONLINE: Sat., July 26, 12 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0YR; Members $80; Nonmembers $95

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Composition Studies

INSTRUCTOR: Shahin Talishkhan

ONLINE: Sat., Aug. 2–16, 2 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0YU; Members $135; Nonmembers $150

DRAWING

Introduction to Water-Soluble Colored Pencils

INSTRUCTOR: Lori VanKirk Schue

ONLINE: Thurs., July 3 and 10, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E00YA; Members $110; Nonmembers $135

NEW | Sketching the Smithsonian

Weekly Lunchtime Drawing Series

INSTRUCTOR: Morgan Kuster

FIVE ONLINE OPTIONS: Thurs., July 3 (1E0-0YV2); Thurs., July 10 (1E0-0YV3); Thurs., July 17 (1E0-0YV4); Thurs., July 24 (1E0-0YV5); Thurs., July 31 (1E00YV6); 12 p.m.; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

NEW | Drawing and Abstracting Inspired by the National Zoo

INSTRUCTOR: Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

ONLINE: Wed., July 9–30, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0XT; Members $140; Nonmembers $165

Digital Drawing Fundamentals

INSTRUCTOR: Mike O’Brien

ONLINE: Wed., Aug. 6, 6 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0XY; Members $60; Nonmembers $75

By Nick Cruz Velleman

By Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

By Eric Westbrook

NEW | Introduction to Portrait Drawing

INSTRUCTOR: Eric Westbrook

ONLINE: Wed., Aug. 6 and 13, 7 p.m.; CODE 1E00XW; Members $95; Nonmembers $110

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

NEW | Breaking the Line Contours Inspired by Delacroix and Rembrandt

INSTRUCTOR: Nick Cruz Velleman

ONLINE: Sun., Aug. 10, 10:15 a.m.; CODE 1E0-0WW; Members $60; Nonmembers $75

PAINTING

NEW | Studying Edward Hopper

INSTRUCTOR: Sandra Gobar

IN PERSON: Sun., Aug. 3 and 10, 11 a.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0WS; Members $135; Nonmembers $160

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Techniques in Modernist Painting

INSTRUCTOR: Shahin Talishkhan

ONLINE: Sat., July 12–Aug. 16, 10 a.m.; CODE 1E00YL; Members $240; Nonmembers $275

Abstract Watercolor

The Next Level

INSTRUCTOR: Heather Kerley ONLINE: Thurs., July 24–Aug. 14, 12 p.m., CODE 1E0-0YC; Members $145; Nonmembers $170

MIXED MEDIA

Off the Wall

Going 3D with Assemblage

INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Robinson IN PERSON: Sat., July 12–Aug. 2, 1 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0YJ; Members $140; Nonmembers $165

LIFELONG LEARNING

60

LIFELONG LEARNING

Cape Cod Morning by Edward Hopper, 1950

Summer Classes

Last Chance to Register for these Classes

NEW | Celebrating Smithsonian Gardens

From Sketching to Creating in 3D

INSTRUCTOR: Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

IN PERSON: Sun., July 20, 10:30 a.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0WT; Members $80; Nonmembers $95

Collage and Mixed Media: Animals and Nature

INSTRUCTOR: Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

ONLINE: Wed., July 9–30, 1:30 p.m.; CODE 1E00XP; Members $140; Nonmembers $165

Collage Jumpstart

INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Robinson

ONLINE: Tues., July 22–Aug. 12, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0XL; Members $140; Nonmembers $165

FIBER ARTS

Abstract Embroidery

INSTRUCTOR: Heather Kerley

ONLINE: Wed., July 23–Aug. 13, 12 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0XQ; Members $135; Nonmembers $160

Painted Embroidery Workshop

INSTRUCTOR: Heather Kerley

ONLINE: Sat., Aug. 2, 11 a.m.; CODE 1E0-0YS; Members $60; Nonmembers $75

OTHER MEDIA

The Art of Floral Design

INSTRUCTOR: Arrin Sutliff

ONLINE: Wed., July 9–Aug. 13, 7:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0XZ; Members $160; Nonmembers $195

NEW | Micro-Macramé Earrings

INSTRUCTOR: Mïa Vollkommer

ONLINE: Sat., July 12 and 19, 12 p.m.; CODE 1E00YQ; Members $130; Nonmembers $155

NEW | Geometric Bead Weaving Circles, Triangles, and Squares

INSTRUCTOR: Mïa Vollkommer

ONLINE: Sat., Aug. 2–16, 12 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0YT; Members $195; Nonmembers $220

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Art of Black-and-White Photography

INSTRUCTOR: Lewis Katz

ONLINE: Wed., July 9–30, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1E00XV; Members $130; Nonmembers $155

Photographic Creativity, Design, and Composition

INSTRUCTOR: Joe Yablonsky

ONLINE: Thurs., July 31–Aug. 14, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0YE; Members $135; Nonmembers $160

SCULPTURE

Small Sculptures in Wood

INSTRUCTOR: Jeremiah Gallay

IN PERSON: Sun., July 13–Aug. 10, 10:15 a.m., no class July 20; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0YW; Members $160; Nonmembers $185

By Sharon Robinson

By Heather Kerley

By Lewis Katz

LIFELONG LEARNING

By Heather Kerley

New Lecture Series

Essentials for Every Artist

Join practicing artists with deep knowledge about artist's materials and mediums who provide information and guidance on a variety of studio art topics. Each lecture explores an art medium, studio materials, or a specific art technique, with built-in time for your questions to be answered. Sessions are designed for artists of any level to learn or revisit material and tool details as well as ask questions that have arisen from their practice.

All About Paper

Learn all about paper for your different types of projects. Aspects such as weight, tooth, origin, costs, production, color additives, and which papers suit which mediums are covered.

INSTRUCTOR: Lori VanKirk Schue

ONLINE: Wed., Sept. 17, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0YZ; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Watercolor Supplies Demystified

This practical lecture covers essential tools, materials, tips, and tricks that are critical to the success of your journey as a watercolorist. Learn how to choose the best materials to prepare you for an easier start; enhance your painting experience; and confidently fit materials to your budget.

INSTRUCTOR: Cindy Briggs

ONLINE: Sat., Oct. 4, 11 a.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZC; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Graphite What You Need to Know

Learn about where graphite is sourced, what makes it different from other drawing mediums, grading hardness, and brands you can count on for consistency. Other topics include appropriate erasers, colored graphite, and the medium’s shiny finish.

INSTRUCTOR: Lori VanKirk Schue

ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 8, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZA; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Color Theory and Practice

INSTRUCTOR: Theresa Otteson

ONLINE: Thurs., Sept. 15–Oct. 20, 6:45 p.m., no class Sept. 22 and Oct. 13; CODE 1E0-AAR; Member $165; Nonmember $190

Charcoal Why Artists Love It

Charcoal is in every artist’s toolkit. As a medium it can stand alone, work with other mediums, or simply begin the artistic process. Learn how it is made, what makes the best charcoal, the different types, and whether it’s a dry or wet medium.

INSTRUCTOR: Lori VanKirk Schue

ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 15, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZB; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Starting Simple What You Need to Begin Oil Painting

For those getting started in oil painting, the array of available materials can feel overwhelming. This lecture offers an introduction to the basics needed to create a streamlined, effective setup.

INSTRUCTOR: Nick Cruz Velleman

ONLINE: Sat., Nov. 1, 10:15 a.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZD; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

By Peter Donahue

By Theresa Otteson

The Science of Mixing Paint

Learn how pigment properties influence the way paints mix and get a map for navigating, planning, and predicting paint mixtures. This is a good introduction to science-based color theory for artists.

INSTRUCTOR: Peter Donahue

ONLINE: Sat., Sept. 20, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ADC; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Color Theory and Chroma-psychology

INSTRUCTOR: Lori VanKirk Schue

ONLINE: Thurs., Sept. 18, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0ABS; Members $55; Nonmembers $70

Hues in Harmony

Maximizing Your Palette

INSTRUCTOR: Nick Cruz Velleman

ONLINE: Sun., Sept. 21–Oct. 19, 1:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ACS; Members $190; Nonmembers $225

Visual Journaling: Creativity Workout

INSTRUCTOR: Renee Sandell

TWO ONLINE OPTIONS: Sat., Sept. 27, 1 p.m. (CODE 1E0-ACH); Sat., Dec. 6, 1 p.m. (CODE 1E0-ACR); Members $80; Nonmembers $95

Developing Your Creative Practice

INSTRUCTOR: Kate Lewis

ONLINE: Mon., Sept. 29–Oct. 27, 10:30 a.m., no class Oct. 13, CODE 1E0-AAL; Members $215; Nonmembers $240

Artful Mind, Tranquil Mind

INSTRUCTOR: Sushmita Mazumdar

ONLINE: Mon., Sept. 29–Nov. 10, 12 p.m., no class Oct. 13; CODE 1E0-AAM; Members $105; Nonmembers $140

The Sketchbook Habit The Art of Everyday Life

INSTRUCTOR: Sue Fierston

ONLINE: Sun., Oct. 4, Nov. 1, and Nov. 22, 10 a.m.; CODE 1E0-ACL; Members $160; Nonmembers $185

DRAWING

Beginning Drawing

INSTRUCTOR: George Tkabladze

TWO IN-PERSON OPTIONS: Tues., Sept. 16–Nov. 18, 10:30 a.m., no class Sept. 23 and Nov. 11 (CODE 1E0-AAV); Tues., Sept. 16–Nov. 18, 2 p.m., no class Sept. 23 and Nov. 11 (CODE 1E0-AAW); Ripley Center; Members $275; Nonmembers $310

Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain

INSTRUCTOR: Shahin Talishkhan

IN PERSON: Sat., Nov. 1–Dec. 13, 10:15 a.m., no class Nov. 29; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0ACC; Members $235; Nonmembers $270

Figure Drawing

INSTRUCTOR: Shahin Talishkhan IN PERSON: Sat., Nov. 1–Dec. 13, 2:15 p.m., no class Nov. 29; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0ACD; Members $260; Nonmembers $295

FALL

Curating a Life: Art as Memoir

INSTRUCTOR: Renee Sandell

ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 8–Nov. 12, 3 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABH; Members $225; Nonmembers $260

Developing Your Sketchbook

INSTRUCTOR: Lori VanKirk Schue

ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 9 and 16, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABT; Members $105; Nonmembers $130

Coffee and Critiques

Artworks in 2-D Media

INSTRUCTOR: Nick Cruz Velleman

ONLINE: Sat., Nov. 1, 12:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0ACM; Members $30; Nonmembers $45

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit

Composition

Studies

INSTRUCTOR: Shahin Talishkhan

ONLINE: Wed., Nov. 5−19, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABN; Members $135; Nonmembers $160

Digital Drawing Fundamentals

INSTRUCTOR: Mike O’Brien

ONLINE: Wed., Sept. 17, 6:15 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABK; Members $60; Nonmembers $75

Drawing Techniques

Line, Shape, and Shading

INSTRUCTOR: Desarae Lee

ONLINE: Thurs., Sept. 18 and 25, 7:15 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABW; Members $90; Nonmembers $115

Beginning Drawing

INSTRUCTOR: Josh Highter

ONLINE: Sun., Sept. 21–Nov. 9, 10:15 a.m.; CODE 1E0-ACT; Members $270; Nonmembers $305

Student work

By Sue Fierston

By Renee Sandell

NEW CLASSES

Still Life in Charcoal

Working in charcoal, set up interesting still-life compositions and learn how to accurately represent the objects in your drawing using a variety of techniques.

INSTRUCTOR: Michelle Cobb

ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 8–Nov. 5, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZF; Members $185; Nonmembers $220

Introduction to Biological Illustration

Scientific illustration is art in the service of science. In this class on biological illustration, work with traditional media to learn how to create visuals that interpret data and scientific concepts.

INSTRUCTOR: Scott Rawlins

ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 8–Nov. 12, 11 a.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZE; Members $225; Nonmembers $260

Sketching the Smithsonian Weekly Lunchtime Drawing Series

Pull out your sketchbook and pencil to take an artful break as you explore the Smithsonian while drawing fall-themed objects from vast, fascinating collections.

INSTRUCTOR: Morgan Kuster

ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 9–Nov. 13, 12 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ADB; Members $95; Nonmembers $125; individual sessions also available

Digital Drawing: Remixing the Collection

Procreate for iPad contains powerful editing features, empowering artists to reference and remix existing images. Combine with Smithsonian Open Access— where you can download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images—and you have a recipe for tremendous artistic expression.

INSTRUCTOR: Mike O’Brien

ONLINE: Wed., Nov. 5, 6:15 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZG; Members $60; Nonmembers $75

Drawing Techniques Perspective

INSTRUCTOR: Desarae Lee

ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 2 and 9, 7:15 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABY; Members $90; Nonmembers $115

By Desarae Lee

By Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

Drawing Birds from Around the World

INSTRUCTOR: Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 23–Nov. 20, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABZ; Members $170; Nonmembers $210

Complete Colored Pencils

INSTRUCTOR: Lori VanKirk Schue

ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 23 and 30, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABV; Members $135; Nonmembers $160

LIFELONG LEARNING

By Mike O’Brien

By Michelle Cobb

By Scott Rawlins

By Morgan Kuster

By Lori VanKirk Schue

FALL

PAINTING

PERSON

An Introduction to Watercolor: Loose and Beautiful

INSTRUCTOR: Lubna Zahid

IN PERSON: Wed., Oct. 8–29, 10:15 a.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ABG; Members $165; Nonmembers $190

By Lubna Zahid

Beginning Oil Painting

INSTRUCTOR: Shahin Talishkhan IN PERSON: Sun., Nov. 2–Dec. 14, 10:15 a.m., no class Nov. 30; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ACW; Members $240; Nonmembers $275

Intermediate Oil Painting

INSTRUCTOR: Shahin Talishkhan IN PERSON: Sun., Nov. 2–Dec. 14, 2:15 p.m., no class Nov. 30; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ACX; Members $255; Nonmembers $290

NEW CLASSES

Watercolor Magic

Historic House Portraits

Learn about the principles and elements of design as you compose your own “portrait” of a historic house. Choose from locations like Mount Vernon, Gunston Hall, Monticello, Highland, and the White House or your own home.

INSTRUCTOR: Sharon McKittrick Boyle

IN PERSON: Tues., Sept. 16–Oct. 28, 12:30 p.m., no class Sept. 23; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0ZZ; Members $185; Nonmembers $220

Beginning Acrylic Painting

Step into the vibrant world of acrylic painting in this introductory course, which provides foundational information. You work on guided projects, from abstract to landscape to still life, exploring basic composition principles to create visually engaging pieces.

INSTRUCTOR: Carolyn Marshall

Wright

IN PERSON: Tues., Sept. 16–Oct. 28, 6 p.m., no class Sept. 23; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-AAA; Members $235; Nonmembers $270

Studio Arts classes are taught by professional artists and teachers. View detailed class descriptions and supply lists at SmithsonianAssociates.org/studio

By Sharon McKittrick Boyle

By Shahin Talishkhan

By Shahin Talishkhan

FALL

NEW CLASSES

Autumn

Sketching in the Smithsonian Gardens

October and November are magical in the Enid A. Haupt Garden. Sketch in this stunning garden using watercolors to capture the changing light of the season.

INSTRUCTOR: Sue Fierston

IN PERSON: Sat., Oct. 5 and Nov. 2, 10:15 a.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-AAF; Members $125; Nonmembers $150

Jump into Acrylics

Wonder of Watercolor

In this beginner class, learn critical components of the foundations of watercolor such as the paint-to-water ratio to mix the right value of colors, painting techniques, and value studies.

INSTRUCTOR: Lorrie Herman

IN PERSON: Tues., Sept. 16–Nov. 4, 11 a.m., no class Sept. 23 and Oct. 14; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-AAY; Members $200; Nonmembers $235

By Sue Fierston

Jump-start your journey into acrylic painting with this one-day immersive workshop. Get introduced to the basics and first steps, including how to use materials; touch on essential color theory; and explore this exciting medium with hands-on guided projects.

INSTRUCTOR: Carolyn Marshall Wright

IN PERSON: Sat., Oct. 25, 10:30 a.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-AAE; Members $140; Nonmembers $155

Functional Floor Art

Painting

Express your flair as you paint a floor art piece. With expert guidance, you design a distinctive mat to accent your home or give as a gift.

INSTRUCTOR: Mel Curtin

IN PERSON: Wed., Oct. 15, 1 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0ZP; Members $215; Nonmembers $230

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit

The 1860s Vision of Cézanne Figures, Portraits, Landscapes, and Still Lifes

Absorb yourself in the vibrant, expressive realm of Cézanne. Peer into the mindset of the beloved Impressionist and create inspired art in your choice of watercolor, pastel, or oils.

INSTRUCTOR: Sandra Gobar

IN PERSON: Sun., Nov. 2–16, 11 a.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-AAG; Members $125; Nonmembers $150

Read more about programs in this guide on our website. Search by code or date. Expanded program descriptions, presenters’ information, and more at SmithsonianAssociates.org.

The Gardener Vallier by Paul Cezanne, 1906

Student work

LIFELONG LEARNING

LIFELONG LEARNING

By Carolyn Marshall Wright

Introduction to Watercolor

INSTRUCTOR: Josh Highter

ONLINE: Mon., Sept. 15–Nov. 17, 6:30 p.m., no class Sept. 22 and Oct. 13; CODE 1E0-AAS; Members $275; Nonmembers $310

Landscape Elements in Watercolor

INSTRUCTOR: Lubna Zahid

ONLINE: Tues., Sept. 30–Dec. 2, 10 a.m., no class Nov. 11 and 25; CODE 1E0-ABE; Members $275; Nonmembers $310

Exploring Color in Watercolor

INSTRUCTOR: Lubna Zahid

ONLINE: Tues., Sept. 30–Dec. 2, 5 p.m., no class Nov. 11 and 25; CODE 1E0-ABF; Members $275; Nonmembers $310

Portrait Painting in Oil and Acrylic

INSTRUCTOR: Eric Westbrook

ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 8–Nov. 12, 7 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABM; Members $225; Nonmembers $260

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Sketching Turner

Expressing Atmosphere and Skies in Watercolor

INSTRUCTOR: Nick Cruz Velleman

ONLINE: Mon., Oct. 20–Nov. 17, 2:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-AAN; Members $190; Nonmembers $225

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Drawing Light

How the Masters Did It in Color

INSTRUCTOR: Nick Cruz Velleman

ONLINE: Mon., Oct. 20–Nov. 17, 10 a.m.; CODE 1E0-AAQ; Members $190; Nonmembers $225

NEW CLASSES

Continued Watercolor

If you have some watercolor experience, go beyond the basics of paint application and learn how to construct strong, vibrant, personality-filled painting while still receiving guidance on foundational components.

INSTRUCTOR: Josh Highter

Watercolor Beginning Techniques

This three-day watercolor workshop over the course of one week covers the basics that you need to get your watercolor practice started.

INSTRUCTOR: Jean Pederson

ONLINE: Mon., Sept. 15, Wed., Sept. 17, and Fri., Sept. 19, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZN; Members $125; Nonmembers $150

ONLINE: Thurs., Sept. 18–Nov. 13, 10:30 a.m., no class Oct. 2; CODE 1E0-ABQ; Members $275; Nonmembers $310

Still Life in Oil

Exploring

Color Through Observation

Discover the secrets of the Impressionists through the timeless art of still-life painting as you work from life to develop observational skills and explore the study of color.

INSTRUCTOR: Michelle Cobb

ONLINE: Tues., Oct. 7–Nov. 4, 1 p.m.; CODE 1E0-AAB; Members $200; Nonmembers $235

Beginning Oil Painting

INSTRUCTOR: Theresa Otteson

ONLINE: Mon., Oct. 27–Nov. 17, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1E0-AAT; Members $165; Nonmembers $190

Amaryllis in Watercolor

INSTRUCTOR: Cindy Briggs

ONLINE: Tues., Dec. 2 and Wed., Dec. 3, 6 p.m.; CODE 1E0-AAC; Members $135; Nonmembers $150

Essence Over Detail

Expression and Sketching in Watercolor

INSTRUCTOR: Nick Cruz Velleman

ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 29–Nov. 19, 10 a.m.; CODE 1E0-ABJ; Members $150; Nonmembers $175

By Josh Highter

By Jean Pederson

By Michelle Cobb

By Nick Cruz Velleman

By Nick Cruz Velleman

NEW CLASSES

Reverse Painting on a Glass Clock

Learn how to do a personalized painting on glass and add components to craft a functional clock.

INSTRUCTOR: Mel Curtin

ONLINE: Wed., Nov. 5 and 12, 7 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZQ; Members $90; Nonmembers $120

MIXED MEDIA

IN PERSON

Dissecting Design with Abstract

Collage

INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Robinson

IN PERSON: Tues., Sept. 16–Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m., no class Sept. 23; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0ABC; Members $165; Nonmembers $200

Paper Frenzy

INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Robinson IN PERSON: Sat., Sept. 20–Oct. 11, 1 p.m., Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ACB; Members $165; Nonmembers $190

Holiday Keepsake Ornaments

INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Robinson

IN PERSON: Sun., Dec. 7, 12 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ACE; Members $70; Nonmembers $85

Aloha Palette

Watercolor Escape to Hawai’i

Capture Hawai’i’s dramatic skies, shimmering sea, and sunlit essence with expressive, flowing watercolors.

INSTRUCTOR: Cindy Briggs

ONLINE: Wed., Nov. 19 and Thurs., Nov. 20, 6 p.m.; CODE 1E0-AAD; Members $135; Nonmembers $150

Resist!

Gel Prints Beyond the Ordinary

Oppose and defy the ordinary and mundane to create mixed-media gems using an array of resist materials on gel plates.

INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Robinson IN PERSON: Sun., Oct. 5 and 12, 12 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0ZS; Members $85; Nonmembers $110

Exploring Abstraction

INSTRUCTOR: Delna Dastur

ONLINE: Thurs., Sept. 18–Nov. 13, 12 p.m., no class Oct. 2; CODE 1E0-ABR; Members $260; Nonmembers $295

Mixed Media Art Warmups

INSTRUCTOR: Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

ONLINE: Mon., Oct. 27–Nov. 10, 1:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-AAP; Members $150; Nonmembers $175

Landscapes in Collage and Mixed Media

Discover the essence of what you see in landscapes near and far and respond by creating art in collage and mixed media. You are introduced to the materials, tools, and technologies to use.

INSTRUCTOR: Marcie Wolf-Hubbard ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 23–Nov. 20, 1:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0ABU; Members $175; Nonmembers $210

By Sharon Robinson

By Mel Curtin

By Sharon Robinson

By Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

By Cindy Briggs

By Sharon Robinson

Knitting for Beginners

INSTRUCTOR: Ann Richards

IN PERSON: Tues., Sept. 16–Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m., no class Sept. 23; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ABB; Members $155; Nonmembers $190

Wool Embroidery from the Andes

INSTRUCTOR: Susana Romero

IN PERSON: Sat., Sept. 20–Oct. 11, 1:30 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ACA; Members $160; Nonmembers $185

When Good Patterns Go Bad Avoiding and Fixing Knitting Mistakes

INSTRUCTOR: Ann Richards

IN PERSON: Tues., Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ABP; Members $45; Nonmembers $60

Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving Continued

Make a Table Runner

Level up your beginning weaving skills and create a distinctively textured, colorful table runner on your rigid heddle loom. Build on the plain weave structure with striking warp and weft float techniques.

INSTRUCTOR: Tea Okropiridze

ONLINE: Tues., Sept. 30–Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZK; Members $115; Nonmembers $140

Embroidery on Paper and Photographs

INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Howard

ONLINE: Sat., Oct. 4 and 11, 12 p.m.; CODE 1E0ACK; Members $110; Nonmembers $135

Quiltmaking for the Non-perfectionist

INSTRUCTOR: Lauren Kingsland

ONLINE: Sun., Nov. 9–23, 3 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZM; Members $125; Nonmembers $150

Constructing Quilts from Vintage Textiles

Create spectacular color combinations in your quilts as you build your color theory vocabulary and learn how to beautifully incorporate many types of printed fabric.

INSTRUCTOR: Lauren Kingsland

ONLINE: Sat., Oct. 4–Nov. 8, 10:30 a.m., no class Oct. 25; CODE 1E0-0ZL; Members $210; Nonmembers $245

Studio Arts classes are taught by professional artists and teachers. View detailed class descriptions and supply lists at SmithsonianAssociates.org/studio

Exploring Encaustic

INSTRUCTOR: Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

IN PERSON: Sun., Dec. 7, 10:30 a.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ACY; Members $170; Nonmembers $185

The Art of Floral Design

INSTRUCTOR: Arrin Sutliff

ONLINE: Wed., Sept. 17–Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m., no class Oct. 1; CODE 1E0-ABL; Members $160; Nonmembers $195 Related program: Famous Orchids in History, p. 31

Introduction to Beading

INSTRUCTOR: Mïa Vollkommer

ONLINE: Thurs., Sept. 18–Oct. 9, 7 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ABX; Members $195; Nonmembers $215

Contemporary Glass Mosaics

INSTRUCTOR: Bonnie Fitzgerald

ONLINE: Tues., Oct. 14–Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZU; Members $165; Nonmembers $190

LIFELONG LEARNING

By Tea Okropiridze

By Lauren Kingsland

By Arrin Sutliff

By Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

By Mïa Vollkommer

Takuga

Botanical Prints in Sumi Ink and Watercolor

INSTRUCTOR: Sue Fierston

ONLINE: Sat., Nov. 8, 10 a.m.; CODE 1E0-ACP; Members $80; Nonmembers $95

NEW CLASSES

Inspired by the Collections

Cold Connections and Alternative Materials

The jewelry in the Cooper Hewitt’s Susan Grant Lewin Collection embodies the ingenious use of alternative materials. Using the collection as an inspiration, students learn to refine readily available trash items into unique works of contemporary jewelry.

INSTRUCTOR: Mïa Vollkommer

ONLINE: Sat., Sept. 27–Nov. 1, 12 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZV; Members $225; Nonmembers $260

Read more about programs in this guide on the website. Search by code or date. Expanded program descriptions, presenters’ information, and more at SmithsonianAssociates.org

FALL

Handmade Holiday Cards

INSTRUCTOR: Karen Cadogan

ONLINE: Sat., Nov. 15, 10:30 a.m.; CODE 1E0-ACQ; Members $95; Nonmembers $115

Upcycled Aluminum Holiday Ornament

Select a pattern inspired by early 20th-century paper ornaments and learn simple metal embossing to transform an aluminum can into a holiday ornament or objet d’art for everyday decorating.

INSTRUCTOR: Mïa Vollkommer

ONLINE: Sat., Dec. 6, 12:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZX; Members $70; Nonmembers $85

Support Smithsonian Associates’ lifelong learning programs

Unlike the museums, Smithsonian Associates is not federally funded and relies entirely on donations and essential membership support to bridge the gap between program expenses and registration revenue. If the joy of learning enriches your life, please consider a charitable gift in support of the vibrant educational experiences that open the Smithsonian's world of knowledge to audiences across the country.

By Karen Cadogan

By Sue Fierston

By Mïa Vollkommer

By Mïa Vollkommer

LIFELONG LEARNING

n n n

PHOTOGRAPHY

Introduction to Photography

INSTRUCTOR: Andargé Asfaw

TWO IN-PERSON OPTIONS: Tues., Sept. 16–Nov. 18, 3 p.m., no class Sept. 23 and Nov. 11 (CODE 1E0-AAX); Tues., Sept. 16–Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m., no class Sept. 23 and Nov. 11 (CODE 1E0-AAZ); Ripley Center; Members $250; Nonmembers $285

On-Location Photography

INSTRUCTOR: Joe Yablonsky

IN PERSON: Sun., Oct. 5–Nov. 16, 1:45 p.m., Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ACU; Members $205; Nonmembers $240

The Exposure Triangle

INSTRUCTOR: Joe Yablonsky

IN PERSON: Tues., Oct. 7–28, 6 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ABD; Members $160; Nonmembers $185

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Cyanotype: Photography with the Sun

INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Howard

ONLINE: Sat., Sept. 20 and 27, 12 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ACG; Members $85; Nonmembers $110

Night Photography in Washington, D.C.

INSTRUCTOR: Joe Yablonsky

ONLINE: Thurs., Nov. 10 and 17, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-AAU; Members $90; Nonmembers $115 (Note: The first session of this class is conducted on Zoom, and the second session is in person in Washington, D.C.)

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SCULPTURE

Figure Sculpture

INSTRUCTOR: George Tkabladze

IN PERSON: Tues., Sept. 16–Nov. 18, 6 p.m., no class Sept. 23 and Nov. 11; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-ABA; Members $315; Nonmembers $350

Out of the Shadows

Film Noir Photography

Study the nuanced balance of value and light and shadow as you learn to apply the techniques of film noir style to your photography.

INSTRUCTOR: Lewis Katz

ONLINE: Mon., Oct. 20–Nov. 17, 7 p.m., no class Nov. 10; CODE 1E0-AAH; Members $135; Nonmembers $160

Main Street USA

Get out in your city or town and capture the unique qualities and attractions of your downtown area. Discuss techniques to capture vintage storefronts, signage, brickwork, alleys, mannequins, and reflections in the first session and participate in a photo review during the second session.

INSTRUCTOR: Joe Yablonsky

ONLINE: Thurs., Nov. 6 and 13, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-AAJ; Members $95; Nonmembers $120

Smartphone Photography

INSTRUCTOR: Sharmila Karamchandani

ONLINE: Sat., Oct. 25, 1:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ACJ; Members $80; Nonmembers $105

CALLIGRAPHY

Introduction to Foundational Hand Calligraphy

INSTRUCTOR: Sharmila Karamchandani

ONLINE: Sat., Sept. 20–Oct. 11, 1:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ACF; Members $140; Nonmembers $165

Introduction

to Pointed-Pen Calligraphy

INSTRUCTOR: Sharmila Karamchandani

ONLINE: Sat., Nov. 1–22, 1:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-ACN; Members $140; Nonmembers $165

Jazz It Up

Holiday Cards Using Pointed-Pen Calligraphy

Step up your card- and gift-giving game this holiday season with hand-drawn holiday-themed illustrations and borders using pointed-pen flourishes.

INSTRUCTOR: Sharmila Karamchandani

ONLINE: Sat., Dec. 6, 1:30 p.m.; CODE 1E0-0ZW; Members $70; Nonmembers $85

NEW CLASS

By Sharmila Karamchandani

By Joe Yablonsky

By Lewis Katz

By Joe Yablonsky

Flowers For a Country by Mindy Weisel (detail) Retail: $1200 Members: $1000*

Centerbeam! by Otto Piene (detail) Retail: $300 Members: $200*

August Breakfast/Maine by Carolyn Brady (detail)

$1200 Members: $800*

Blue Moonlight by April Gornik (detail) Retail: $1200 Members: $950*

Hopi Eagle Dance by Dan Namingha (detail) Retail: $1200 Members: $900*

Children with Flowers by Elizabeth Catlett (detail)

$1300 Members: $1075*

Smithsonian Associates expert-led Study Tours offer one-of-a-kind in-person experiences. They’re the perfect way to learn more about the places and topics that fascinate you, and you’re sure to discover plenty of new favorites along the way.

Beyond the Myth

Frida Kahlo at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Known for her deeply personal, surreal, and vibrant self-portraits, Frida Kahlo continues to fascinate the world with her trailblazing legacy, arresting gaze, and signature fashion. Yet, despite being one of the most documented artists of the 20th century, Kahlo remains an elusive figure, clouded by a mythology that was partly of her own making. “Frida: Behind the Myth” explores the defining moments of Kahlo’s life as depicted through self-portraits plus prints and photographs of her.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exhibition assembles more than 60 of the artist’s extraordinary paintings, drawings, and prints—many rarely seen outside of Mexico—in which she embedded vivid symbolic representations of her emotional state. Her self-portraits and still lifes are complemented by more than 30 prints and photographs of Kahlo by those closest to her, including her husband, Diego Rivera; Nickolas Muray; Lola Álvarez Bravo; Julien Levy; and her father, Guillermo Kahlo. These works trace the journey from her childhood in Mexico, through her turbulent marriage to Diego Rivera, to her flourishing career in Mexico and the U.S., and ultimately to her final years, marked by declining health. A guided tour of the exhibit is the centerpiece of a day that includes time to enjoy the museum’s extensive holdings.

After lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, visit the Latin Ballet of Virginia, where you meet company dancers and explore various styles of Latin dance, along with their cultural significance.

Arts journalist Richard Selden leads the tour.

Thurs., July 17, 7:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-058; Members $210; Nonmembers $270

Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs

New Deal Projects, Part 2

President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal left a tangible mark on the United States, with over 500 public works projects in Washington, D.C., alone. Join author David Taylor for a walking tour in Washington that focuses on landmarks, art, and other still-visible signs from the New Deal period not seen on the previous tour.

Begin at the John Adams Building of the Library of Congress to discuss the public sculptures and dramatic doors by Lee Lawrie, a renowned architectural sculptor. Highlights along the route include murals by 20th-century masters at the old Social Security Administration building; the Bureau of Engraving & Printing annex, described in 1938 as the world’s largest reinforced concrete factory-scale structure; and a discussion of New Deal renovations on the National Mall. Conclude at the Jefferson Memorial, designed by John Russell Pope and dedicated by Roosevelt himself amid a public debate about the role of public works.

Taylor is the author of Soul of a People: The WPA Writers’ Project Uncovers Depression America.

THREE OPTIONS: Fri., Sept. 12 (CODE 1CW-A06); Fri., Sept. 19 (CODE 1CW-B06); Fri., Sept. 26 (CODE 1CW-C06); 10 a.m.–12 p.m.; detailed tour information on website; Members $55; Nonmembers $70

Frida on White Bench by Nickolas Muray, 1939

Walking Tour

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit

2-Day Tour

An Artful Weekend in New York

The Frick Collection, Neue Galerie New York, and Morgan Library & Museum

Discover three of New York City’s most renowned cultural treasures, starting with the Frick Collection, newly reopened after four years of restoration.

Led by art historian Judy Pomeranz, spend an immersive afternoon at the Frick Collection exploring artwork spanning from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. Wander through masterpieces by Old Masters such as Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Goya and the collection of decorative arts and period rooms. These beautifully preserved spaces offer a glimpse into the lavish lives of New York’s Gilded Age elite. The heart of the Frick, the serene Garden Court, provides a peaceful retreat year-round.

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Sunday morning begins with a private tour before opening hours of the Neue Galerie New York’s main collection and a special exhibition, “German Masterworks from the Neue Galerie.” The exhibition showcases significant German art from 1890 to 1940, highlighting movements like Die Brücke, Der Blaue Reiter, Neue Sachlichkeit, and Bauhaus. Works by Kirchner, Kandinsky, Dix, and Klee are featured, along with a powerful piece by Felix Nussbaum that reflects the horrors of the National Socialist era.

The Morgan Library & Museum’s architectural histor y is as rich as its collections of over 350,000 illuminated manuscripts, rare books, literary and historical manuscripts, music manuscripts, and drawings, spanning from antiquity to the present day. Designed in 1904 by architect Charles Follen McKim for banking magnate Pierpont Morgan, the private library includes original manuscripts by Charles Dickens and Leonardo da Vinci. A guided tour of the museum offers a curated exploration of its treasures, followed by time to explore on your own.

Tour participants stay at the Art Deco-era Hotel Edison in the heart of the Theater District. The location is perfect for visiting the TKTS booth for discount tickets to a show on Saturday evening, which is yours to fill. An early three-course supper is included before you set off on Sunday.

Sat., Aug. 23, 8 a.m.–Sun., Aug. 24, 10:30 p.m., by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CN-FNM; Members $643; Nonmembers $857

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A Gutenberg Bible at the Morgan Library & Museum

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Wright’s Pennsylvania Legacy

Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob in the Laurel Highlands

Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America’s most innovative architects, experimented with new ways to design homes and integrate them into nature. Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob are prime examples of this organic architecture. See them both when you travel to the scenic Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania for a day with Bill Keene, a lecturer on architecture, urban history, and city planning.

Fallingwater, perhaps Wright’s best-known structure, was designed in 1936 as a mountain retreat for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh. Cantilevered over a waterfall, the home is one of the most frequently photographed works of architecture. It is also the only major Wright house with its setting, original furnishings, and artworks intact. And it is one of 26 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States.

Constructed of Tidewater red cypress and native fieldstone, the house on Kentuck Knob appears almost a part of the mountain on which it is built. Designed in 1953 for the I.N. Hagan family, Kentuck Knob now houses furnishings and art of the current owners, Lord Peter and Lady Hayat Palumbo. Sun., Sept. 14, 7 a.m.–9:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-060; Members $250; Nonmembers $310

Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs

Walking Tour

Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place of over 400,000 American veterans and family members. As the largest military cemetery in the world, it preserves the history of the United States’ past. Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, leads a visit to the 640-acre cemetery that includes stops at the graves of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy, Arlington House, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Since 1864, Arlington National Cemetery has served as the final resting place for veterans of every military conflict. Learn about the fraught origins of the cemetery in the midst of the Civil War, view the original home of the Custis-Lee family, and enjoy beautiful vistas across the Potomac River of Washington, D.C. Visit two presidential burial sites: those of Kennedy, including the eternal flame, and William Howard Taft. See the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

THREE OPTIONS: Thurs., Sept. 18 (CODE 1CW-A07); Fri., Sept. 19 (CODE 1CW-B07); Sat., Sept. 20 (CODE 1CW-C07); 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; detailed tour information on website; Members $50; Nonmembers $65

Read more about programs in this guide on our website. Search by code or date. Expanded program descriptions, presenters’ information, and more at SmithsonianAssociates.org.

Bus Tour

2-Day Tour

Experience Lancaster

Amish Traditions, Farms, and Food

Nestled in the countryside of Pennsylvania, Lancaster County is home to one of the oldest and largest Amish communities in the United States. Known for its picturesque farmlands, traditional way of life, and rich history, this region offers a rare glimpse into a culture that has remained largely unchanged for centuries. An immersive journey explores the traditions, hospitality, and craftsmanship that make Lancaster a unique destination.

Begin at the Amish Experience Theater with a viewing of the film Jacob’s Choice, which offers a look into the traditions and challenges of Amish life. Follow it with a tour of an authentic one-room schoolhouse and homestead. A bus ride through the scenic countryside takes the group past rolling fields, horse-drawn buggies, and farms. Stop at the home of an Amish family, who share insights about their way of life, values, and customs in a conversation with tour participants.

During the afternoon, learn about traditional cheese-making at a goat farm and explore the skills and heritage behind Amish goods at a quilt shop, a bakery, and the workshop of a leather craftsman. The day concludes with a traditional Amish dinner in a private home. Settle in for the night at the Lancaster Country Inn, a local family-owned hotel.

The following day, step back in time at the Ephrata Cloister, an 18th-century religious community known for its distinctive Germanic architecture, printing press, and unique way of life. A city tour with a local guide includes Lancaster Central Market, the oldest operating public market in America. Conclude at a local distillery and enjoy a guided tasting of the region’s small-batch spirits.

Fri., Sept. 19, 8 a.m.–Sat., Sept. 20, 7 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1NN-LAN; Members $656; Nonmembers $865

Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs

Historic Chestertown

With a Cruise on the Schooner Sultana

Spend an unforgettable day exploring the rich history of the Chesapeake Bay with regional historian Hayden Mathews. The journey begins as Mathews weaves together the geological, environmental, maritime, cultural, and architectural threads that have shaped the region. This legacy comes to life as you explore historic Chestertown, Maryland, and embark on a 2.5-hour sail aboard the Sultana, a replica 1768 topsail schooner.

Founded in 1704, Chestertown enjoyed a lucrative maritime trade that fueled the local economy and funded construction of the Georgian brick mansions that still line the streets. The original Boston-built Sultana patrolled the coastline of colonial North America in the 18th century, enforcing the hated Townsend Acts or “tea taxes.” The replica Sultana was built by the city’s Sultana Educational Foundation to serve as a floating classroom where the public can learn about regional maritime history and have a hands-on experience focused on Chesapeake Bay ecology.

Meet Chris Cerino, a former Chestertown mayor and vice president of the Sultana Education Foundation, who leads a walking tour of the town’s National Register Historic District in which he spotlights buildings of special interest and shares stories about local history. The tour concludes at the headquarters of the foundation, where Cerino orchestrates a unique multimedia presentation on the bay’s cultural and natural histories.

Participants have midday lunch at a restaurant and have afternoon free time following the last tour and sailing. Sun., Sept. 21, 7:45 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1ND-016; Members $225; Nonmembers $285

Ephrata Cloister

A reproduction of the 1768 schooner Sultana under full sail on the upper Chesapeake Bay

Bus Tour

The Smithsonian Greenhouses and How They Grow

Discover what it takes to keep the Smithsonian’s many gardens and interior plant displays looking their best all year round. Smithsonian horticulturist Vickie DiBella takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Smithsonian Gardens Greenhouse Facility in Suitland, Maryland, whose greenhouses provide plants for the institution’s gardens and horticultural exhibits.

Learn how staff care for the acres of annual bedding plants destined for the Smithsonian’s gardens, as well as the huge tropical specimens that hibernate for the winter at the greenhouses. The 10-acre facility includes growing areas, exterior storage, and greenhouses devoted to tropical plants, interior display plants, and nectar plants used for the Butterfly Pavilion at the National Museum of Natural History.

Get a close-up look at the thousands of plants in the Smithsonian Orchid Collection. Find out about the environmental control systems needed to nurture all the plants and get a preview of the plants that will add their color to the Smithsonian’s fall displays.

Thurs., Sept. 25, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CS-006; Members $50; Nonmembers $65

Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs

Gettysburg: The Battlefield and Beyond

Some 160,000 soldiers, both Union and Confederate, fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. For three days, farmers, teachers, factory workers, and students turned soldiers—many of whom had never picked up a weapon before the war—confronted the horrors of battle. Historian Christopher Hamner leads a journey across the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg, exploring soldiers’ personal stories.

Beginning on the battlefield, explore sites like Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, and East Cemetery Hill while discussing the psychological toll of combat and living in the trenches. A visit to the Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center adds another layer to understanding the soldiers’ experience. The cupola of the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg served as a key lookout for Union Brig. Gen. John Buford and Lt. Aaron Jerome. From July 1 to July 5, the building was held by Confederates, then used to house wounded Union soldiers. After the Confederate retreat, the Union army reclaimed it, turning it into one of Gettysburg’s largest field hospitals.

Lunch is served at Dobbin House Tavern, a historic landmark built in 1776. During and after the battle, the tavern was repurposed as a temporary field hospital.

Sun., Sept. 28, 8 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-061; Members $211; Nonmembers $271

Read more about programs in this guide on our website. Search by code or date. Expanded program descriptions, presenters’ information, and more at SmithsonianAssociates.org.

Walking Tour

Gettysburg battlefield monuments

Bus Tour

Smithsonian greenhouses in Suitland, Maryland

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit

5-Day Tour

Art Along Long Island Sound

The Hamptons and Beyond

New York’s fabled Hamptons—where privet hedges hide grand estates and Modernist homes overlook the Atlantic surf—are more than an elite summer resort. The stark natural beauty of Long Island’s South Fork has inspired painters from William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam to Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Lee Krasner.

Participants in a 5-day tour led by arts journalist Richard Selden encounter works by these artists and others at the Parrish Art Museum in the Southampton hamlet of Water Mill and at Guild Hall in the Village of East Hampton. The group also visits the former home and studio of Krasner and Pollock in the Town of East Hampton and the dune-bordered fishing village of Montauk at the island’s easternmost point.

Traveling from Washington, spend time in Brooklyn and visit Prospect Park—a favorite subject of Chase—and the Brooklyn Museum to enjoy galleries in its American Art wing after reinstallations. Enjoy two art-filled days in the Hamptons, then ferry across Long Island Sound to New London, Connecticut, for an afternoon in the charming village of Mystic. After a night in New Haven at a hotel designed by Bauhaus master Marcel Breuer, the Yale University Art Gallery provides the tour’s concluding art experience on the return trip.

Sat., Oct. 4, 8 a.m.–Wed., Oct. 8, 9:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1NN-HAM; Members $2,130; Nonmembers $2,840

Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs

Jewels of Queens

Arts journalist Richard Selden continues his series of overnight trips to New York City’s outer boroughs with this visit to the largest of all, Queens—home of the Mets, the U.S. Open, and two of the metropolitan area’s three major airports. Site of the fictional Astoria residence of TV’s Archie and Edith Bunker and the actual former Corona residence of Louis and Lucille Armstrong, Queens in recent decades has transformed into the most ethnically diverse of the five boroughs. The Number 7 train on the Flushing Line is now nicknamed the International Express.

Among the jewels of Queens on the itinerary are Flushing Meadows Corona Park, site of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs; the Museum of the Moving Image, a movie and television museum located in the historic (and reborn) Astoria Studio complex; the Noguchi Museum, where the full range of the Modernist sculptor’s work is displayed; and the Louis Armstrong House Museum. To sample the borough’s international cuisine, an Asian lunch in Flushing and a Greek dinner in Astoria are included.

The overnight accommodations spotlight another of the borough’s standouts: the TWA Hotel. Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 TWA Flight Center at Idlewild (now JFK) airport was restored and reimagined as a first-class hotel that celebrates the Jet-Age glamour of the 1960s.

Sun., Nov. 9, 7 a.m.–Mon., Nov. 10, 9 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1NNQUE; Members $685; Nonmembers $850

The tour visits the former home and studio of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner in the Town of East Hampton, as well as other notable sites in the area

2-Day Tour

2-Day Tour

Staunton, Shakespeare, and Steam

Fall in the Shenandoah Valley

Nestled in the heart of scenic Shenandoah Valley, Staunton, Virginia, is alive with history, culture—and a little steam. Washington, D.C., area guide Lynn O’Connell leads a weekend getaway that offers a sampling of Staunton’s best sights plus a train excursion.

Upon arriving in Staunton, visit Blackfriars Playhouse, the only replica of Shakespeare’s indoor theater, where the magic of the bard’s works comes alive. Delve into the world of theater with a backstage tour, during which guides take you around the playhouse, share secrets and anecdotes, and offer insights into the playhouse’s inner workings. After lunch, embark on a journey with two friends, Valentine and Proteus, as they navigate love, friendship, and betrayal in The Two Gentlemen of Verona’s tale of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements. Dinner is on your own in downtown Staunton.

SOLD OUT

On Sunday, hit the streets for a leisurely walking tour of Staunton led by local guides before boarding the Virginia Scenic Railway for a breathtaking 3-hour train journey on the Blue Ridge Flyer. See the communities of Staunton, Fishersville, and Waynesboro from a distinctive perspective before ascending roughly 1,000 feet to the entrance of the Blue Ridge Tunnel, which is nearly a mile long and hundreds of feet below the mountain summit. After the Flyer emerges, views beckon around every rock-cut bend from Afton eastward. The train turns around in Ivy for the return journey. Lunch on-board is included.

The day concludes back in Staunton with a visit to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum. A guided tour through the historic home offers insights into President Wilson’s life, leadership, and impact on American history.

Sat., Oct. 18, 7:30 a.m.–Sun., Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CN-SSO; Members $671; Nonmembers $895

Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs

2-Day Tour

Unearthing Egypt at The Met and the Brooklyn Museum

Step back in time to the land of the pharaohs and take a journey through two of New York’s most prestigious cultural institutions: the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. Each museum offers a captivating lens into the world of ancient Egypt.

The Brooklyn Museum houses a rich, thoughtfully curated Egyptian collection that illuminates the daily life, religious beliefs, and funerary practices of ancient Egyptians. On your guided visit, learn about Charles Edwin Wilbour, a self-taught Egyptologist whose numerous acquisitions in Egypt, including eight Elephantine papyri, form the core of the Brooklyn Museum collection. Visit the Assyrian collection, which features 12 huge reliefs from the palace of Ashur-nasir-pal II at Nimrud, excavated by A. H. Layard in the 1840s.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art boasts the most extensive collection of Egyptian antiquities in North America, featuring monumental sculptures, intricate artifacts, and the awe-inspiring Temple of Dendur, completed by 10 B.C.E. by the Roman emperor Augustus. A full-day visit includes a guided tour through the Lila Acheson Wallace Galleries of Egyptian Art with your study leader. Learn how the artifacts illuminate many of the best-known stories in the Bible, especially from the book of Exodus. The visit also includes a docent-led tour of highlights of the museum’s collections and time to view other galleries, including the relatively recently renovated Byzantine and medieval wing.

Biblical scholar and historian Gary Rendsburg leads this exploration of ancient Egyptian culture.

Sun., Nov. 16, 7:30 a.m.–Mon., Nov. 17, 10:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CN-EGY; Members $653; Nonmembers $871

Staunton’s Beverley Street

A performance of The Taming of the Shrew at Blackfriars Playhouse

The Temple of Dendur at The Met

Effective April 1, 2025

Smithsonian Associates Membership Levels and Benefits

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Ability to purchase one registration per program at the discounted member price

Subscription to the monthly Smithsonian Associates program guide

Subscription to the monthly Smithsonian Associates digital program guide

Access to members-only in-person and online programs

Access to free Associates in-person and online programs as available (notification sent via email)

3-day viewing access to Associates Encores recordings of online programs (some exclusions apply)

Subscription to the Smithsonian Associates Digital Digest

Ability to purchase up to four registrations per program at the discounted member price

Smithsonian magazine delivered to your home

Ability to purchase up to six registrations per program at the discounted member price

Member discounts on Art Collectors Program fine-art prints

Advance digital copy of the monthly Smithsonian Associates program guide

Two complimentary registrations for an online program, in-person lecture, or performance (value equal to $35 per registration or less)

Priority consideration for wait-listed programs (some exclusions apply)

Advance registration for high-demand programs (notification sent via email)

Ability to participate in Smithsonian Summer Camp registration lottery

Two complimentary registrations for a Smithsonian Insider event

No $3 phone order processing fees for program registrations conducted over the phone

Monthly donor preview digital communications for select upcoming programs

NEW: Registration access to complimentary Associates Insider Tours in Washington, D.C. (notification sent via email)

Copy of the Smithsonian’s annual report

Recognition on the Smithsonian Associates website, in the program guide’s annual donor list, and on the annual plaque at our headquarters in Washington, D.C.

One gift membership at the Explorer level to give to a family member or friend (restrictions apply)

Reserved seating at most Smithsonian Associates in-person programs

Invitations to backstage meet-and-greets at select Smithsonian Associates in-person programs

Dedicated concierge phone line for inquiries and program registration

Invitation for two to the prestigious annual Smithsonian Weekend

Recognition in the Smithsonian’s annual report

Four complimentary registrations for an online program or in-person lecture (value equal to $35 per registration)

Additional 20% discount on member prices for Art Collectors Program fine-art prints

Two gift memberships at the Explorer level to give to family members or friends (restrictions apply)

Special event invitations as available

Quarterly Director’s Roundtable digital communications (opportunities to gather in person when applicable)

Invitation to a private event with members of Associates’ leadership

Program Planner (New listings in red); (In-person programs•)

Courses, Performances, and Lectures—Multi-Session

Wed., July 16 and 23

Maurice Ravel: Polished Perfection, Hidden Genius

Mon., July 28, Aug. 18, and Sept. 29 The Age of World's Fairs

Tues., July 29–Aug. 26

Understanding

Thurs., Aug. 7, 14, and 21

Reflective Writing Workshops

Sat., Aug. 23

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra

Tues., Sept. 2–16

Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired

Wed., Sept. 3–24

Expressionism: The Art

Lectures and Seminars—Single

Sat., Oct. 4, Nov. 1, and Dec. 13

Reading Dante’s Divine Comedy

Tues., Oct. 7–28

Ballet Music: The Soul of Movement

Oct. 8–29

Thurs., Oct. 9–30

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