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 that visit a range of local and regional destinations in the Washington, D.C. area.

Thinking Like a Historian

Sat., Aug. 26

Control Your Heart Disease Risk

Wed., July 26

Physician John Whyte separates heart-health fact from fiction and provides practical advice that can help reduce your risk of a heart attack.

(see p. 25)

Christopher Hamner, an associate professor of American history at George Mason University, guides you in how to think about and interpret the past in this unique workshop.

(see p. 9)

Musical Event

Smithsonian Chorus: Legends of Song

Thurs., Sept. 7–Nov. 2

Ernest Johnson leads the ensemble in arrangements of the hits you know and love, such as songs by the Beatles, Carole King, the Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, and others. Rehearsals culminate in a free performance on Nov. 9. No audition is required.

(see p. 19)

When Washington Burned

Thurs., Aug. 24

Historian

Robert P. Watson examines the British campaign and American missteps that led to the fall of Washington during the War of 1812.

(see p. 8)

An Introduction to Sake

Thurs., Aug. 10 with tastings

Learn about sake’s history, how it’s made, and how it’s categorized with sake expert and sake sommelier Jessica Joly-Crane.

(see p. 14)

Studio Arts

Let your creative side shine in a wide variety of hands-on classes including photography, drawing, painting, calligraphy, fiber arts, and mixed-media, geared to all experience levels and led by professional artists.

(see pp. 38–39)

Read more about these in-person programs in this guide on our website.

Naples and the Amalfi Coast: A Delicious Guide

Tues., Sept. 26 with tastings

Food historian Francine Segan leads a delightful exploration of the foods and sights of Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Pompeii. A reception follows the program featuring regional delights; take home recipes for creating your own delicious Neapolitan specialties.

(see p. 15)

Tours

Our expert-led tours offer oneof-a-kind travel experiences. They’re perfect ways to learn more about topics that intrigue you—and satisfy your yen for exploring fascinating places.

(see pp. 49–57)

SmithsonianAssociates.org

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

How FDR Challenged the Nation From Isolation to Ally

In 1938, when Nazi Germany seized land from Czechoslovakia, the military force of an isolationist United States was smaller than Portugal’s. But that same year, President Franklin Roosevelt’s order to dramatically expand domestic U.S. airplane production was the first step in the monumental transformation of American enterprise that brought victory in World War II, as well as ended the Great Depression, gave rise to middleclass affluence and a consumer society, and triggered an economic, military, and scientific boom that turned America into the undisputed leader of world affairs.

Historian Craig Nelson shares how FDR’s skillful leadership turned a nation wary of war into an arsenal of democracy ready to take on the dangers of another world war.

Nelson’s book V Is for Victory (Simon and Schuster) is available for purchase.

Mon., July 10, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-777; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Planning Operation Overlord Behind the Normandy Invasion

From the vantage point of 79 years, the monumental Normandy invasion smoothly unfolded on June 6, 1944, according to a meticulously detailed plan, with 3 million men, 47 divisions, and 6,000 ships piercing Nazi defenses in an inevitable and unstoppable march to Berlin.

In reality, Operation Overlord was an almost-impossible political and logistical nightmare to conceive and execute, with the Allied high command weighing and discarding many options for landing sites, dates, and equipment, then pulling together the ultimate battle plan in secret. The daring cross-Channel operation opened a new Western front, striking a psychological blow to the German military.

David Eisenhower, director of the Institute for Public Service at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, provides a wider panorama of the daring D-Day invasion led by his grandfather General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force.

Thurs., July 13, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-771; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Why We Fight American Propaganda in World War II

The full mobilization of American society during the Second World War prompted a massive advertising campaign from the federal government’s Office of War Information (OWI). That campaign had many facets, including a sizable print campaign that targeted public spaces. The posters that emerged from the OWI remain some of the most eye-catching and iconic mass-audience images in historical memory.

Historian Christopher Hamner explores those well-known posters, focusing on two important themes: the differing portrayals of America’s enemies and the evolution of what were deemed acceptable roles for men and women amid the turmoil of war.

JUL 17 This Is the Enemy

JUL 24 We Can Do It

2 sessions: Mon., July 17 and 24, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-020; Members $40; Nonmembers $45

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

Four Royal Marriages

Unions That Shaped the Monarchy

Royal weddings today are all about the beautiful dress, the surprising hats, the ride in the carriage, the flowers, and the kiss on the balcony. Even before television and cell phones, the public nature of a royal wedding captured the attention of people all over the world. But did it matter after the grand celebration was over? At certain points in history, the marriages of royal family members shifted the course of the monarchy and strengthened its place.

Historian and author Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger, former manager of visitor education at the Folger Shakespeare Library, examines four marriages that influenced the evolution and existence of the English and British monarchy, from the 14th century to today.

10 a.m. Edward III and Philippa of Hainault: A Great Marriage of the Middle Ages

11:30 a.m. Henry VII and Elizabeth of York: Establishing the Tudor Dynasty

12:45 p.m. Break

1:15 p.m. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert: The International Power Couple

2:45 p.m. Bertie and Elizabeth: The Family and the Future of the Monarchy

Sat., July 8, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; CODE 1M2-269; Members $80; Nonmembers $90

The Making of England

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1854

England is by far the largest and most populous of the three nations that occupy the island of Britain, but how did its borders take their current shape, and why did Wales and Scotland maintain their distinctive national identities, despite eventually coming under English rule?

Historian Jennifer Paxton recounts how Germanic settlers mixed with the existing Celticspeaking population at the end of Roman rule in Britain, leading to the rise of several small kingdoms that coalesced into the entity that we know as England.

Thurs., Sept. 7, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-274; Members $30; Nonmembers $35

Scandalous Royals from George III to Charles III

Scandals about the royals have always been more than just fodder for the tabloids. They tell us a great deal about the power of public opinion, especially as Britain became an increasingly democratic nation, and how the royals have carefully crafted an image that balances their special status with a veneer of “ordinariness.”

Historian Julie Taddeo discusses several royal-family scandals from the reigns of “Mad King” George to the most recently crowned monarch. She highlights scandals that circulated around Charles III during his days as Prince of Wales and those involving his sons and daughters-in-law, particularly how “Megxit” echoes scandals past. The death of Queen Elizabeth II severed the nation’s most important tie to its imperial history and sense of greatness. Taddeo speculates if and how the monarchy can survive in a post-Brexit world under the rule of an elderly king.

Wed., Sept. 20, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1L0-529; Members $20; Nonmembers $25