Why does this month’s cover feature an item of furniture?
The straightforward beauty of this oak linen press created in New York state around 1904 exemplifies the aesthetic philosophy of the Arts and Craft movement, which emerged in England during the late Victorian era (p. 33). It also reflects the diversity of international influences that shaped American history and culture across the centuries—a theme shared by several programs in this month’s guide.
Men of Irish heritage played crucial roles in fighting the American Revolution. Their numbers included generals, enlistees, and even spies—notably Hercules Mulligan, portrayed in the musical Hamilton. A specialist in early American history explores the Revolution from the perspective of the Irish and their descendants in this country (p. 8). The fight for America’s independence took place against a global backdrop of revolutionary fervor. Compare and contrast two of the groundbreaking documents that defined the period: the U.S. Declaration of Independence and France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (p. 9).
New York City in the early decades of the last century held both challenges for immigrants and dreamed-of opportunities in its melting pot. A writer’s story of his Southern Italian grandfather’s journey to New York at the height of the immigration boom also tells a wider one: the enduring impact of Italian Americans on our country (p. 9).
The Yiddish-language theaters on the city’s Lower East Side played an essential role for the Eastern and Central European immigrants making their way in a new land—who would in turn shape the American entertainment industry for decades to come (p. 15).
If you’re hearing Yanks speak in a way that conjures up teatime at Downton Abbey or a night at the pub with the “EastEnders” crowd, it’s not a one-off, mate. A language commentator explores why many Americans today are keen to adopt British spellings, pronunciations, and grammar, from the posh to the cheeky (p. 19).
Thanks to visionary philanthropist James Smithson, today’s Smithsonian is an all-American icon with real British roots. We’re chuffed (which means delighted) to spotlight the best of it for you in Associates’ programs.
Frederica R. Adelman, Director adelmanf@si.edu
October 2024
On the cover: Linen press, Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony, Woodstock, New York, 1904
Courtesy of The Met Fifth Avenue
Programs with these icons showcase Smithsonian’s world of knowledge and long-term initiatives facebook.com/smithsonianassociates instagram.com/smithsonianassociates issuu.com/smithsonianassociatesprograms
Photo:
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
Al Roker and Courtney Roker Laga
Fri., Oct. 18
Join Al Roker and his daughter Courtney Roker Laga, a chef by training, as they discuss the food they enjoy as a family and what it was like to write a cookbook together. Copies of Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By: Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion (Legacy Lit) are available for purchase. (see p. 15)
An Evening with Henry Winkler
Mon., Oct. 21
For amplifying public awareness of dyslexia—with which he was diagnosed at 31—Henry Winkler will be honored by the John P. McGovern Award from Smithsonian Associates. The presentation highlights an evening in which he discusses his career, stardom, and how his advocacy connects to his roles as an actor, author, comedian, producer, and director. (see p. 15)
Bobby Flay: Chapter One
Fri., Nov. 1
Chef, author, restaurateur, and TV personality Bobby Flay shares insights into his remarkable life and career in his latest cookbook, Bobby Flay: Chapter One. Join him for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the culinary world that shaped him. (see p. 18)
Studio Arts
Let your creative side shine in a wide variety of hands-on classes led by professional artists. (see pp. 39–42)
Sat., Nov. 16
Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi started Bake Club at the height of the pandemic, and ever since she and her followers have been gathering on social media and getting busy in the kitchen. Join Tosi as she discusses what Bake Club means to her and shares recipes from her newest cookbook and a few baking tips along the way. (see p. 18)
Smithsonian Chamber Music Society
Under artistic director Kenneth Slowik, the 48th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the late-16th to the early 21st century, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments. The repertoire ranges from acclaimed masterpieces to obscure gems by lesser-known composers. (see p. 14)
The Axelrod String Quartet Season-opening concerts: Sat., Oct. 5 and Sun., Oct. 6
Masterworks of Five Centuries
Season-opening concerts: Sat., Nov. 2 and Sun., Nov. 3
Tours
Our expert-led tours offer one-of-a-kind travel experiences. (see pp. 52–56)
Christina Tosi’s Bake Club
2024–2025 Concert Season
Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.
Bloody Tuesday
The Untold Story of the Struggle for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa
On Bloody Sunday (March 7, 1965), activist John Lewis led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and faced attacks by oncoming state troopers. That violence shocked the nation, yet the previous year an even more brutal incident dubbed Bloody Tuesday took place in Tuscaloosa.
Historian John M. Giggie tells the dramatic story of one of the most violent episodes of the civil rights movement: a pivotal moment in a Southern city unwilling to shed its long history of racial control and Klan brutality until forced to do so by armed Black self-defense groups, a bus boycott, and the federal government.
Giggie’s new book, Bloody Tuesday: The Untold Story of the Struggle for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa (Oxford University Press), is available for purchase.
Over the past half century, dwarves, hobbits, magic, dragons, runes, and other staples of fantastic realms have become entrenched in popular culture, from The Lord of the Rings to the Harry Potter series. There are substantive historical inspirations behind these phenomena. Historian Justin M. Jacobs discusses the evolving conceptions of fantastic elements in Eurasian history and lays bare the truth behind what he sees as four distorted myths of fantasy in our culture surrounding magic; elves, dwarves and hobbits; Norse runes; and medieval bestiaries.
18th-century book of magical spells
19th-century depiction of dwarves illustrating the poem “Völuspá” by Lorenz Frølich, 1895
It is estimated that in prehistoric societies children made up between 40 to 65 percent of the population, yet by default, our ancestral landscapes are peopled by adults who hunt, gather, fish, shape tools, and make art. But these busy grown-ups had to make space physically, emotionally, intellectually, and cognitively for the infants, children, and adolescents around them.
Utilizing evidence from the tiniest deciduous teeth in South Africa to richly adorned burials in Russia, April Nowell, a Paleolithic archaeologist and professor of anthropology, draws on recent data from the cognitive sciences and ethnographic, fossil, archaeological, and primate records to render these “invisible” children visible and opens a new understanding of the contributions children have made to the biological and cultural entities we are today.
Here’s a terrific bonus for program attendees: Recordings of many of our livestreamed offerings are available for a limited viewing time after the program has taken place.
Visit SmithsonianAssociates.org/encores for more information.
Drawing from The Black Pullet, an
The Princesses of Medieval Spain
A Partnership of Power
In Spain during the 11th and 12th centuries, women of the royal family, whether married or not, ruled alongside men. They governed shares of the crown lands and wielded remarkable power, partnering with their brothers and fathers.
Some of them, like Sancha Raimúndez, the sister of Alfonso VII of León-Castile, never married. Others, such as Elvira Alfonso, sister of the reigning queen, Urraca of León-Castile, wed outside the kingdom and returned home as widows to resume their royal duties. Historian Janna Bianchini explores the bonds among these princesses and how this unusual system ultimately came apart in the 13th century.
The six wives of Henry VIII have been presented to us in movies, television shows, and all kinds of popular culture—from an old English rhyme (“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived”) to the blockbuster musical SIX. They’re the most well-known group of royal consorts in history, and all were given one main job: to provide a male heir to ensure the succession and the survival of the Tudor dynasty. But who were they? Where did each come from, what was she like as a person, and how did she become part of the famous sextet? And is there anything new to learn about them? Tudor scholar Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger examines these women individually to unpack the legends and rumors that have clouded our understanding of them, providing a new perspective on each and what they contributed to court life and to history.
At the start of World War II, the United States found itself in desperate need of an intelligence agency. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to today’s CIA, was quickly formed—and turned to academia for recruits to fill its ranks. Suddenly, literature professors, librarians, and historians were training to perform undercover operations and investigative work, and these surprising spies would go on to profoundly shape both the course of the war and our cultural institutions with their efforts.
The Napoleonic Wars: A Global Conflict
Drawing on her new book, Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II, historian Elyse Graham tells the story of a small but connected group of these humanities scholars. Along with other unlikely spies, they helped to beat the Nazis and lay the foundations of modern intelligence, as well as transform American higher education when they returned after the war.
Copies of Book and Dagger (Ecco) are available for purchase.
Between 1792 and 1815, Europe was in turmoil. The French Revolution unleashed a torrent of political, social, cultural, and military changes, which Napoleon extended beyond the country’s frontiers. The ensuing struggle was immense in its scale and intensity. Never had European states resorted to a mobilization of civilian and military resources as total as during this period. Its scale and impact dwarfed all other European conflicts and came to be known as the “Great War.”
In a full-day seminar, historian Alexander Mikaberidze of Louisiana State University, Shreveport, tells the story of the Napoleonic Wars and explains how European affairs did not unfold in isolation from the rest of the globe. The names of Austerlitz, Trafalgar, Leipzig, and Waterloo all hold prominent places in the standard histories. But also significant in the story are Buenos Aires, New Orleans, Ruse, Aslanduz, Assaye, Macao, Oravais, and Alexandria.
Sat., Oct. 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1M2-349; Members $100; Nonmembers $120
13th-century miniature of Queen Urraca
Catherine of Aragon, ca. 1860, by Richard Burchett
The Battle of Alexandria by Philip James de Loutherbourg, 1802
Hadrian: The Mercurial Emperor
Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138, was one of the most consequential but controversial Roman emperors. He was a Roman who loved Greece but is best remembered in Italy, where he built the Pantheon in Rome, and Britain, where he constructed his eponymous wall. He is remembered in Judea as well, where he incited a rebellion that devastated the country and bled the Roman armies dry before they suppressed it.
Hadrian was a man’s man who owed his success to the women who loved him, but he gave his heart to an adolescent boy. To one ancient writer he was austere and genial, deceitful and straightforward, cruel and merciful, and always changeable. Who was Hadrian and why does he still matter? Classicist and historian Barry Strauss shares the story of this forceful ruler.
Mary Todd Lincoln and Varina Banks Howell Davis experienced 19th-century political life at its highest levels. They shared similarities, as each was Southern-born, well-educated, and a gifted conversationalist. Both had their fair share of critics during their husbands’ time in office, and neither woman was one to sit back quietly.
In addition to carrying out their public duties, they raised young children during a time when disease took a deadly toll on families and were forced to deal with stress and grief. Each survived her husband and sought to preserve his memory—and dealt with the numerous challenges in the war’s aftermath in her own way. Kelly Hancock of the American Civil War Museum in Richmond examines the reasons.
Before Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia invaded the North in 1862, it battled Union forces in the Second Manassas campaign. Civil War tour guide Marc Thompson analyzes the army’s movement from Richmond toward Manassas following the Seven Days Battles and explains how the evolving nature of the Civil War can be seen through the fielding of two kinds of Federal armies in response to the threat posed by Lee’s Confederates.
Related tour: The Battle of Second Manassas, p. 54
Putting Ancient Technology to New Use
Water Engineering in the Andes
Thousands of years ago, Indigenous peoples in the Andes assessed their climate, geography, and ecology and realized that, to provide better support for agriculture and herding, they needed to harness water. The solution they chose was to build hydraulic infrastructure, such as canals, terraces, reservoirs, and dams. Archaeologist Kevin Lane of CONICET Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, reveals the story of this technology on the coast and in the highlands of the central Andes and explains how it is being repurposed today to deal with the effects of climate change.
Studying political history can’t help predict the future, but it can offer a sense of perspective in stressful times. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, political history curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History are gathering materials and memorabilia to document this election cycle for the national collections.
Curator Jon Grinspan has been attending Democratic and Republican contests and rallies throughout the year, looking for materials that reflect debates, protests, and on-site and digital campaign activities. Join him as he offers an analysis of how this presidential campaign fits into the long history of American democracy and how ongoing collecting at primaries and party conventions provides insight into the evolving spirit and complexity of the country’s political landscape.
The 2024 presidential campaign and national election are poised to shape America’s trajectory for the next four years and beyond. In a fact-based, nonpartisan presentation, veteran White House correspondent Ken Walsh discusses the outcome of this historic election with a focus on explaining what’s ahead for our republic in an age of distrust and division. Among other areas, Walsh assesses what went right and wrong for major candidates at the presidential, congressional, and state levels and the overall direction of the country that voters were calling for. He also examines whether the United States is ready to take a breather from “toxic politics” and minimize the culture of contempt that has plagued us for so many years.
Fifty miles northwest from London, Bletchley Park was the nexus of top-secret work during World War II. Here, under a cloak of secrecy, agents worked furiously to decode the enemy’s secret messages, notably those encrypted with the German Enigma machine. Mathematicians, scientists, intellectuals, and linguists were among those who were hired as agents, with women making up about three-fourths of the workers. Alan Turing, Joan Clarke, and Dilly Knox were among those recruits.
Sir Dermot Turing, Alan Turing’s nephew and author of The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park, shares the story of this unusual group of people whose mission was to save the world from destruction.
From September to December 1944, American forces clashed with German troops in Hürtgen Forest, a densely wooded region just across the Belgian border. Initially aimed at blocking German reinforcements from moving north against the Allied advance, the battle turned into a grueling 88-day struggle. More than 33,000 American GIs—nearly one in four—became casualties as they battled poor weather, arduous terrain, and a punishing German defense.
Historian Christopher Hamner draws on veterans’ experiences to explore the nature of the combat in America’s longest battle, with special attention to its strategic place in the broader offensive against the German Siegfried Line.
A special set of computers was developed by British codebreakers in the years 1943–1945
American infantrymen move through Hürtgen Forest
Railroads in Wartime
Railroads have played an important role in every American conflict since 1860. During the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the Gulf War, railroads transported soldiers and everything they needed, ranging from tanks to uniforms.
Curator Patricia LaBounty of the Union Pacific Museum draws from the archives to survey the unique ways that railroaders supported American war efforts, from the transportation of soldiers across the country to the operation of railway operating battalions abroad.
In the 1930s, amid an impending crisis in Europe, Winston Churchill found himself out of government and with little power. Chartwell, his country home in Kent, became the headquarters of his campaign against Nazi Germany. He invited trusted advisers and informants, including Albert Einstein and T. E. Lawrence, who could strengthen his hand as he worked to sound the alarm at the prospect of war.
Katherine Carter, Chartwell’s curator, discusses these littleknown meetings; the figures who made their mark on Churchill’s thinking and political strategy; and how he gathered intelligence about Germany’s preparations for war. Her new book, Churchill’s Citadel: Chartwell and the Gatherings Before the Storm (Yale University Press), is available for purchase.
We think we know the Vikings well. These larger-than-life pagan conquerors from Scandinavia are everywhere in our popular culture: movies, TV shows, video games, and even Super Bowl commercials. But which parts of the Vikings that we know and love (or love to hate) are real, and which are based in fantasy?
Medievalist Paul B. Sturtevant unpacks the differences between the fantasies and the medieval realities of the Viking world, investigating where the myths come from and why they persist.
Less famous than their Tudor cousins, the Stuart monarchs should not be overlooked in English history. They survived a plot to blow up the government and the only governmental execution of an anointed king then restructured the monarchy and united England and Scotland. From James I to Queen Anne, four generations of Stuarts led the country from the personal monarchy of the Tudors into the constitutional monarchy and the establishment of Great Britain.
Historian Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger explores the personalities of the Stuart monarchs and their ongoing troubles with the English Parliament and method of government, shining a light on how each contributed to the result: a lasting constitutional monarchy and the establishment of Great Britain.
An American troop train leaving a Midwestern military camp
King James I of Scotland
The Irish and the American Revolution
Men of Irish heritage played crucial roles in fighting the American Revolution. Irish Americans sided with the patriots against the British Army in overwhelming numbers and shouldered muskets at Lexington and Concord, during the Battle of Bunker Hill, and at every other significant military encounter over the eight years of war. Their numbers included officers, thousands of enlisted men, and even spies—notably Hercules Mulligan, a major character in the musical Hamilton.
Historian Richard Bell explores the Revolution from the perspective of the Irish and their American descendants. He reconstructs the history of English and Irish antagonism; the role of Roman Catholic faith in decisions about loyalty and affiliation; and the political and economic impact of the American Revolution on Ireland itself.
The principal architect of the party system and one of the founders of the Democratic Party, Martin Van Buren’s unparalleled skills as a political strategist won him the nickname “The Little Magician”— and a series of increasingly high-profile offices that led to the presidency. In his rise, he sought consensus and conciliation, bending to the wishes of slave interests and complicit in the dispossession of America’s Indigenous population.
Van Buren scholar James M. Bradley depicts the struggle for power in the tumultuous decades leading up to the Civil War as he charts the eighth president’s ascent from a tavern in the Hudson Valley to the White House, concluding with Van Buren’s late-career involvement in the antislavery movement.
Bradley’s book, Martin Van Buren: America’s First Politician (Oxford University Press), is available for purchase.
When classicist Michael Ventris deciphered the Linear B script in 1952, he shed light on all aspects of the world of Late Bronze Age Greece, sometimes referred to as “Mycenaean” Greece, and immediately enhanced our understanding of its politics, economy, society, and religion.
Linear B was itself a reuse of an earlier script, Linear A, which was primarily employed on Crete from 1800 to 1450 B.C.E. Though the secrets of this “Minoan” writing system remain undeciphered, we can learn a great deal from it. Classicist and archaeologist Dimitri Nakassis explores both scripts and highlights what they can tell us about life in the Aegean during the second millennium B.C.E.
What time does the program end? Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1 hour 15 min.–2 hours, including Q&A
The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec, December 31, 1775 by John Trumbull, 1786
James M. Bradley
Linear B tablet from the palace at Pylos, 13th century B.C.E.
Foundations of Freedom
The Documents That Shaped America and France
The late 18th century was a period rife with revolutionary fervor and transformative ideas that altered the course of history. The American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen did more than address specific grievances or abstract ideals: They were radical manifestos that proclaimed new principles of governance and human dignity and challenged centuries-old political and social structures. Historian Alexander Mikaberidze explores these groundbreaking documents and the individuals who dared to imagine a new order that ignited flames of liberty that spread throughout the world.
How Italian Immigrants Transformed
America
Since the days of Christopher Columbus and the earliest European explorers, Italians have made their way to American shores. But only since the late 19th century have Italian immigrants by the millions made a major impact on American culture. Writer and lecturer Adam Tanner tells a personal story of sleuthing in the archives of Southern Italian villages to uncover the ancestry of his grandfather, who moved to the United States at the peak of this immigration boom to become a professional violinist. His broader narrative considers how Italian Americans changed our popular culture, politics, and, of course, food.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, by Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier, 1789
Italian merchants on Mulberry Street ca. 1900
August Breakfast/Maine by Carolyn Brady (detail) Retail: $1200 Members: $800*
Children with Flowers by Elizabeth Catlett (detail) Retail: $1300 Members: $1075*
Red Geranium by Robert Kushner (detail) Retail: $1500 Members: $1200*
Flowers For a Country by Mindy Weisel (detail)
$1200 Members: $1000*
Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Civil War
Though the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852 is considered by some a factor that helped propel the nation into the Civil War, its author has generally been thought of as having little engagement with the conflict itself. One historian claimed Harriet Beecher Stowe averted her gaze during the war, satisfying herself by writing domestic essays—but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Author and scholar Robert S. Levine addresses key moments in Stowe’s career from 1852 to 1870, focusing on the Civil War period with a discussion of her letters, novels, and essays, including her fascinating piece on the Black activist Sojourner Truth, which Stowe published in the Atlantic at the height of the war. He provides a new picture of Stowe as a vigorous exponent of interracial democracy long after the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Nestled among bustling streets in the heart of Paris, the iconic Père Lachaise cemetery harbors stories of intrigue, artistic brilliance, and cultural significance. Established in 1804, Père Lachaise is not merely a resting place for the departed but a testament to Parisian history itself.
Unravel the cemetery’s secrets and celebrate its role as a sanctuary of memory and reflection with art historian Madeline Díaz. She highlights the graves of notables including Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Édith Piaf, Eugène Delacroix, and Jim Morrison; explores the cemetery’s architectural styles from Gothic tombs to elaborate Art Nouveau memorials; and delves into the symbolism and rituals associated with death in French culture as manifested in elaborate funerary art and poignant epitaphs.
On December 20, 1170, the most notorious murder of the Middle Ages took place in Canterbury Cathedral: Archbishop Thomas Becket was killed by four knights of King Henry II, who had (apocryphally) spurred them to act by exclaiming in exasperation, “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?”
What was so troublesome about Thomas Becket? Historian Jennifer Paxton explores how the archbishop fell afoul of his king for both personal and political reasons and ignited a political dispute that convulsed church and state for almost a decade. She also looks at why Becket’s violent death turned him from a lightning rod for controversy into the most important saint in Europe, one whose cult led to the creation of the most famous pilgrimage in English literary history, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
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.
Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe by Alanson Fisher
Depiction of the murder of Thomas Becket, ca. 1390, in the De Grey Hours
Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.
Why Middlemarch Matters
An Inside Look at George Eliot’s Masterpiece Virginia Woolf famously said that George Eliot’s monumental Middlemarch from 1872 was “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.” Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, examines how Eliot used innovative literary techniques and delves into her treatment of political issues, key transitions in English social and cultural life, and the characters’ emotional lives. He also explains why Middlemarch is still widely read.
Sat., Oct. 5, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1J0-397; Members $80; Nonmembers $95
“And That’s the Way It Is”
70 Years of TV News
Television news has undergone remarkable transformations in the last seven decades. From the “Camel News Caravan” with John Cameron Swayze in 1948 to the “CBS Evening News” with Walter Cronkite in 1963 to 24/7 coverage on CNN and then cable, coverage has changed in both availability and character. Media historian Brian Rose looks at these sweeping changes and examines the impact of television journalism.
Beginning with the elaborate banquets of ancient civilizations, feasts have left an indelible mark on human culture and society. They reveal the culinary delights of their time and the social hierarchies, power dynamics, and cultural exchanges that have shaped our past. Food historian Francine Segan uncovers the hidden layers of meaning behind the food, drink, and rituals that have defined such gatherings, spotlighting the distinctive foods of royal tables in ancient Rome. Participants receive a list of recipes for delicious dishes from antiquity to make at home. (Roast peacock and flamingo tongue not included.)
John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are influential philosophers who offered distinct perspectives on the nature of human beings, the origins of political authority, and the formation of societies. Georgetown professor Joseph Hartman explores both of these thinkers in individual lectures.
All Smithsonian Associates online programs are closed captioned
George Eliot by François D’Albert Durade
Walter Cronkite interviews President John F. Kennedy on the first half-hour nightly news broadcast in 1963
Still Life with Lobster, Drinking Horn and Glasses by Willem Kalf, 1653
John Locke Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Fall Wine Adventures
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.
OCT 18 Wines of the Southern Hemisphere Part 3: Perfect Pairings for the Holidays
As the holiday season approaches, food and wine come to mind. With so many flavors and endless possibilities, the wines of the Southern Hemisphere are particularly well equipped to pair with classic (and modern) holiday dishes. This delicious seminar explores how to select and pair wines like a professional sommelier to make every holiday meal memorable.
NOV 15 California’s Central Coast
The Central Coast starts north of Los Angeles and stretches to just south of San Francisco. This is an area with many wine regions and a plethora of diverse terroirs unified by a shared spirit. Virtually every variety imaginable grows well somewhere in the Central Coast, so there is something for everyone. This delicious session explores some of the best wines of various styles and varieties the Central Coast has to offer.
DEC 13 Burgundy Like You’ve Never Experienced
Burgundy is one of the most complex and expansive wine regions on the planet. It is here that thousands of years of careful study of terroir have yielded an amazingly detailed and hyper-complicated classification system of wines, vines, and vineyards. This deep dive explores the how, why, and what of Burgundy. Taste some exciting wines from appellations that producers see as the future of their region.
3-session series: Fri., Oct. 18, Nov. 15, and Dec. 13, 6 p.m.; CODE 4WINE2024; Members $180; Nonmembers $210
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, 12–5 p.m., at Shilling Canning Company (360 Water Street SE, Washington, DC; Metro: Navy Yard-Ballpark station, Green line). Patrons 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.
What time does the program end? Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1 hour 15 min.–2 hours, including Q&A
TOP SOMMELIER'S GUIDE TO WINE
Protecting Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage
The Smithsonian on the Front Lines
Ever since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Smithsonian Institution has been a key player in the fight to protect Ukraine’s heritage. Corine Wegener, director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative; Hayden Bassett, a Smithsonian research associate and director of the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab; and Amber Kerr, the head of conservation at the Smithsonian American Art Museum/Lunder Conservation Center, detail how the Smithsonian is working with Ukrainian cultural institutions to monitor cultural heritage sites, provide expert advice, detect and assess damage, and provide emergency supplies and equipment.
Inside “The West Wing” Revisiting the Bartlet White House
Step behind the scenes and into the heart of “The West Wing” with cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack as they explore what made the show a cultural phenomenon. From heartwarming origin stories to the bittersweet farewell on the show’s final night of filming, this inside look promises on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even the most devoted “West Wing” aficionados have never heard. Fitzgerald and McCormack also examine how the series envisaged a politics based on decency, honor, and service, with the Jed Bartlet administration creating the model for an aspirational White House beyond the bounds of fictional television. Their book, What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service (Dutton), is available for purchase.
In the 1840s, Italian composers Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini commanded full attention on the opera stages of Europe. Young Giuseppe Verdi inherited their established traditions— and then began to transform them.
Classical music and opera expert Saul Lilienstein demonstrates how the myriad structural elements of Italian opera (the aria, duet, ensemble music, drama, and comedy) evolved under Verdi’s restless musical imagination and his desire to achieve a striking dramatic urgency. Each session is highlighted by audio and video recordings comparing the heritage of the first generation of bel canto masters with the achievements of Giuseppe Verdi, now recognized as the greatest of Italian composers.
5-session series: Tues., Oct. 15–Nov. 12, 12 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1M2347; Members $110; Nonmembers $130
Introduction to Music Theory
With Conductor Ernest Johnson
Learn the language and elements of musical notation and composition in this interactive online course led by music educator and conductor Ernest Johnson. He guides exercises and assignments geared to developing the foundation every musician needs: the aural and visual understanding of pitch, rhythm, harmony, and form. Topic areas include an overview of the elements of music and music terminology; notation of pitch and rhythm; ear training; and developing the ability to hear, identify, and notate pitches, intervals, melodies, and chords.
The course includes a variety of online and print resources to support and enhance musical learning, including a subscription to the Noteflight Learn website. Optional assignments are given weekly. Students use online music software programs to notate and hear musical elements presented in each session. Basic computer skills are required.
8-session series: Wed., Oct. 16–Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m. (no class Nov. 27); limited to 25 students; CODE 1P0-866; Members $235; Nonmembers $260; price includes textbook and shipping and a 6-month online subscription to Noteflight.
"Motherland" sculpture in Kiev
Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi (1886) by Giovanni Boldini
Conductor Ernest Johnson
In Person
Smithsonian Chamber Music Society
2024–2025 Season
The 48th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the late-16th to the early 21st centuries, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments. The repertoire ranges from acclaimed masterpieces to obscure gems by all-but-forgotten composers.
Kenneth Slowik, SCMS artistic director and recipient of the Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar Award, again curates a series of pre-concert talks one hour prior to many of the programs, shedding light on the glorious music and the lives and times of the featured composers. Concerts take place in the National Museum of American History’s intimate Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill.
For a full season overview visit SmithsonianAssociates.org/scms
The Axelrod String Quartet: Stradivarius and Amati
Smithsonian Chamber Music Society audiences have the unparalleled experience of hearing two magnificent quartets of instruments—one made by Antonio Stradivari, the other by his teacher Nicolò Amati—in this popular four-concert series. In the first three programs, which explore the viola quintet repertoire, the quartet is joined by a guest violist. The quartet’s violist, James Dunham, who will retire at the end of this season after 17 years, has chosen the final quartet-only program to include some of the works he’s most enjoyed playing over his long and distinguished career.
This chronologically wide-ranging series begins in early November with the first of two appearances by the Smithsonian Consort of Viols, playing works by Elizabethan composers Orlando Gibbons and William Byrd. In mid-November, the Smithsonian Chamber Players offer a feast of sumptuous late-17th-century Austrian music by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber and Johann Schmelzer, followed by a December program of Johann Sebastian Bach’s sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord. The Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra concert in March, featuring baritone Mischa Bouvier, explores 20th- and 21stcentury works ranging from the elegiac (Busoni, Mahler, and Richard Strauss) to the transcendently hopeful (Golijov). The four-hands fortepiano team of Naoko Takao and SCMS director Kenneth Slowik presents a Schubertiade later the same month. To cap the series, the Smithsonian Consort of Viols returns with a selection of Jacobean chamber music by John Jenkins and William Lawes.
New this season: Select concerts take place at 3:30 p.m. For concert schedules, repertoire, series and individual concert registrations, and bonus offerings for subscribers visit SmithsonianAssociates.org/scms
All programs and artists subject to change. Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs
Kenneth Slowik, James Dunham, Marc Destrubé, and Mark Fewer
The Smithsonian Consort of Viols Mischa Bouvier, guest soloist
New York’s Yiddish Theater
An Audience Becomes Americans
The vibrant world of Yiddish theater that flourished in the late-19th to the mid-20th century on Manhattan’s Lower East Side reflected the lives, desires, and dreams of newly arrived Jewish immigrants, primarily of Eastern and Central European origins. Yiddish-language theater existed in Russia and Europe, but the movement that took hold in New York City was exceptional in its scope, its influence on the American theater and entertainment industry, and, most importantly, the essential role it played for an immigrant population making its way in the United States.
Nancy Friedland, a librarian for film studies and performing arts at Columbia University, chronicles a unique moment in history as she discusses the importance of Yiddish theater in the lives of Jewish immigrants and several seminal playwrights, actors, and other figures that helped create it. She parallels the growth of New York’s Jewish immigrant population with that of the Yiddish theater as its stages evolved from small performance spaces to the grand venues that would populate Second Avenue during an era that became known as the golden age of Yiddish theater in America.
Al Roker and Courtney Roker Laga Recipes to Live By
The millions who watch Al Roker on “The Today Show” know that he’s a home chef who regularly posts his latest meals on social media and that his daughter Courtney Roker Laga is a chef by training.
The new cookbook they’ve written together, Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By, captures a snapshot of a home where a good conversation or a needed dose of laughter always starts with something great to eat. In conversation with NBC News4 anchor Eun Yang, dad and daughter discuss the food they enjoy as a family and what it was like to write a cookbook together.
Copies of Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By: Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion (Legacy Lit) are available for purchase.
Fri., Oct. 18, 6:45 p.m.; Rasmuson Theater, National Museum of the American Indian; CODE 1L0-603; Members $25; Nonmembers $30
In Person
An Evening with Henry Winkler
John P. McGovern Award Presentation
In his 2023 memoir, Being Henry, actor Henry Winkler revealed his professional and personal struggles, including being diagnosed with dyslexia at age 31. He’s been publicly open about his life with the condition and created a series of 17 children’s books that offer a funny and realistic look at the life of 12-year-old Hank Zipzer, who struggles with dyslexia. More than 3 million copies have been sold in the United States, providing help in managing dyslexia to many children, parents, and teachers.
For using his voice to amplify discussions about dyslexia and other issues that touch American lives, Winkler is the recipient of the John P. McGovern Award given by Smithsonian Associates. The presentation highlights an evening in which he discusses his career and his path to stardom and how the issues and causes for which he advocates connect to his roles as an actor, author, comedian, producer, and director.
A paperback copy of Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond (Celadon Books) is included in the registration price. Mon., Oct. 21, 6:45 p.m.; Baird Auditorium, National Museum of Natural History; CODE 1L0-604; Members $40; Nonmembers $50
Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs
Al Roker and Courtney Roker Laga
Federal Theatre Project poster, 1934
High School Classics Revisited
Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, revisits and provides new perspectives on works that typically appear on high school reading lists.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass from 1845 remains one of the most profoundly influential works in American literature. A combination of memoir and treatise on abolition, the book charts Douglass’ escape from the horrors of slavery to his life as a key member of the anti-slavery movement. Luzzi explores the book’s literary elements and themes, including Douglass’ brilliant ideas on religion, morality, education, and freedom.
Published in 1911 by Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome tells a story of intense love and the yearning for a better life amid the harsh landscape and restrictive social mores of rural Starkfield, Massachusetts. Luzzi explores the gorgeous prose and probing social analysis of Wharton’s novel, which offers insights on issues of gender, notions of class, and representations of desire and sexuality. He also discusses how Wharton’s sophisticated narrative techniques create an aesthetic complexity that contributes to the work’s standing as a classic of American literature.
A searing account of a former slave woman, Sethe, and her relationship to a mysterious figure whom she associates with her lost daughter, Toni Morrison’s Beloved provides insight into the horrors of slavery as well as the ways in which past personal trauma can continue to haunt the present. Luzzi considers the cultural, historical, and social issues in the novel; explores the brilliance of Morrison’s prose; and explains how and why she emerged as one of the most important American novelists of the last half century.
Jack Kerouac’s On the Road from 1957 is almost synonymous with the postwar Beat and counterculture movements that rejected the staid domesticity of the 1950s in search of freedom and alternate ways of life. Luzzi discusses how characters based on the writer William S. Burroughs, the poet Allen Ginsberg, and Kerouac himself embraced new cultural forms like jazz and experimental literature as routes to meaning and artistic freedom.
Ever since its publication in 1961, Joseph Heller’s satirical novel Catch-22 has been a beloved classic for generations of readers, especially during the turbulent 1960s, when its depictions of the atrocities of war captured the attention of Vietnam War protesters. Luzzi guides participants through the literary techniques and key themes that give Heller’s work its enduring appeal, especially its astonishing use of humor and piercing psychological insights.
Few of Shakespeare’s tragedies are as admired today as his theatrical masterpiece Othello from around 1603. Luzzi delves into the play’s key elements, including its representations of race, inquiry into human emotions (especially jealousy), and powerful poetic language. He pays special attention to how Othello illuminates historical issues of its time, in particular, European contact with non-Christian cultures and the age’s anxieties over “otherness” in all its forms.
Just in time for Halloween, indulge your senses in an exploration of the rich history of candy. Beth Kimmerle, candy historian, reveals the sweet secrets behind some of our favorite confections, tracing their origins and explaining the techniques that have shaped the candy-making process over centuries. Learn how to discern flavors, textures, and aromas like an expert as Kimmerle offers the opportunity for you to do a taste test.
What do Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Weber’s Der Freischütz have in common? All are deliciously spooky excursions into the musical supernatural, eternally popular with classical audiences eager to experience a good scare within the relative safety of respectable art music.
The febrile world of enchantment and witchery has always appealed to composers, and the range of works featuring goblins and grim reapers, witches, devils, and necromancers is vast. In the perfect run-up to Halloween, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin leads a hair-raising tour of some of the best-loved classical music haunts, showcasing works by Berlioz, Dukas, Liszt, Schubert, Saint-Saens, Caplet, Stravinsky, and many others. 2-session series: Thurs., Oct. 24 and 31, 12 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1K0519; Members $50; Nonmembers $60
Movie Monsters
The Art Behind Classic Creature Features
Film historian Max Alvarez returns this Halloween with another nerveshattering multi-media romp through the history of “creature features” spotlighting the screen’s most memorable monsters, mummies, werewolves, oversized insects, outer-space invaders, and aquatic predators.
Although movie monsters fell out of favor as the Universal horror cycle wound down by the end of World War II, these anti-social abnormalities were soon in hot demand as the Cold War gathered steam during the 1950s. Then, as changes in technology breathed new life into cinematic creatures during the 1980s and ’90s, special-effects masterminds were able to stage in-camera werewolf transformations or bring monsters to life through complex computer technology. Since then, there simply is no keeping movie monsters out of multiplex cinemas and home entertainment platforms where the Monsterverse thrives as never before.
From Homer’s Odyssey to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, some of the most powerful works of fiction center on a journey. Editor John McMurtrie takes you on a voyage of discovery through journeys in literature that extend to the ends of the earth and span from ancient Greece to today. Drawing on essays by literary critics, scholars, and other writers, he discusses journeys from three of the more than 75 works of fiction represented in his new illustrated guide, Literary Journeys: Mapping Fictional Travels across the World of Literature
Julia Child’s kitchen from her Cambridge, Massachusetts, home has been on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History since 2002, and museumgoers have made it a top destination. Drawing on her new book, Julia Child’s Kitchen, Paula Johnson, one of the original collectors and keepers of the exhibit, provides an intimate portrait of Child at home and firsthand accounts of cooking beside her.
Johnson, curator of food history and director of the museum’s American Food History Project, recalls the beloved cookbook author and television star’s favorite place in the world—her home kitchen. In conversation with Jessica Carbone, a food writer and historian, she also discusses how the legacy Child created here continues to influence the ways we cook today. Copies of Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space (Abrams Books) are available for purchase.
Chef, author, and TV personality Bobby Flay has received the James Beard Award, made appearances on dozens of Food Network programs, and written 18 best-selling cookbooks. His latest, Bobby Flay: Chapter One (Clarkson Potter), compiles 100 of his recipes for home cooks as well as tales of his restaurant ventures, memorable TV spots, and stories behind the dishes. Join Flay as he shares insights into his remarkable life and career, offering a behindthe-scenes glimpse into the culinary world that shaped him. Copies of his new book are available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Bold Fork Books.
Fri., Nov. 1, 6:45 p.m.; Baird Auditorium, National Museum of Natural History; CODE 1D0-070; Members $25; Nonmembers $30; Members + book $80; Nonmembers + book $85
Christina Tosi’s Bake Club
Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi started Bake Club at the height of the pandemic, and ever since she and her followers have been gathering on social media and getting busy in the kitchen. The recipes from these sessions are featured in a new book, Bake Club.
Designed for baking newbies and seasoned pros, the cookbook covers all the categories of the baking universe and empowers home bakers to just have fun and dispel all the misconceptions about baking. Join Tosi as she discusses what Bake Club means to her and shares recipes from the book and a few baking tips along the way.
Copies of Bake Club (Knopf) are available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Bold Fork Books.
Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs
In Person
Christina Tosi
Bobby Flay
In the French Kitchen: Yesterday and Today
French gastronomy has long been the benchmark for the world’s finest cuisine, one rooted in a national heritage that has always focused (sometimes obsessively) on everything that is put on the table. Susan Herrmann Loomis, author, cooking teacher, and French culinary expert, leads a lively tour through the centuries that showcases the rich history of a unique and beloved cuisine and the influences that shaped it.
From the roots of foie gras (surprisingly, in Egypt) to buttery croissants (merci, Marie Antoinette), she unlocks the mysteries and delights of a selection of iconic foods and their origins and why they remain favorites—and shares how to make a few of them.
Many consider Leo Tolstoy’s epic 19th-century War and Peace, the story of the Napoleonic Wars in Russia, to be the greatest novel ever written. Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, leads participants through an in-depth consideration of the themes, historical issues, literary elements, and cultural conditions that give Tolstoy’s work its legendary aura.
He pays close attention to how questions about religion, the representation of warfare, Tolstoy’s theories on history, and his brilliant understanding of human emotion—especially love—make this novel as relevant today as when it appeared.
Sat., Nov. 2, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1J0-405; Members $80; Nonmembers $95
Gobsmacked: The British Invasion of American English
Have you ever wondered why scores of British words and phrases—such as one-off, kerfuffle, and easy peasy—have been enthusiastically taken up in the United States? Drawing from his new book, Gobsmacked!: The British Invasion of American English (Princeton University Press), writer Ben Yagoda takes a deep dive into the most popular British terms in the United States today. As he explores why Americans have embraced British insults and curses, sports terms, and words about food and drinks, he tackles grammar, pronunciation, and British expressions that are often misconstrued. Yagoda’s book is available for purchase.
Rock music exploded on the big screen in 1955 when Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” played behind the opening credits of Blackboard Jungle. Teenagers responded to the inclusion of the song with wild enthusiasm, and Hollywood began to recognize the power of the teen audience. Soon the studios unleashed a series of films featuring rock and R&B musicians performing their hits as the soundtrack to movies about rebellious high schoolers, daredevil hotrodders, and antics-prone college students. Media historian Brian Rose looks at rock movies’ first decade and how Hollywood benefited from the power of this music.
The Battle of Austerlitz by FrançoisPascal-Simon Gérard, 1805
promotion shot for Jailhouse Rock in 1957
Susan Herrmann Loomis
Philosophical Counseling: Philosophy as Psychotherapy
The word “psychotherapy” is derived from the Greek psyche, meaning soul, and therapiea, meaning healing. Thus, psychotherapy is “soul healing,” the term used by ancient philosophers to describe important functions of philosophical reflection: to help people live a good life, seek answers to vexing personal questions, and bring their souls into consonance with the nature of existence. Philosophical counselor Samir Chopra explores the history of philosophy understood as therapy in ancient and modern traditions and explains the methods of modern philosophical counseling.
Many film scholars argue that the 1970s were the greatest decade of film, focusing on the mavericks of “New Hollywood” such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg. But Washington City Paper film critic Noah Gittell looks beyond them to find a decade of dazzling variety.
Hear about the mainstream successes of Hal Ashby, Alan J. Pakula, and Michael Ritchie; blazing female talents like Barbara Loden and Elaine May; experimental masters John Cassavetes and David Lynch; pioneers of the German New Wave Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog; and blaxploitation directors Gordon Parks and Melvin van Peebles.
In the early 1970s, film director Peter Bogdanovich stood out among his youthful Easy Rider–era “New Hollywood” contemporaries. While other filmmakers shook up the studio system with pessimistic counterculture films, the nostalgic Bogdanovich emulated studio productions (and legendary Hollywood directors) of a bygone era in smash hits that include The Last Picture Show, What’s Up, Doc?, and the bittersweet masterwork Paper Moon
Once Bogdanovich followed these hits with a trio of commercial failures, journalists and industry rivals went into destructive overdrive to cut the boy wonder down to size. Film historian Max Alvarez argues against Bogdanovich’s so-called decline after Paper Moon and presents bountiful evidence of the stylistic and narrative skill reflected throughout the career of this outstanding filmmaker.
George Frideric Handel’s Messiah—arguably the greatest piece of participatory art ever created—is a work of triumphant joy that was born in an age of anxiety. Britain in the early 18th century was a time of war, political conspiracy, enslavement, and conflicts over everything from the legitimacy of government to the meaning of truth.
Historian Charles King unearths the astonishing backstory to a beloved classic and the tortured lives and times that made a musical monument to hope. His new book, Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times that Made Handel’s Messiah (Doubleday), is available for purchase.
Enigmatic, supremely sophisticated, and dazzling funny, Sir Noël Coward bestrode the canyon between patriotism and satire with more brilliance than almost anyone else. Hailed as “The Master,” he achieved wild success in every creative area he touched: composing, writing, directing, acting, cabaret performance, and even painting. Throughout his six-decade career Coward cultivated an international image of himself as the embodiment of English manners and refinement, and he had a profound effect on how the British saw themselves as a nation.
Pianist and popular speaker Rachel Franklin leads a joyful excursion through some fabulous Cowardly classics, including his play Blithe Spirit, songs such as “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” and movies that include In Which We Serve and The Italian Job
Discover the most significant, intriguing, and mysterious aspects of what UNESCO has declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage: the passionate musical and dance form of flamenco. Flamenco can be wrenchingly emotional or laugh-out-loud funny. It can also seem intimidating to new fans. Using film and audio clips, photos, and insights from flamenco aficionados past and present including Federico García Lorca and Penélope Cruz, flamenco scholar Nancy G. Heller introduces the basic elements and vocabulary of flamenco music and dance, demystifying and enhancing the experience for audiences. Focusing on traditional flamenco, she also traces the innovations of the contemporary avant-garde performers who challenge long-established ideas about appropriate instrumentation, costuming, narratives, and gender identity. Mon., Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-356; Members $25; Nonmembers $30
The Private Gardens of Philadelphia
A Return Visit
The Philadelphia region boasts a great wealth of exceptional gardens, both public and private. Nicole Juday, author of Private Gardens of Philadelphia, again digs into the history and circumstances—from politics to economics to religion—that have contributed to the intense concentration and high quality of horticulture in the area.
She follows up her previous look at the region’s notable gardens with five new locations, ranging from small urban jewel boxes to vast estates. Juday offers stunning photos and reveals the stories of the fascinating people who created these gardens, often under challenging conditions.
William Butler Yeats, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, was a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival, the cultural movement that preceded the country’s political independence from Britain. Influenced by important English poetic precursors, Yeats later became immersed in Irish material and political realities, transforming his style from ornate mysticism to acute social commentary. In his extraordinary late work these elements combine with personal preoccupations to create some of the most memorable images in modern literature.
Lucy Collins, editor of the Irish University Review and an associate professor at University College Dublin, explores the cultural politics of early 20th-century Ireland as the crucible within which Yeats’ work was formed and examines how the political and the personal combine in some of his greatest poems.
Noël Coward performing for sailors aboard the HMS Victorious, 1944
W. B. Yeats
Classical Sounds of Christmas
From sleigh bells and sugarplums to the mystical beauties of the Nativity, December is alive with the music of Christmas. Popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin revisits this most beloved holiday repertory, picking additional selections to explore how classical Western composers created a canon of both secular and sacred experiences that are now deeply rooted in our collective expectations of the season.
Join Franklin as she unwraps the stories behind works by composers including Bach, Handel, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Francisco Guerrero, Rimsky-Korsakov, Britten, Vaughan Williams, Humperdinck, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and many others.
2-session series: Thurs., Dec. 5 and 12, 12 p.m.; detailed program information on website, CODE 1K0-528; Members $50; Nonmembers $60
Chilling Holiday Folklore
These days, the December holidays usually center on joyous magic and celebrations of the good in the world. Traditionally, however, the winter season also ushers in the terrors of the dark and the cold, teaching us to bar doors and whisper warnings. Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman explore an array of chilling holiday folklore from around the world, beginning with the German Krampus who visits children who don’t make the “nice” list. Hear tales of the Icelandic Jólakötturinn, a gigantic cat that devours naughty children, and learn how to best the Welsh Mari Lwyd, a skeletal horse with a taste for song and poetry.
A Modern Epic: Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude consistently makes the lists of the “best novels of the 20th century.” With Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, explore the novel’s depiction of the colonial experience, its use of magical realism, the role of the supernatural in the narrative, and the qualities that give the book’s language its beauty and inventiveness.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Sat., Dec. 7, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1J0-414; Members $80; Nonmembers $95
The Food of the Indian American Diaspora
What is Indian food in America today? Food writer and journalist Khushbu Shah answers the question in her new cookbook, Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora. Drawing on her Indian American background, her travels in the United States, and the history and food-adaptation patterns of Indian immigrants, she showcases how Indian American food has its own unique identity.
The dishes in Amrikan (UM-ree-kan—it’s “American” with a South Asian accent) are neither fully Indian nor fully American in their origin, reflected in recipes as diverse as saag paneer lasagna and Keralan fried chicken sandwiches. In conversation with Helen Rosner, food writer at The New Yorker, Shah discusses the inspiration behind the book and some of her favorite recipes.
Copies of Amrikan (W.W. Norton & Company) are available for purchase, courtesy of Bold Fork Books.
When the doors of Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932, New Yorkers entered a new world: a dazzling Art Deco fantasy of an entertainment palace far removed from the drab realities of the Great Depression. With its Hollywood films and lavish stage shows, what came to be known as “The Showplace of the Nation” has given generations of audiences a place to escape from the everyday and dream.
Actor Tim Dolan, owner of Broadway Up Close tours in New York City, explores the Music Hall’s stories, secrets, traditions, and trivia, illustrated by rare photos that bring its excitement and glamour to life. He surveys the history of this iconic theater; the origins of the beloved Christmas Spectacular, in which the Rockettes have been kicking up their heels since 1933; and the equally spectacular Rockefeller Center holiday tree lighting.
Participants in the December 12 Radio City tour (see p. 56) receive complimentary registration for this program.
The Art and Science of Joy
The disappointments, challenges, and sorrows of life—layoffs, divorce, anxiety over the state of the world, illness, and the death of a loved one—can leave us hurting and isolated. Journalist Steven Petrow has lived through all these and arrived at a surprising conclusion: Joy is always present in our everyday routines, in ties to those we care about, even in our grief. We can learn to find joy in the darkest of days, he says. All we need is a road map.
In a conversation with Todd Doughty, author of Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World, Petrow draws on personal experiences, research, and interviews with experts to describe the many expressions of joy and how to find, cultivate, and share it.
His new book, The Joy You Make: Find the Silver Linings—Even on Your Darkest Days (The Open Field), is available for purchase.
In 15th-century Europe, members of the cultural elite, including Petrarch, Machiavelli, and Montaigne, assembled personal libraries as refuges from persecutions and pandemics. These were known as Renaissance studiolos (or “little studios”). Andrew Hui, associate professor of literature at Yale-NUS College, Singapore, tells the story of these spaces dedicated to self-cultivation and reveals how they became both a remedy and a poison for the soul. He also draws parallels with our age of information surplus.
Hui’s new book, The Study: The Inner Life of Renaissance Libraries (Princeton University Press), is available for purchase.
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.
Interior of Radio City Music Hall
Steven Petrow
Rockin’ TV
From Elvis to the Monkees
Beginning in the mid-1950s, rock music found a surprising home on mainstream television. Programs hosted by Milton Berle, Steve Allen, and Ed Sullivan featured a variety of rock musicians, including Bill Haley & the Comets, Fats Domino, and especially Elvis Presley, who appeared on all three shows to galvanic response. Then the appearance of the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964 changed the face of pop culture, leading to an explosion of televised rock, from prime-time variety shows like “Shindig” to the sitcom antics of “The Monkees.”
Media historian Brian Rose presents a lively survey of how rock and television grew up together.
Craftsmen, dramatists, perfectionists, melodists, and unlikely partners, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II not only changed the American musical, they changed us too. Now their songs of love and heartbreak, walking through a storm, a beautiful morning, paradises lost and found, and being human are always there beside us.
Filmmaker and cultural historian Sara Lukinson offers an abundant sampling of clips—including selections from such shows as Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music—in a moving and joyful evening that celebrates the magic of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
For more than a century, Hollywood has relied on star power as the most reliable way to draw an audience. Media historian Brian Rose traces the history of movie stardom, from the days when film actors weren’t even identified by name to when Mary Pickford became the first real film star, and on to the Golden Age when Hollywood manufactured stars like Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Lana Turner. He explains how actors like Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, and Denzel Washington ushered in a new definition of stardom during the last few decades.
What time does the program end? Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1 hour 15 min.–2 hours, including Q&A
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
The Monkees, 1966
Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.
Black Holes The Newest Developments
Black holes are some of the most mind-bending objects in the cosmos: gravitational bottomless pits that are predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. The very thing that characterizes a black hole also makes it hard to study: its intense gravity. Nevertheless, the last decade has seen a resurgence of research into black holes and observations of their immediate surroundings.
Astronomers have tracked the motion of stars around the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, made images of the glowing material falling toward the gargantuan black hole M87*, and detected the chirps of gravitational waves emanating from merging black holes billions of light-years away. Astrophysicist Joshua Winn of Princeton University reviews the theory of black holes and these recent observational developments.
A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton takes a bite out of a Triceratops horridus skeleton in the National Museum of Natural History
For many years, dinosaurs were portrayed as ponderous, cold-blooded, overgrown monsters. But in the late 1960s, a fundamental change in thinking about these prehistoric beasts occurred after two Yale paleontologists noted that many aspects of their anatomy and biology were much like those of warm-blooded birds and mammals. It was the hugely successful Jurassic Park movie franchise, which began in 1993, that introduced the public to the dinosaur renaissance.
Hans Sues, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural History, discusses the main researchers and the arguments behind the new thinking, along with their impact on both evolutionary biology and paleobiology.
Are we alone in the universe? Do other Earth-like planets orbit other stars in the Milky Way? In 2009, NASA launched the Kepler space telescope to answer these questions. What was found contradicted centuries of theoretical and observational work and transformed our understanding of planets, planetary systems, and the stars they orbit.
Jason Steffen, a former member of the science team for NASA’s Kepler mission, offers a unique inside account of the team’s work, mapping its progress from the launch of the rocket that carried Kepler into space to the revelations of the data that began to flow to the supercomputer back at NASA—evidence of strange new worlds unlike anything found in our own solar system.
Steffen’s book, Hidden in the Heavens: How the Kepler Mission’s Quest for New Planets Changed How We View Our Own (Princeton University Press), is available for purchase.
Our understanding of dinosaur behavior has long been hampered by the inevitable lack of evidence about animals who went extinct more than 65 million years ago. But with the discovery of new specimens and the development of cutting-edge techniques, paleontologists are making huge advances in reconstructing how dinosaurs lived and acted.
Paleontologist David Hone provides a look at dinosaur biology, diversity, and evolution and describes behavior from feeding and communication to reproduction and combat. His new book, Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior: What They Did and How We Know (Princeton University Press), is available for purchase.
How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies produce the right numbers of cells in our organs and bloodstream? Biologist and author Sean B. Carroll discusses the pioneering scientists who sought the answers to these questions, which came to be known as the “Serengeti Rules,” since many of its studies centered on that African ecosystem.
Carroll examines the interconnectedness of the regulation of life’s elements; illustrates how the knowledge of the rules and logic of the human body has spurred the advent of revolutionary life-saving medicines; and argues that the Serengeti Rules can be used as a guide to heal the planet.
Carroll’s book, The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters (Princeton University Press), is available for purchase.
What do sunflowers, black holes, Salvador Dali’s painting The Sacrament of the Last Supper, the music of Debussy, and the architecture of Le Corbusier have in common? They reflect characteristics described by a curious number known since antiquity called the golden ratio, or phi. This irrational number—which approximates to 1.618—has come to represent the proportions of some ideally pleasing geometrical structures.
Astrophysicist Mario Livio brings the golden ratio to life as he traces its story from ancient Egypt and Greece to the present day. Along the way, he introduces historical figures including the followers of Pythagoras and the astronomer Johannes Kepler and modern-day thinkers and Nobel laureates such as mathematical physicist Roger Penrose and chemist Dan Shechtman.
The open ocean, far from the shore and miles above the sea floor, is a vast and formidable habitat that is home to the most abundant life on our planet, from giant squid and jellyfish to angler fish with bioluminescent lures that draw prey into their toothy mouths. Sea-going scientist Sönke Johnsen explores one of the most mysterious environments on Earth and describes how life in the open sea contends with a host of environmental challenges. He also interweaves stories about the joys and hardships of the scientists who explore this beautiful and enigmatic realm, which is rapidly changing under the threat of human activity.
Johnsen is a professor of biology at Duke University. His new book, Into the Great Wide Ocean: Life in the Least Known Habitat on Earth (Princeton University Press), is available for purchase.
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.
The golden ratio appears in a simulation of two neutron stars forming a black hole
The World of Carnivorous Plants
Be careful when you next go into your garden: It’s full of killers. You may be familiar with carnivorous plants such as the Venus flytrap, sundew, or pitcher plant, but a surprising number of plants could be classified as carnivorous— including your geraniums and potentillas. Many true carnivorous plants have surprisingly good relationships with insects. Some pitcher plants feed ants and give them a secure home, others are complete miniature ecosystems, homes for creatures ranging from mosquitoes to frogs.
Steve Nicholls, a wildlife filmmaker with a lifelong interest in botany and horticulture who has produced and directed several films on carnivorous plants, examines this amazing natural world in intimate detail.
The discovery in 1974 of the fossil skeleton known as Lucy was a monumental event in human origins research. To mark its 50th anniversary, learn more about this 3.2million-year-old find and the significance of Lucy’s species, Australopithecus afarensis, from paleoanthropologist Rick Potts, head of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program and the Peter Buck chair in human origins at the National Museum of Natural History.
Then hear from paleo-artist John Gurche, who reconstructed Lucy’s body for the museum’s David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins. He illustrates how he built it and why the face, hands, and feet of the species are unlike those of any human or ape living today. He also explains the ways in which comparative anatomy can be used to reconstruct an extinct form, such as bringing Lucy back to life.
More than celebrity connects Harry and Megan with Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, and Lady Gaga: They all keep chickens, and theirs are among some 10 million home flocks in the U.S. today. For more than two decades, naturalist, adventurer, and author Sy Montgomery nurtured a flock of her own. Each of her backyard birds had an individual personality (outgoing or shy, loud or quiet, reckless or cautious) and connected with her in their own way.
Drawing on personal stories and science, Montgomery offers a look at traits that make a chicken a feathered phenomenon—such as walking, running, and pecking only hours after leaving the egg; the ability to create relationships, remember the past, and anticipate the future; and communicating information through at least 24 distinct calls. Montgomery’s newest book, What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird (Atria Books), is available for purchase.
Wed., Dec. 18, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-536; Members $20; Nonmembers $25 These programs are part of Smithsonian Associates
Sy Montgomery
A lifelike reconstruction of Lucy by John Gurche
You love art.
Now become the expert you’ve always wanted to be.
World Art H i story
Certif icate Prog ram
Art is all around us. It excites us, enriches our lives, and enlivens our imaginations. But to truly appreciate any work of art, we need to understand the context and culture in which it was produced. That’s why Smithsonian Associates offers an exciting 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 and the rich resources of other Washington institutions.
The core courses and electives in our program are selected from among Smithsonian Associates’ ongoing courses, seminars, study tours, and Studio Arts classes. In 2024, you’ll find an expanded roster of instructors and a new range of course topics.
Complete the program requirements at your own pace and track your credits online. Credits are counted from the day of program registration and are not given retroactively.
Registration is ongoing; for a limited time, new participants receive a World Art History Certificate tote bag.
To learn more about the Smithsonian Associates World Art History Certificate Program, visit SmithsonianAssociates.org/ArtCertificate
*from Smithsonian museum collections
Left column: from the top: Taj Mahal, completed 1643, Agra, India; Fresco of the Libyan Sibyl , ca. 1511, Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo; The Young Ladies of Avignon, 1907, by Pablo Picasso; Equestrian ceramic figure, ca. 13th–15th centuries, Mali*. Second column: The Calf-Bearer, ca. 570 B.C., Athens, Greece; Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, 2010, by Frank Gehry, Las Vegas; Frida Kahlo by Magda Pach, 1933*; Before the Ballet, ca. 1892, Edgar Degas.
Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.
Art-full Fridays | Live from Italy, with Elaine Ruffolo
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit for each
Elaine Ruffolo, a Florence-based Renaissance art historian, examines the rich heritage of Italian art and architecture
The Medici: Patronage, Power, and Art in Renaissance Florence
The Visual Banquet
At its height, Renaissance Florence was a center of enormous wealth, power, and influence dominated by rich mercantile families, the most famous being the Medici. From modest beginnings, the Medici rose to become bankers to the pope and many rich and powerful European families. But perhaps their most enduring legacy is their patronage of the arts. Artists such as Brunelleschi, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Botticelli, and Michelangelo all thrived with Medici support.
Ruffolo traces the family’s influence on the political, economic, and cultural history of Florence from the early 1430s with the rise of the dynasty headed by Cosimo de Medici through the golden era under Lorenzo il Magnifico to the achievement of the family’s goal: the papal tiara.
From an apple held by the infant Jesus to a fowl indelicately handled by a lusty kitchen maid, food and drink appear in myriad contexts over four centuries of European painting. In both devotional and secular images, these items allowed the artist to display virtuosic skills of observation and description of color, shape, and texture. Moreover, they frequently carried symbolic meanings or referenced the painting’s themes.
In the Renaissance, feasting transcended mere sustenance, serving as a significant form of communication and expression. Ruffolo delves into images of lavish banquets from the period to explore their menus, table settings, and dining practices as well as the intricate depiction of food in art.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy splintered into a patchwork of small territories, each with its own political system. Frequent violence erupted as powerful families battled for control of cities. By the 13th century, it became common for these regions to be ruled autocratically by single princes, and by the 15th, most of Italy was organized around princely courts.
Among these the city-state of Mantua stands out for its remarkable transformation under the Gonzaga family from 1328 to 1707. Despite their often-tyrannical rule and focus on warfare, the Gonzagas significantly elevated Mantua’s status through their patronage, ushering in a golden age of the arts and architecture. Ruffolo traces the Gonzagas’ reign and the dynamics of court life in a city that remains a vibrant testament to its Renaissance legacy.
Procession of the Youngest King by Benozzo Gozzoli (detail)
Kitchen Scene by Peter Wtewael, 1620s
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Etruscans: A Style All Their Own
Explore the heart of Italy during the first millennium B.C.E. through a journey into the enigmatic world of the Etruscans. With Etruscan writings completely untranslated, modern scholarship draws most of its knowledge of the civilization from archaeological deposits in central Italy. Contemporaries of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Etruscans maintained a distinctive language and visual culture with an emphasis on the afterlife.
Using masterworks of Etruscan painting, sculpture, and metalwork excavated from tombs in central Italy, art historian Laura Morelli offers a glimpse into how members of this lesser-known culture adorned the places where they planned to spend eternity and the incredible luxury objects they took with them.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
Ghosts and Spirits in Buddhism
The supernatural is alive in the Buddhist world. Ghosts and spirits, which the religion often describes as living out the consequences of past actions, wander the world imbued with the capacity for either great kindness or terrible wickedness.
Art historian Robert DeCaroli tells the stories of the hungry ghosts, demons, and nature spirits who have haunted Buddhism since its earliest days. He reveals their contributions to Buddhism’s development and shares examples from art and literature drawn from across Asia.
The Bhavachakra (Wheel of Life) symbolically represents realms of existence, including that of the “hungry ghost”
Lesser-Known Museums of Florence
Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
In this quarterly series, Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero spotlights the significant collections of Florence’s sometimes-overlooked museums.
Museum of Orsanmichele
Begun in 1337, the ground floor of Orsanmichele church in Florence, Italy, was originally a loggia-style market. When it was transformed, the inside was decorated with paintings of saints and the outside with statues by artists such as Donatello, Ghiberti, and Verrocchio. Today, the upper floor of Orsanmichele is a museum where all but one of the original sculptures are on display, while copies of the statues stand in the original niches on the outside of the church. Ruggiero highlights this museum and its treasures. Mon., Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-406; Members $30; Nonmembers $35
All Smithsonian Associates online programs are closed captioned
World
Two dancers from the Tomb of the Triclinium in the necropolis of Monterozzi (detail)
Writing Workshops
Write Into Art
Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art
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 workshops have a limited enrollment to maximize interaction among the instructor and students.
Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. In a series of five online workshops, explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice.
Looking Out, Looking In A Reflective Writing Workshop
Step into the Expressionist paintings of the fascinating early 20th-century German artist Gabriele Münter. Slow down, look closely, and reflect as you explore the window as a metaphor for shifting perspectives in our lives. Designed for writers of all levels, the workshop invites you to look outward at paintings and to look inward through writing.
World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit
Enduring Themes in Western Art
Over the centuries, major themes in art continue to appear and reappear. Portraiture, landscapes, religious images, and the human figure are a few notable examples of areas that artists have interpreted in styles ranging from the naturalistic to the surreal. Art historian Joseph Cassar examines important masterworks within these genres, offering new ways to understand and appreciate their similarities as well as the uniqueness of the artists and the cultural norms that influenced them.
4-session series: Wed., Oct. 9–30, 10:30 a.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1K0-504; Members $100; Nonmembers $110
Mary Hall Surface
Subway by Lily Furedi, 1934
La Grande Odalisque by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1814
Mary Hall Surface
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
French Fortresses and Fantasies
Châteaux of the Loire Valley
From forbidding fortresses to charming châteaux and castles, the splendid structures of the Loire Valley reflect lives of opulence and intrigue. Medieval fortresses built for defense with moats and towers gradually gave way to Renaissance pleasure palaces. Sumptuous elegance, not comfort, was the primary design principle of the châteaux. Ornamented with paintings and sculptures and surrounded by reflecting pools and perfectly manicured gardens, they make the mansions of today’s rich and famous seem austere by comparison.
Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton showcases these historic places and sets them in the context of French history.
2-session series: Sat., Oct. 19 and 26, 1:30–4 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1D0-066; Members $80; Nonmembers $95
World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit
Medieval History Through Artists’ Eyes
Explore the art and architecture of the Middle Ages through four transformational moments in history. Dazzling early Christian mosaics, sumptuous Carolingian illuminated manuscripts, sculpted Romanesque church facades, and soaring Gothic cathedrals give artistic expression to an astonishing variety of beliefs and practices, as well as reflect a unified purpose to lead the human spirit toward a vision of eternal life.
Independent art historian Judy Scott Feldman examines the art of the thousand-year period between classical antiquity and the Renaissance and its relationship to a diverse society infused with faith and spirituality.
Sat., Nov. 2, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1L0-605; Members $100; Nonmembers $120
World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit
Eve as Artist
A History of Women Artists in the Western World
There have been successful professional women artists in the Western world since the time of the ancient Greeks. Yet many of their names were lost and their works misattributed for centuries until the modern women’s movement sparked scholarly and popular interest in these remarkable individuals, with painters such as Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Frida Kahlo reaching the status of international icons.
But these modern superstars didn’t evolve within a vacuum: They descended from the centuries of celebrated artists who form the basis of a wide-ranging examination by art historian Nancy G. Heller. In a richly illustrated series, she traces the history of European and American women artists from the late 16th century to 1950. She addresses the socioeconomic, political, and aesthetic significance of their work, placing the women’s lives and art within the context of their male contemporaries.
The Marquise de Pezay, and the Marquise de Rougé with Her Sons Alexis and Adrien by Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1787
5-session series: Thurs., Nov. 7–Dec. 12, 6:30 p.m. (no class Nov. 28); detailed program information on website; CODE 1M2-350; Members $110; Nonmembers $130
Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, medieval illuminated manuscript (detail)
Gardens of the Château de Villandry
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The 10 Greatest Photographs of All Time
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce exposed the first photograph in 1826. Now, thanks to smartphone technology, more photographs are made each day than were taken in the history of the world before the start of the 21st century. Historian Clay Jenkinson has chosen 10 magnificent images 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 tells the backstory of each photograph, covering who took it, when, under what circumstances, what has happened in the aftermath, and what influence the image has had on the world. He also reveals some of his runners-up and honorable mentions in assembling his top 10. Audience members are encouraged to nominate their own favorites to add to the discussion.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Artist’s Palette
Insights into Painterly Genius
Just as writers use a pen to articulate their thoughts on paper and a musician employs an instrument to convey melodies and harmonies, artists use their palette as a vehicle for expressing their creative vision. Art historian Alexandra Loske explores this symbiotic relationship, pairing artists’ palettes with their masterpieces to unveil fresh perspectives on their creative journey, individual tastes, and the historical context shaping their artistry. Loske explores the studios of creators such as Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, Vincent van Gogh, Helen Frankenthaler, and others, revealing the reflections of their lives imbued within their materials—and how behind every great painting there’s a palette that tells its story. Loske’s book The Artist’s Palette (Princeton University Press) is available for purchase.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
The Arts and Crafts Movement
Humanity, Simplicity, Beauty
The Arts and Crafts Movement was a dominant influence in visual and decorative arts and architecture in the decades leading up to and after the turn of the 20th century. Growing out of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and Aesthetic movements in England, it offered an artistic and philosophical reaction to the florid, overdecorated, and industrialized designs of the high-Victorian era.
William Morris’s pronouncements on beauty, utility, nature, and the joy of handcraftsmanship guided the movement’s artists. Rejecting machine work as deadening to workers and mass-produced commercial goods as aesthetically inferior, Morris revived many craft arts such as tapestry and bookmaking. Across the Atlantic, the Arts and Crafts philosophy challenged the opulence and crassness of America’s Gilded Age and influenced a new generation of creators. Art historian Bonita Billman explores the rich flowering and legacy of a movement whose influence is still felt.
Sat., Nov. 16, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1M2-352; Members $100; Nonmembers $120 Cabinet, 1904, designed by Stickley Brothers
Lunch Atop a Skyscraper by Charles Clyde Ebbets, 1932
Camille Pissarro, The Artist's Palette with a Landscape, ca. 1878–1880
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Creative World of David Hockney
Over his long and continuing career, British artist David Hockney’s style and subject matter have mostly remained consistent and recognizable: charming portraits, landscapes, and interior scenes rendered in pure, vibrant colors. But he has demonstrated an amazing range and willingness to experiment with media. Hockney is a painter, draftsman, printmaker, photographer, and designer of stage sets and costumes and in recent years has worked in digital media.
Art critic and adviser Judy Pomeranz offers a lavish exploration of Hockney’s remarkable career and examines how his personal life has informed the wonderfully intimate portrayals of people and places he has loved.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Written Word in Islamic Arts
The traditional Islamic arts have incorporated calligraphy, the art of beautifying the word, for 14 centuries. Muslim calligraphers developed an art of the highest level and that continues to be part of the work of contemporary artists. Museum consultant Sabiha Al Khemir discusses how calligraphy occupies a central place in Islamic arts through examples from across media, time, and place. She covers the various facets of calligraphy in form and content from the sacred to the secular, highlighting its aesthetic, symbolic, and metaphysical dimensions and demonstrating the ways in which it carries a profound cultural significance.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Influence of Japanese Art on Western Aesthetics
Following isolationist Japan’s resumption of wider trade and diplomatic relations with the West in the 1850s, international expositions alerted Western artists and collectors to the exquisite craftsmanship of Japanese porcelains, bronzes, silks, embroideries, and lacquerware. These artworks were deeply admired by Europeans and Americans, inspiring a cult of emulation in the West. The resulting era of the “Japan craze” lasted from the late 1870s to the early 1910s.
Former curator Nancy Green discusses the influence of Japanese aesthetics on avant-garde painting and printmaking, in fashionable ceramics and metalwork, and on graphic design, advertising, bookbinding, and illustration.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
Understanding Olana
Frederic Church and the Idea of Place
Frederic Church was America’s preeminent landscape artist of the 19th century, whose “great paintings” of the 1850s and 1860s—Niagara, Heart of the Andes, and Icebergs—achieved international acclaim. Beginning in 1860, he spent 40 years creating Olana in Hudson, New York, a 250-acre designed landscape in which his family residence and farm were sited and whose panoramic views of the Hudson River Valley and Catskills are integral elements.
Carolyn Keogh, director of education and public programs at the Olana Partnership, leads a detailed exploration of the life, career, and inspirations that motivated Church to create this masterwork. She offers new ways of understanding Olana and Church’s relationship with the Hudson Valley and considers how he and other artists were deeply inspired by the idea of place.
Tues., Nov. 19, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1NV-110; Members $80; Nonmembers $95
David Hockney at the Royal Academy, 2012
The Japanese Parisian by Alfred Stevens, 1872
Frederic Church’s painting supplies on view at Olana
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Art in Motion
Jackson Pollock and Abstract Expressionism
Jackson Pollock revolutionized modern art with his pioneering style of Action Painting, renowned for its explosive physicality and spontaneous, sweeping gestures that earned him the nickname “Jack the Dripper.” His work created expansive, nonfigurative webs of color that left an indelible mark on the art world. Despite his triumphs, Pollock faced personal demons including emotional turmoil and alcoholism, with his life tragically ending in a car crash at age 44.
Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton delves into Pollock’s life and enduring influence, exploring how he and his contemporaries challenged artistic conventions to open new avenues for abstraction and creative expression that continue to resonate in contemporary art.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Religious Paintings of Jacopo Tintoretto
Dynamism and Devotion
Unlike other great painters of 16th-century Venice such as Titian and Paolo Veronese, Jacopo Tintoretto was born and bred in the lagoon city. A considerable number of his works remain there to this day in the churches, confraternity buildings, and palaces for which they were commissioned.
Known for his bold, dynamic style and swift working methods, Tintoretto created striking paintings of religious narratives that are characterized by dramatic chiaroscuro, expressive brushwork, and astute compositional choices. Art historian Sophia D’Addio explores a selection of these sacred works, located in such beautiful settings as the Church of the Madonna dell’Orto, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, and San Giorgio Maggiore.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Sistine Chapel
A Ceiling That Changed the Course of Art
The Sistine Chapel’s walls were originally covered with frescoes by leading artists. This changed when Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint its ceiling. Using the human body in all its configurations, his frescoes reflected the extraordinary moment after the voyage of Columbus when the world was moving from a parochial viewpoint to a more global perspective.
From the spark of life given to Adam and Eve to the Last Judgment, Michelangelo blazed a path toward a secularism despite the chapel’s religious themes. Art historian Liz Lev examines the evolution of the ceiling art of the Sistine Chapel, a work so astounding it changed the course of Western art.
All Smithsonian Associates online programs are closed captioned
Floor of Jackson Pollock’s studio, PollockKrasner House, East Hampton, New York
A section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling
The Last Supper (detail) by Jacopo Tintoretto at Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice
World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit
Music and the Visual Arts in the Early Modern Era
One of the longstanding traditions in the visual culture of the West is that of the competition among different kinds of arts—whether painting and sculpture, or painting and poetry. Within this context, painting was often perceived as a sister art of music, though typically occupying a somewhat lower place in the hierarchy.
Nonetheless, throughout the Early Modern era, painters used musical motifs in their works to give their paintings a “voice” and convey a sense of beauty and harmony comparable to those qualities in musical compositions. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine explores this relationship as it evolved between the 15th and the 17th centuries in Italy and Northern Europe, as seen in the works of artists including Piero della Francesca, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Johannes Vermeer.
4-session series: Mon., Nov. 25–Dec. 16, 12 p.m.; detailed program information on website; CODE 1K0-530; Members $100; Nonmembers $120
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Roman Gaul
Roman Gaul, the area of southern France that today includes Provence, is an important repository of Roman culture. Gallic writers long kept the classical Roman literary tradition alive, and many of the amphitheaters, aqueducts, and other Roman works built in Gaul still stand.
Art historian Christopher Gregg explores the history and the remains of various sites, including the Amphitheater of the Three Gauls; the Barbegal watermill (the only known large-scale Roman milling facility); a remarkably preserved cargo ship from the Rhone; and a variety of beautiful sculpture and mosaics.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Cave Temples of India
Cave temples at sites such as Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, and Badami are notable not just for their antiquity and religious significance but also for the ingenious, sophisticated techniques used to excavate them from the sides of mountains. Robert DeCaroli, an art history professor at George Mason University, examines what is known about the history of these Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, and Ajivika temples and monasteries, how they were made, what was required to maintain them in antiquity, and how they are being protected today.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
New York and the Birth of American Modernism
During the Progressive Era (1886–1920), New York City became a shaping force of America’s national culture. It was a period that saw the advent of the Ashcan School painters in Greenwich Village; the Armory Show of 1913; Edward Steichen’s 291 Gallery; and the replacement of Beaux-Arts monumentality by skyscraper Modernism.
Cultural historian George Scheper explores the impact of the era, as well as the subsequent Jazz Age New York of F. Scott Fitzgerald. During the 1920s, intellectual and political ferment helped to bring a new spirit of artistic openness and social commitment to American culture, reflected in the paintings of John Sloan and Florine Stettheimer, the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay, and the architecture of Daniel Burnham’s Flatiron Building.
Cave painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani in Ajanta, ca. 2nd century B.C.E.
Gallo-Roman statue of a Gaul warrior with Roman clothes and weapons
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
Cultural Diplomacy and Ancient American Art: 1930–1950
In the late 1930s and early 1940s the United States saw an explosion of exhibitions of art and artifacts from the pre-Columbian Americas. As World War II loomed, America promoted cultural diplomacy with its hemispheric neighbors as part of the Pan-Americanism movement, which sought to create greater international understanding and collaboration.
One of the largest such exhibitions was 1940’s “Twenty Centuries of Mexican Art / Veinte Siglos de Arte Mexicano,” which took over the newly completed Museum of Modern Art. Though mounted during a moment of tension between the two nations, the show was the talk of New York, with portions of the exhibit traveling to other cities over the next few years. Ellen Hoobler, William B. Ziff Jr. curator of art of the Americas at Baltimore’s Walters Art Museum, explores the idea of cultural diplomacy and the important role art can play between nations.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Radiant World of Pierre Bonnard
The enthusiastic critical and popular response to recent Pierre Bonnard exhibitions organized by museums in Texas and Washington, D.C., speaks to the luminous beauty of the artist’s work and to the hunger for such beauty in the complicated world in which we live.
Bonnard’s life straddled the 19th and 20th centuries, and his work inhabits a space—and creates a link—between Impressionism and Modernism. One of the greatest colorists, Bonnard created portraits, landscapes, and interiors built of luscious brushwork and informed by an artistic freedom that allowed him to envision the world in a dreamlike, personal way unbound by constraints of visual realism or academic artistic conventions. Art critic and adviser Judy Pomeranz explores Bonnard’s vision, life, and influences and the world in which he lived.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Civil War and American Art
The Civil War had as profound and lasting an impact on American art as it did on American culture. Both genre painting and landscape painting were fundamentally altered by the war and its aftermath.
Eleanor Jones Harvey, author of The Civil War and American Art and senior curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, explores the “metaphorical war.” Landscape painters, notably Frederic Church and Sanford Gifford, conveyed the mood of the nation as storms rise and volcanos erupt in their paintings, while genre painters Winslow Homer and Eastman Johnson addressed the issue of slavery and asked hard questions about what kind of nation would emerge from the conflict.
The Girl I Left Behind Me by Eastman Johnson, ca. 1872
Statue of Coatlicue, National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City
The Potentials of Design
How Architecture Can Address Global Issues
By the year 2100, there are predicted to be 10 billion people on the planet, 2 billion more than now. This population explosion is an opportunity to build a more ecologically healthy and equitable world centered on well-designed communities with new forms of affordable, sustainable housing, says architect Vishaan Chakrabarti. Drawing from his latest book, Chakrabarti argues that caring for the character and culture of communities can be the key to solving urgent global and political challenges.
Chakrabarti’s new book, The Architecture of Urbanity: Designing for Nature, Culture, and Joy (Princeton University Press), is available for purchase.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
Postmodern Architecture
Building the Unexpected
Postmodern architecture emerged during the second half of the 20th century in a reaction to and rejection of the International Style and the dogmas of Modernist design. Architects broke free from the restraints of individual traditional styles and found new inspiration in a mix of them, creating combinations of bright colors and asymmetrical shapes interpreted in a variety of materials.
Modern architecture specialist Bill Keene surveys the threads linking the elements of this approach to design, seen in such works as I.M. Pei’s pyramid at the Louvre; Philip Johnson’s AT&T building in New York City; Frank Gehry’s “Binoculars Building” in Los Angeles; Michael Graves’ Portland Building; and the work of the Philadelphia firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates. Each design is distinct, but all reject the formal for the unusual, the colorful, and the unexpected. Wed., Dec. 18, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-114; Members $25; Nonmembers $30
Please help us in presenting vibrant educational programs by making a charitable contribution today. Your gift is essential because, unlike the museums, Smithsonian Associates is not federally funded and relies entirely on donations and membership support to bridge the gap between program expenses and registration revenue.
The British Secret Intelligence Service building at Vauxhall Cross, London
Vishaan Chakrabarti
IN PERSON
n n n n
In-person classes are taught by professional artists and teachers. View detailed class descriptions and supply lists at SmithsonianAssociates.org/studio. View portfolios of work by our instructors at SmithsonianAssociates.org/art instructors.
ART THEORY AND PRACTICE
Art Journaling for Self-Expression
After being guided through mindfulness activities, delve into emphasizing process over product and play over perfection. This class is grounded in both creative theory and therapeutic principles that deepen your relationship with yourself as an artist and as a person.
By Carter Umhau
IN PERSON: Tues., Oct. 8–29, 10:30 a.m.; Carter Umhau; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0PV; Members $145; Nonmembers $160
CLASS
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit
Composition Studies in the Museum
Take what you know and apply it in a museum as you study and dissect works of art in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s anniversary show, “Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860-1960.” Further examine the fundamental concepts of composition as you analyze and appreciate visual art. This is a companion class to Composition Studies.
Installation view of “Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960”
IN PERSON: Mon., Oct. 28, 10 a.m.; Shahin Talishkhan; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; CODE 1E0-0LP; Members $45; Nonmembers $60
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.
NEW MEMBERS-ONLY CLASS
Sketching the Smithsonian
After-Hours at the National Museum of Natural History
Step into the serenity of sketching in the National Museum of Natural History after the rush of visitors departs and quiet overtakes the museum. With graphite and sketchbook in hand, study and sketch objects in the museum’s collection.
Installation in the National Museum of Natural History’s Mammal Hall
IN PERSON: Fri., Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m.; Morgan Kuster; National Museum of Natural History; CODE 1E0-0PZ; Members Only $115
DRAWING n n n n
Beginning Drawing
This course teaches the basic skills needed for a strong foundation for drawing. Working with a variety of materials and techniques, including charcoal and pencils, students explore the rendering of geometric forms, volume, and perspective, with an emphasis on personal gesture marks.
IN PERSON: Tues., Oct. 8–Dec. 10, 10:30 a.m., no class Nov. 5 and 26; George Tkabladze; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0NP; Members $275; Nonmembers $310
By George Tkabladze
Intermediate Drawing
Participants refine and expand their drawing skills through studio practice in traditional media. Sessions focus on classic subject areas such as landscape, portrait, and figure; warm-up exercises, critiques, and demonstrations are included.
IN PERSON: Tues., Oct. 8–Dec. 10, 2 p.m., no class Nov. 5 and 26; George Tkabladze, Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0NQ; Members $280; Nonmembers $315
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit
Introduction to Pastels and Graphite
Cézanne-Inspired Still-Life Compositions
The vibrant medium of pastel was a favorite of Impressionist artists because of its luminosity and color layering effects. Explore combining the use of graphite with pastels in this course that includes demonstrations and lectures on color theory, color mixing, optical mixing, and composition. For inspiration, works by Cézanne are viewed and discussed.
Still Life with Apples and Peaches by Paul Cézanne, 1905
n n n
PAINTING
Beginning Oil Painting
IN PERSON: Sun., Oct. 20 and Nov. 3, 11 a.m.; Sandra Gobar; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0ML; Members $115; Nonmembers $140
In this course, gain the technical background and experience you need to get started as a painter. Lectures, demonstrations, and experimentation introduce the medium of oils. Working from museum masterpieces, still-life arrangements, or your favorite photos, explore basic techniques, including color-mixing, scumbling, and glazing.
IN PERSON: Wed., Oct. 9–Dec. 4, 2:30 p.m., no class Nov. 27; Shahin Talishkhan; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0PF; Members $275; Nonmembers $310
By Lubna Zahid
IN PERSON
NEW CLASS
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit En Plein Air Landscape Drawing and Painting in the United States Botanic Garden
Using watercolors and graphite, capture the nuances of the light and flora at the beautiful United States Botanic Garden. This intensive landscape painting experience focuses on helping you see the gardens through Cézanne’s eyes and develop your own Post-Impressionist interpretation.
IN PERSON: Sun., Nov. 10 and 17, 11 a.m.; Sandra Gobar; Ripley Center and U.S. Botanic Garden; CODE 1E0-0MQ; Members $115; Nonmembers $140
Intermediate Oil Painting
Expand on your technical background and grow your practice as an oil painter. This class provides students with the opportunity to work on personal projects, set up a still-life arrangement, and explore figure painting from a live model. Unfurl your style with support and feedback from the instructor.
IN PERSON: Sat., Oct. 19–Nov. 23, 10:15 a.m.; Shahin Talishkhan; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0LW; Members $280; Nonmembers $315
An Introduction to Watercolor: Loose and Beautiful
Discover the versatility and fluidity of painting in watercolor, an exciting and unpredictable medium. Learn techniques such as graded washes, wet-on-wet, weton-dry, dry brush, splattering, lifting, and glazing.
IN PERSON: Wed., Oct. 9–30, 11:30 a.m.; Lubna Zahid; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0PR; Members $165; Nonmembers $190
MIXED MEDIA n n n n
Fundamentals of Abstract Collage
Collage is an amazingly versatile art form. In this beginnerlevel course, learn about tools, adhesives, materials, and appropriate bases for supporting a collage. Make different papers using common materials and discover how image transfers and 3D embellishments can be applied.
IN PERSON: Wed., Oct. 9–Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m., no class Nov. 13; Sharon Robinson; Ripley Center; CODE 1E00PH; Members $165; Nonmembers $190 By
By Shahin Talishkhan
Sharon Robinson
By Sandra Gobar
IN PERSON
By Sharon Robinson
Mixed Media Remix
Rev up your collage and mixedmedia experience and incorporate dimension into your artwork with an expanded repertoire of materials and techniques.
IN PERSON: Sat., Oct. 19–Nov. 9, 1 p.m.; Sharon Robinson; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0LS; Members $165; Nonmembers $190
Holiday Keepsake Ornaments
Create small hanging artworks that can be individualized in many ways to fit any gift-giving occasion. These ornaments begin with miniature canvases as the base and are decorated with papers, paint, ribbon, cord, found objects, beads, and other materials.
IN PERSON: Sun., Nov. 24, 12 p.m.; Sharon Robinson; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0MS; Members $75; Nonmembers $90
By Sharon Robinson
Winter Studio Arts classes
From Developing Your Creative Practice to The Mark of van Gogh to The Joy of Photography, the winter lineup of Studio Arts classes goes on sale in November. Look for them in next month's issue!
FIBER ARTS n n n n NEW CLASS
By Renate Maile–Moskowitz
Felted
Scarf Duo
Burnout Velvet
Keep yourself or a loved one warm with a soft velvet and felted scarf. Create stunning texture and translucence with burnout, or devoré (from the French word meaning to devour).
IN PERSON: Sat., Nov. 23 and Sun., Nov. 24, 10:15 a.m.; Renate Maile-Moskowitz; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0PW; Members $185; Nonmembers $210
Wool Embroidery from the Andes
Discover the joy of this craft characterized by colorful floral designs embroidered with wool in a style that originated in the Andean mountains of Peru. Create a design using a variety of stitches that can be applied to future projects.
By Susana Romero
IN PERSON: Wed., Oct. 9–Nov. 6, 1:30 p.m.; Susana Romero; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0PJ; Members $195; Nonmembers $230
Meet our Instructors: View portfolios of work by our instructors at SmithsonianAssociates.org/art instructors In-person classes are taught by professional artists and teachers.
Knitting Mittens and Gloves
Learn the skills you need to craft a pair of mittens or gloves to keep the winter’s cold at bay. The instructor covers knitting in the round; increases; using markers, such as holders and counters; and how to knit thumbs and fingers. In class, make a small sample mitten for a child or as a decoration.
IN PERSON: Sun., Nov. 3–17, 10:15 a.m.; Ann Richards; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0MP; Members $115; Nonmembers $140
PHOTOGRAPHY n n n n
By Andargé Asfaw
The Photo Essay
Learn how to create a photo essay, a set of photographs that tells a story or evokes a series of emotions. Homework assignments are designed to encourage students to explore their personal interests.
Introduction to Photography
Whether you want to work in digital or film, this course offers a solid foundation for new photographers ready to learn the basics. Topics include camera functions, exposure, metering, working with natural and artificial light, and composition.
SOLD OUT
IN PERSON: Wed., Oct. 9–Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m., no class Nov. 27; Andargé Asfaw; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0NZ; Members $245; Nonmembers $280
IN PERSON: Wed., Oct. 16 and Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m.; Joe Yablonsky; Ripley Center; CODE 1E00PL; Members $90; Nonmembers $115
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.
By Eliot Cohen IN PERSON
Photographing with Your DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
Take more control of your camera by getting out of auto settings and learning about the role of ISO and how to best use your shutter and aperture priority modes. Learn how to influence depth of field for aesthetic purposes. The instructor helps students with camera set-up.
IN PERSON: Sun., Oct. 20, 10:15 a.m.; Eliot Cohen; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0MH; Members $225; Nonmembers $250
On-Location Photography
Learn to capture this vibrant capital city and sharpen your way of thinking about shooting outdoors in a course that focuses on deploying a minimal amount of equipment and a lot of fresh perspective. Emphasis is placed on what happens before the shutter release is pressed and on truly previsualizing the photograph.
By Joe Yablonsky
IN PERSON: Sun., Oct. 20–Dec. 8, 1:45 p.m., no class Oct. 27 and Dec. 1; Joe Yablonsky; Ripley Center; CODE 1E0-0MJ; Members $195; Nonmembers $230
Are you wondering when the next round of Studio Arts classes starts?
Winter Classes
Begin in January and end in March. On sale in November.
Spring Classes
Begin in April and end in June. On sale in February 2025.
Summer Classes
Begin in July and end in September. On sale in May 2025.
Fall Classes
Begin in October and end in December. On sale in August 2025.
NEW CLASS
Online classes are taught by professional artists and teachers. View detailed class descriptions and supply lists at SmithsonianAssociates.org/studio. View portfolios of work by our instructors at SmithsonianAssociates.org/art instructors.
n n n n
ART THEORY AND PRACTICE
Curating a Life: Art as Memoir
Keep a visual-thinking journal as you learn to see like an artist and create works of art that are personally meaningful. Then use text, images, and newly developed visual-thinking skills to create a “memoir museum”—a handmade map that traces where you’ve been in your life and where you have yet to explore.
ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 9–Nov. 20, 3:30 p.m., no class Oct. 30; Renee Sandell; CODE 1E0-0PD; Members $225; Nonmembers $260
Color Theory and Practice
By Renee Sandell
Explore the basics of color theory including temperature, value, and harmony-creating color schemes. In three hands-on projects, learn to use a color wheel with tinting and toning, color charts, and color harmony studies.
In an afternoon of artistic experimentation designed to strengthen creative muscles and deepen skills in visual expression, explore five modes of visual thinking: working from memory, observation, imagination, narrative, and experimental approaches.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
Composition Studies
This 2-session course focuses on the essential concepts of composition and how to apply them to studio art practice. In addition, the instructor prompts participants to visit a museum during the week between sessions (see related class Composition Studies in the Museum, p. 39).
”
ONLINE: Mon., Oct. 21 and Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m.; Shahin Talishkhan; CODE 1E0-0LK; Members $85; Nonmembers $105
NEW CLASS
Hues in Harmony
Color Mixing and Maximizing Your Palette
Refamiliarize yourself with the fundamentals of color theory while learning a new approach to mixing color. Gain a deeper understanding of complementary color relationships so that you can more intuitively mix colors and harness color harmonies to better express depth as well as the contrast between light and shadow.
ONLINE: Tues., Oct. 29–Dec. 10, 1:30 p.m., no class Nov. 5 and 26; Nick Cruz Velleman; CODE 1E0-0NX; Members $190; Nonmembers $225
Creative Mind Mapping
Take your ideas from banal to beautiful by learning how to create mind maps worthy of framing. Choose from three styles to illustrate your thoughts and goals.
ONLINE: Thurs., Nov. 7 and 14, 6 p.m.; Mïa Vollkommer; CODE 1E0-0NG; Members $80; Nonmembers $105 By Mïa Vollkommer
By Nick Cruz Velleman
By Theresa Otteson
Installation view of “Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960
DRAWING n n n n
Complete Colored Pencils
Colored pencil, an oftenoverlooked dry medium, is coming into its own. Whether used in fine art or illustration, colored pencils can enliven work with rich, vibrant color and a dizzying range of effects. Learn basic to intermediate methods and strategies.
By Lori VanKirk Schue
ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 17 and 24, 1 p.m.; Lori VanKirk Schue; CODE 1E0-0MY; Members $135; Nonmembers $160
Keeping up the Sketchbook Habit
Jump-start your creative ideas by enriching your sketchbooking with new techniques. Learn how to map your day, get creative with colored pencil on mid-tone kraft paper, and draw one object over several weeks.
By Sue Fierston
ONLINE: Sat., Oct. 19, Nov. 9, and Dec. 7, 10 a.m.; Sue Fierston; CODE 1E00LX; Members $165; Nonmembers $190
Beginning Drawing
This course teaches the basic skills needed for a strong foundation for drawing. Working with a variety of materials and techniques, including charcoal and pencils, students explore the rendering of geometric forms, volume, and perspective, with an emphasis on personal gesture marks.
ONLINE: Sun., Oct. 20–Dec. 15, 10:15 a.m., no class Dec. 1; Josh Highter; CODE 1E0-0MK; Members $260; Nonmembers $295
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Drawing Light and How the Masters Did It
Learn the strategies Rembrandt, Daumier, Cézanne, and Vermeer used to harness light in their images. Participants investigate how these masters manipulated light to unify, intensify, and give dimension to their images. In-class exercises focus on using graphite to draw studies of masterworks.
ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 31–Dec. 12, 1:30 p.m., no class Nov. 28; Nick Cruz Velleman; CODE 1E0-0NE; Members $225; Nonmembers $260
NEW CLASS
Digital Drawing: Advanced Techniques
Procreate for iPad contains powerful features that can be intimidating. This 3-hour workshop guides students on how to use advanced techniques in the software to create an animated photo illustration.
ONLINE: Wed., Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m.; Mike O’Brien; CODE 1E00PS; Members $60;Nonmembers $75
By Nick Cruz Velleman
By Mike O’Brien
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Mark of van Gogh
PAINTING n n n n
By Nick Cruz Velleman
This introduction to Vincent van Gogh’s accomplishments in drawing pays particular attention to his unique and instantly recognizable touch. Participants investigate how his imaginative mark making forms his images. In-class exercises revolve around drawing studies of his masterworks to develop students’ own mark making and vocabulary of stroke.
ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 31–Dec. 5, 10 a.m., no class Nov. 28; Nick Cruz Velleman; CODE 1E0-0ND; Members $190; Nonmembers $225
By Lori VanKirk Schue
Artwork on Toned Paper
Bring your drawings to life by controlling subtle nuances of tone with a careful selection of the surface on which you are working. Learn how to observe negative and positive space and then describe a form on toned paper using contour line and highlights.
ONLINE: Thurs., Nov. 14 and 21, 1 p.m.; Lori VanKirk Schue; CODE 1E0-0NH; Members $95; Nonmembers $120
Drawing with Chalk Pastels
Learn how to work with chalk pastels to create dynamic artworks in any genre. Demonstrations of techniques are the main focus, along with the history and versatility of the medium. Students work in their favorite genre: portrait, still life, abstract, or landscape.
ONLINE: Thurs., Dec. 5 and 12, 1 p.m.; Lori VanKirk Schue; CODE 1E0-0NK; Members $95; Nonmembers $120
By Lori VanKirk Schue
Introduction to Watercolor
Beginning students explore watercolor techniques and learn new approaches to painting through demonstration, discussion, and experimentation.
ONLINE: Tues., Oct. 8–Dec. 10, 6:30 p.m., no class Nov. 5 and 26; Josh Highter; CODE 1E0-0NS; Members $260; Nonmembers $295
By Eric Westbrook
By Josh Highter
Portrait Painting in Oil and Acrylic
Students learn how to paint expressive portraits as they improve their observational skills, ability to see angles and shapes, and understanding of color and value. The class emphasizes how to define a subject’s unique features by determining shapes of light and shadow. Students may work from a bust or statue or copy a painting or photograph.
ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 16–Nov. 20, 7 p.m.; Eric Westbrook; CODE 1E0-0PM; Members $225; Nonmembers $260
NEW CLASS
Abstract Watercolor
The Next Level
By Heather Kerley
Through various exercises, students gain mastery over their technique, tools, and use of color while experimenting with mixed-media additions of their choice. Students work to develop their own visual language while formulating a focused idea for a cohesive series, which is worked on during the course of the class.
Before photography was available, botanical illustration was the only way of visually recording plant life. This class walks you through the process of capturing the essence of beautiful florals through the wet-in-wet method.
After painting in enchanting Giverny during the summer, the instructor shares her passion for the idyllic scenery painted by many of the Impressionists. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or an experienced beginner, come on this colorful journey to create your own watercolor painting inspired by Monet’s legacy.
ONLINE: Tues., Nov. 12 and Wed., Nov. 13, 6 p.m.; Cindy Briggs; CODE 1E0-0NY; Members $135; Nonmembers $160
Watercolor Celebrations
By Cindy Briggs
By Cindy Briggs
Paint a Holiday Centerpiece Craft your own stunning holiday centerpiece in watercolor. Using traditional elements such as pine cones, ornaments, berries, and poinsettias, bring your vision to life on paper in expressive, flowing colors.
ONLINE: Wed., Dec. 4 and Thurs., Dec. 5, 6 p.m.; Cindy Briggs; CODE 1E0-0PU; Members $135; Nonmembers $160
By Cindy Briggs
Watercolor Workshop: Quick-Sketch for a Day
Spend the day learning to capture your travels with flowing lines and painterly colors. Discover how to simplify a scene and to compose and draw more organically and confidently. This technique is perfect for studies, travel journals, and finished fine art.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
Drawing Light
How the Masters Did It in Color
Using watercolor, learn the strategies Delacroix, Turner, Monet, and Cézanne employed to manipulate the viewer’s experience of light in their images. In-class exercises focus on making studies of masterworks to create similar luminous effects.
ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 30–Dec. 11, 1:30 p.m., no class Nov. 27; Nick Cruz Velleman; CODE 1E0-0PP; Members $225; Nonmembers $260
MIXED MEDIA n n n n
Altered Books
By Marcie Wolf-Hubbard
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.
Create your own story as you learn to upcycle book pages as surfaces for drawing, painting, and collage using gelatin plate prints, textures, photo transfers, drawing, painting, and text redaction.
ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 17–Dec. 12, 1:30 p.m., no class Nov. 28; Marcie Wolf-Hubbard; CODE 1E0-0NA; Members $250; Nonmembers $285
By Nick Cruz Velleman
Collage and Mixed Media
By Marcie Wolf-Hubbard
Students are introduced to the materials, tools, and technologies used in collage and assemblage. They explore the use of text, images, texture, and natural and found objects as they create collage, mixedmedia, or assemblage projects.
ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 17–Dec. 12, 6:30 p.m., no class Nov. 28; Marcie Wolf-Hubbard; CODE 1E0-0NB; Members $250; Nonmembers $285
Drawing and Stitching Afghan Geometric Design
Take a stunning geometric design and first paint it in watercolor, then recreate it in crossstitch in dark blue, turquoise, and white.
Art warmups enable students to jump right into their projects knowing there are no wrong answers. Students work with positive and negative space, do quick sketches, go beyond the color wheel, and use mixedmedia techniques to build layers and texture.
Breathe new life into your unfinished or “failed” collages or paintings. Find ways to infuse interest and create a variety of compositions to change the look and feel of your pieces.
This year, send friends and family bespoke holiday cards. Learn tips and see demonstrations of techniques for creating elegant greetings that will be keepsakes long after the season ends. You receive almost all the supplies you need to craft at least 20 cards.
Create four different fancy-fold cards sure to impress any recipient. Fancy folds look challenging, but this workshop walks you through all the steps. Detailed instructions provide you with everything you need to create fancy folds on your own after the class.
Advantages to providing your email to customer service:
• Receive a digital version of the member program guide so you can read it anywhere
• Receive important notices regarding your program registrations along with other useful information
Crepe Paper
By Karen Cadogan
Flower: The Amaryllis
Create an indoor garden to keep your home colorful during the winter season. Craft a crimson amaryllis’s stamen, petals, leaves, and bulb using crepe paper. Leave class ready to complete several more realistic amaryllis plants out of delicate paper.
Learn to apply the principles of abstract art to making embroidery. Develop a freeflowing approach to embroidery that emphasizes form, color, line, texture, pattern, composition, and process.
Dip your toe into the world of weaving as you learn basic tapestry weaving techniques and design. Then create a miniature woven tapestry on a small frame loom. Techniques covered include warping the loom; color mixing and hatching; and creating horizontal stripes, vertical lines, irregular shapes, shading, and contour.
ONLINE: Tues., Oct. 8–Dec. 3, 6 p.m., no class Nov. 5 and 26; Tea Okropiridze; CODE 1E0-0PK; Members $195; Nonmembers $230
By Tea Okropiridze
Log Cabin Quilt Building Blocks
The log cabin quilt, with blocks of simple strips built around a center, is a traditional style yet remains a modern favorite. Learn this technique, then finish 10 blocks into a table runner. Stitching may be done by hand or machine.
Whether you know how to knit a scarf but not much more, used to knit but now feel rusty, or are confident in your beginning knitting skills but want to make sure you’re ready for an intermediate class or project, this workshop is for you. Learn several ways to accomplish basic techniques, including casting on, knitting and purling, binding off, increasing and decreasing, and basic finishing skills.
ONLINE: Sat., Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 12 p.m.; Ann Richards; CODE 1E0-0LZ; Members $80; Nonmembers $95
Introduction to Bobbin Lace
Break down the basics of handmade bobbin lace, an art form that originated in the 16th century. You learn to wind bobbins and follow patterns, constructing four small bobbin lace projects using colored threads to make it easier to see what is happening.
Embark on a maker’s journey as you create a labyrinth quilt modeled after an ancient convoluted circular path. Explore a selection of materials, create a reusable pattern, practice handwork techniques for couching and quilting, and learn finishing and installation techniques.
The beautiful decorations of religious and secular manuscripts are centuries-old Islamic traditions. Learn the elements of gold-leaf manuscript illumination in the Afghan tradition.
Explore the meeting of traditional and nontraditional mosaic materials while learning design and composition theories. Working with a theme of the face, combine mosaic and assemblage using some of that stuff you simply have not been able to part with.
Explore the spectrum of floral design. Among the practical areas covered are sourcing (with a focus on sustainability), making the most of seasonal flowers, creating centerpieces, wiring techniques, and photographing your work. The class is designed for students of all levels.
By Arrin Sutliff
ONLINE: Wed., Oct. 9–Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Arrin Sutliff; CODE 1E0-0PA; Members $160; Nonmembers $195
Introduction to Beading
Learn to create handcrafted jewelry. This class covers the basics of techniques, along with the names and uses for common hand tools, wire, stringing materials, and findings. The experience is perfect for students new to jewelry making and for those with experience who want to refresh their skills.
Explore the Japanese art of takuga, the intersection between printmaking and watercolor. Use sumi or block printing ink to handprint leaves, flowers, or vegetables. You leave this workshop with many colorful prints in the takuga style, ready for framing or sending as a greeting card.
ONLINE: Sat., Nov. 2, 10 a.m.; Sue Fierston; CODE 1E0-0MB; Members $80; Nonmembers $95
By Mïa Vollkommer
Wirework Intensive: Creative Chains
Learn to create three different chain designs using wireworking, forming, and texturing. Wire fusing is also demonstrated. You leave with a necklace-length piece incorporating all three designs or a bracelet-length chain in a single design.
Learn important design principles for jewelry makers such as use of color, creating visual texture and balance, and managing proportion. A “design challenge” is offered for students to complete between the first and second class meetings.
ONLINE: Thurs., Nov. 21 and Dec. 5, 6:30 p.m., no class Nov. 28; Mïa Vollkommer; CODE 1E0-0NJ; Members $135; Nonmembers $160
Modern Evergreen Wreath
Just in time for the holidays, create a modern wreath design with fresh evergreens on a metal hoop. Using a method similar to floral arrangement, combine local textures, shapes, and colors in your design. Many styles of wreaths, and even garlands, are possible with the wiring techniques covered in class.
ONLINE: Wed., Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m.; Arrin Sutliff; CODE 1E0-0PT; Members $45; Nonmembers $60
By Arrin Sutliff
Introduction to White-Line Woodblock Printing
By Sue Fierston
White-line woodcuts are multicolor images printed from a single block of wood. Learn to create your own by cutting a nature print or simple line drawing into a wood block, creating the “white lines” when printed.
ONLINE: Sun., Nov. 17, 10 a.m.; Sue Fierston; CODE 1E0-0MG; Members $80; Nonmembers $95
PHOTOGRAPHY n n n n
The Joy of Photography
Designed for beginners who want to learn how to use their digital or mirrorless camera as a creative tool, this class gives students the opportunity to learn about technical aspects of photography so they can concentrate on composing beautiful images.
ONLINE: Tues., Oct. 8–Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m., no class Nov. 5; Marty Kaplan; CODE 1E0-0NW; Members $185; Nonmembers $220
The Art of Black-and-White Photography
Learn how to create powerful black-and-white images. Discover how to previsualize black-andwhite images; compose scenes emphasizing texture, line, and contrast; and use software such as Lightroom Classic and Silver Efex Pro.
ONLINE: Sat., Oct. 26–Nov. 16, 1:30 p.m.; Lewis Katz; CODE 1E0-0NT; Members $125; Nonmembers $150
By Lewis Katz
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.
NEW CLASS
By Mïa Vollkommer
Geometric Shapes, Pattern, Repetition, and Lines
By Joe Yablonsky
If you are drawn to photos that include spirals, grids, and other shapes, this is the class for you. The first session discusses appropriate camera controls and time-of-day recommendations for several locations. Take what you learned to the streets and photograph these items in the field. The second session is a photo review.
ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 10 and 17, 6:30 p.m.; Joe Yablonsky; CODE 1E0-0MV; Members $90; Nonmembers $115
Legendary Creatures, Mythological Beasts, and More
By Joe Yablonsky
Gargoyles, sea serpents, winged horses, griffins, and sphinxes abound as architectural details and public sculpture in Washington, D.C. The first session recommends the best time of day to photograph some of them and teaches you how to do “ghost” photography using slow shutter speeds and camera controls. Between sessions, go on a search for your favorite bizarre statues, sculptures, and architectural features. The second session is a photo review of your spooky shots.
ONLINE: Thurs., Oct. 24 and 31, 6:30 p.m.; Joe Yablonsky; CODE 1E0-0NC; Members $95; Nonmembers $120
By Joe Yablonsky
Night Photography in Washington, D.C.
Online, learn the techniques required to capture great nighttime photos, including how to use exposure modes, exposure compensation, white balance, and ISO. For the second session, meet in the field to photograph the World War II Memorial, Washington Monument, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial.
ONLINE: Thurs., Nov. 7 and 14, 6:30 p.m.; Joe Yablonsky; CODE 1E00NF; Members $90; Nonmembers $115
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit
The Camera Obscura:
Hands-On History of Photography
Learn exactly what a camera obscura is and how this simple technique once used by da Vinci and Vermeer works. Find out about the beginnings of the camera obscura and its creation of images and then make your own “dark chamber.”
Support lifelong learning at Smithsonian Associates
Please help us in presenting vibrant educational programs by making a charitable contribution today. Your gift is essential because, unlike the museums, Smithsonian Associates is not federally funded and relies entirely on donations and membership support to bridge the gap between program expenses and registration revenue.
Camera obscura illustration from Reiner Gemma Frisius’ De Radio Astronomica et Geometrica, 1545
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.
The Golden Age of Steam
Strasburg Rail Excursion and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
A mecca for aficionados of railroad technology and history, Strasburg, Pennsylvania, offers the ideal destination for a tour led by rail historian James Reaves. Featured in the leisurely day are a round-trip steam train excursion through beautiful Lancaster County on the country’s oldest continuously operating railroad and an afternoon at one of America’s finest rail museums.
On arrival in Strasburg, take your seat on the Strasburg Rail Road in a meticulously restored Victorian-style railroad car that provides the perfect vantage point for picturesque views of Amish farms during a 45-minute ride. Step off the train and into the mechanical shop where steam trains are built and refurbished for a tour to learn how the mechanical department has been producing everything from fabricated parts to complete historic restoration for over 50 years.
Spend the afternoon at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, which displays more than 100 locomotives and cars from the mid-19th and 20th centuries.
Sat., Oct. 5, 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-045; Members $190; Nonmembers $240
Stories of the First Ladies
From Martha Washington to Jill Biden, each woman who has served in the role of first lady of the United States has a story. During a walking tour of the area around the White House, A Tour of Her Own staff members share a few of these sagas.
The tour begins in Freedom Plaza with a view of the Capitol. Get a glimpse of the Willard Hotel, where first ladies Grace Coolidge and Florence Harding lived. See the exterior of the residence of Dolley Madison, nicknamed the second White House, and learn how Jacqueline Kennedy preserved Lafayette Square from destruction. View the White House from both the north and south gates for a full look at where the first family resides and where the legacy of all the first ladies lives on.
THREE OPTIONS: Sat., Oct. 5, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. (CODE 1CW-A01); Sat., Oct. 12, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. (CODE 1CW-B01); Sun., Oct. 13, 2 p.m.–4 p.m. (CODE 1CW-C01); detailed tour information on website; Members $45; Nonmembers $55
An Immersion in Nature
Japanese Forest Bathing, Urban Style
Shinrin-yoku (translated as “forest bathing”) began in Japan in the 1980s. Rooted in Shinto and Buddhist traditions of reverence for nature, the practice involves a full sensory immersion in the outdoors. Studies have documented the physical and mental health benefits of quiet time spent in nature—including urban landscapes—such as lowered blood pressure and stress hormone levels, as well as improved mood and cognition.
Experience forest bathing as Melanie Choukas-Bradley, a certified nature and forest-therapy guide, leads a 2-hour morning walk in the Enid A. Haupt Garden at the Smithsonian Castle, covering its Moongate Garden, Fountain Garden, and Victorian Parterre. This unique and restorative celebration of the beauty of autumn is the perfect way to learn why forest bathing is popular all over the world.
Registrants receive a signed copy of Choukas-Bradley’s book Wild Walking—A Guide to Forest Bathing Through the Seasons (Rock Point).
TWO OPTIONS: Tues., Oct. 8 (CODE 1NS-A01); Wed., Oct. 9 (CODE 1NS-B01); 8:30–10:30 a.m.; detailed tour information on website; Members $60; Nonmembers $85
Bus Tour
Strasburg Rail Road locomotive Canadian #89 pulls passenger cars through Lancaster County
Walking Tour
Walking Tour
White House, Lafayette Square
Gardens of Norfolk
While Norfolk is known as a city on the water, gardens and greenery are the focus of the day. Horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey leads a tour to a botanical oasis and a historic estate.
The Norfolk Botanical Garden has 60 themed gardens covering 175 acres. Each corner offers a distinctive sensory experience, from the tranquil Japanese Garden to the Margaret Moore Hall Bicentennial Rose Garden bursting with the fragrance and color of more than 300 rose varieties. A guided tram tour provides an overview of the property before you stroll along winding paths adorned with colorful flowers, towering trees, and serene water features. Don’t miss the chance to marvel at the beauty of the Bristow Butterfly Garden, 2 acres of butterfly habitat that attracts and supports butterflies and moths throughout their life cycle.
After lunch, visit the Smithsonian Affiliate Hermitage Museum & Gardens, a historic estate nestled along the Lafayette River. Lush gardens are landscaped in the tradition of an early 20th-century country estate, featuring footpaths, tranquil waterways, and gazebos. A guided walking tour of the grounds and estate introduces the history of the gardens and touches on the many varieties of plants and the Hermitage’s extensive conservation work. Highlights include the Sunken Garden, a secluded retreat surrounded by towering hedges, and the Hermitage Wetlands, which provides a clean, safe habitat for fish and wildlife and supports a variety of native and flowering plants.
Thurs., Oct. 10, 7 a.m.–9:30 p.m., by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-046; Members $218; Nonmembers $268
Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs
Autumn Splendor in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve
Spend an autumn day exploring the scenic 93,000-acre Agricultural Reserve in Maryland’s Montgomery County, designed to preserve farmland and rural space in the northwestern part of the county. Melanie Choukas-Bradley, a longtime resident of the reserve, serves as guide and introduces some of her favorite places there.
Along the way, hear two remarkable stories of preservation: Gordon Strong’s lifelong mission to save Sugarloaf Mountain from development and keep it open for public enjoyment and education and Montgomery County’s innovative farmland preservation program, which serves as a model for agricultural areas throughout the world.
Visit historic farms and meet farmers who discuss the progressive methods they use to bring produce to local markets. The morning includes visits to Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, where you meet both caregivers and animals, and to Kingsbury Orchard. After lunch, visit Morningstar Studio, home to artist Tina Brown, before taking an autumnal walk on one of Montgomery County’s picturesque trails. Wrap up the day at Shepherd’s Hey Farm, known for its longwool sheep, and enjoy local cider, wine, and cheese.
Fri., Oct. 25, 8 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-047; Members $177; Nonmembers $227
Keep Connected with Smithsonian eAlerts!
Subscribe now to our topic-based eAlerts to match your interests. You can look forward to receiving timely information about new programs, special Smithsonian offers, our curated Digital Digest newsletter, and much more to spark your imagination and inspire learning. Explore a whole world of subjects—from art and architecture to history, culinary arts to science, travel to literature, and so much more!
Simply sign up at SmithsonianAssociates.org/eAlerts and you’re set.
Privacy Policy: We do not rent or sell our e-mail addresses.
Gazebo and sundial at the Colonial Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden
Bus Tour
Shepherd's Hey Farm
The Battle of Second Manassas
In mid-July 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee found that he and his Army of Northern Virginia had to deal with not one but two Federal armies: Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac, which the Confederates had just driven away from Richmond, Virginia, and Maj. Gen. John Pope’s Army of Virginia. Over the next two months, Lee used a calculated strategy to defeat each of the Federal armies, beginning with Pope’s. His strategy ultimately resulted in a return to Bull Run and the Battle of Second Manassas.
The tour begins with a visit to Brawner Farm and Battery Heights, where Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson first fought Federal units on Aug. 28. Next is Sudley Church, near Bull Run, where Pope launched his initial attacks against Jackson during the morning of Aug. 29. Participants spend the rest of the morning visiting several locations along the Unfinished Railroad, where Pope continued to strike Jackson in diversionary attacks throughout Aug. 29.
Following a boxed lunch at the site of Lee’s headquarters on Stuart Hill, stops associated with fighting on Aug. 30, the final day of the battle, include Groveton, the New York Zouave monuments, Chinn Ridge, and Pope’s headquarters on Buck Hill. Civil War tour guide Marc Thompson leads the tour.
Sat., Oct. 26, 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-048; Members $133; Nonmembers $183
Sign up for this tour by Oct. 21 to receive a complimentary registration for the Second Manassas online program (p. 5) on Oct. 24.
Alexandria at War
Alexandria, Virginia, was a heavily divided city during the Civil War. Citizens, enslaved people, and Union Army occupiers struggled through four years, nursing the dying and wounded from the front and sheltering emancipated people. The memories of the war still resonate today.
Journalist Chuck Raasch guides you on a tour through the heart of Old Town. Significant points along the way include the scorched walls of the offices of one of the nation’s oldest newspapers; Alexandria National Cemetery, whose interred people represent many aspects of the war; and the site of the war’s first combat death. Other stops include St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where a minister was arrested in the middle of a service, and Freedom House Museum, where enslaved people were jailed and sold before the war.
TWO OPTIONS: Sun., Nov. 3, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (CODE 1CW-B02); Sun., Nov. 3, 1:30–4 p.m. (CODE 1CW-C02); detailed tour information on website; Members $50; Nonmembers $60
Give the Gif t of Color
Limited-edition prints from the Smithsonian Associates Art Collectors Program capture brilliant and memorable worlds of color—and make great gifts for all occasions. For details, visit ArtCollectorsProgram.org
*Member pricing applies to Promoter level and above For membership levels visit SmithsonianAssociates.org/levels
Brawner Farm House
Bus Tour
Bus Tour
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Alexandria, Virginia, 1862
Blue Moonlight by April Gornik (detail) Retail: $1200 Members: $950*
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Ancient Wonders at the Penn Museum
Home to over a million objects from around the globe, the Penn Museum bridges the study of archaeology and anthropology. Spend the day immersed in ancient art and culture with art historian Renee Gondek, who offers a lecture on Greek art and ceramics en route to Philadelphia.
A guided tour of the museum gives you a taste of its vast collection and the chance to see Sumerian cuneiform tablets—with some of the world’s oldest writing—Buddhist sculptures, Native American regalia, and monumental Egyptian statues. Don’t miss the Sphinx of Ramses II, which weighs 26,000 pounds and is more than 3,000 years old.
After a catered lunch at the museum, the second tour of the day focuses on the Greek gallery, which represents the history and culture of Greece from 3000 to 31 B.C.E. This collection brings to life objects that Gondek discussed on the way to the museum.
Sat., Nov. 16, 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD049; Members $223; Nonmembers $273
Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs
War and Memory on the National Mall
The words “history” and “memory” mean very different things to scholars: “History” refers to the record of events from the past and “memory” to the process by which groups, institutions, and nations try to make sense of those events.
Monuments are a good example of where these two concepts intersect. They reflect a process of deciding what to commemorate, what the monument should look like, and where it should go. Historians talk about “reading” a monument as a way to learn more about the relationship between the people who erect it and the historical event it pays tribute to. War memorials can be especially fascinating places to practice these thinking skills, and there is no better place in the United States to think about the memory of conflict than on the National Mall. Historian Christopher Hamner leads a day dedicated to four memorials on the Mall.
Begin with a Ripley Center lecture on the distinctions between history and memory and an overview of the skills used to read a monument. After a boxed lunch, head out to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Ulysses S. Grant Memorial for hands-on exploration and discussion of the insights these memorials hold.
Fri., Nov. 22, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1CD-050; Members $106; Nonmembers $156
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.
Columns from the Palace of Merenptah, 19th Dynasty, in the Lower Egyptian Gallery of the Penn Museum
World War ll Memorial and Washington Monument
Bus Tour
Holidays at Longwood Gardens
Celebrate the yuletide season at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, during a day that explores a newly reopened conservatory, holiday-themed gardens, and a stunning light display.
“Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience” opens to the public in November. The project is a transformation of 17 acres of conservatories and grounds, including the West Conservatory that blends traditional 19th-century glasshouse styles with new sustainable technologies. The building integrates water inside and out and showcases Mediterranean-inspired gardens amid pools, canals, and fountains in a tapestry-like design. You’ll also discover a refreshed suite of formal outdoor gardens that incorporate vistas of the Brandywine Valley.
Karl Gercens, Longwood’s conservatory manager, leads tours of the tropical Cascade Garden, the Orchid House, and the historic Main Conservatory, highlighting magnificent arrangements that harmonize 19th-century architectural elements with traditional and contemporary garden displays.
After lunch at Longwood’s café, there’s time to relax and explore the grounds on your own. Take in the seasonal splendor of thousands of poinsettias, paperwhites, amaryllis, and other winter blooms and enjoy the holiday garden light display, where strolling carolers and cozy fire pits add to the atmosphere.
Wed., Dec. 4, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.; by bus; detailed program information on website; CODE 1ND-013; Members $216; Nonmembers $265
Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org to view the FAQ on Health & Safety guidelines for in-person programs
Radio City Music Hall
Front and Center for the Christmas Spectacular
There’s no more iconic holiday performance in New York than Radio City Music Hall’s famed Christmas Spectacular. And there’s no better way to see the precision dancing of the Rockettes than from prime orchestra seats in the fabulous Art Deco theater where the show has been a tradition since 1933.
Before the theatrical magic begins at a matinee performance, get a special behind-thescenes VIP tour of the music hall, covering the stunning 1930s interiors and art, the Great Stage, Mighty Wurlitzer organ, and an opportunity to meet a Rockette along the way. A gourmet box lunch is served en route; dinner is on your own during 2 hours of free time after the performance.
Thurs., Dec. 12, 6:45 a.m.–11 p.m.; by bus; detailed tour information on website; CODE 1ND-012; Members $395; Nonmembers $445
Related program: Radio City Music Hall: Forever Spectacular (see p. 23)
Holiday decorations at Longwood Gardens, 2023
Bus Tour
Bus Tour
Holiday decorations in the Grand Foyer
Join a Community of Lifelong Learners
Learning has always been synonymous with the Smithsonian. And if the joy of learning enriches your life, we invite you to join Smithsonian Associates and be among the first to know about outstanding programs every month. You’ll appreciate the stimulating and entertaining range of offerings inspired by the wonders of the Smithsonian and covering the full scope of the humanities, sciences, and arts. Join experts in everything from archaeology to literature and history to high-tech espionage and zoology as they share insights, discoveries, and innovative ideas.
Unlike the Smithsonian’s museums, Smithsonian Associates receives no federal funding and relies on individual contributions to help bridge the gap between program expenses and registration revenues. That vital support ensures we’re able to continue what we do best: creating engaging learning experiences that open the Smithsonian’s world of knowledge to audiences across the country.
Please consider becoming part of that community of lifelong learners at: SmithsonianAssociates.org/levels
Levels of Support
Your support expands your learning, and the current benefits listed here are designed to enhance your experience.
Associate ($50) Priority registration and discounts, invitations to selected no-fee programs, the print edition of Smithsonian Associates’ informative and lively monthly program guide.
Champion ($80) All the above and:
Up to four discounted registrations per program, priority consideration for waitlisted programs.
Promoter ($100) All the above and:
A subscription to the award-winning Smithsonian magazine, special rates for the purchase of limited-edition fine-art prints created for Smithsonian Associates’ Art Collectors Program.
Advocate ($175) All the above and:
An advance digital copy of the monthly program guide, two complimentary program registrations.
Contributor ($300) All the above and:
Advance registration opportunity for Smithsonian Summer Camp, recognition in the Smithsonian Associates program guide’s annual donor listing
Patron ($600) All the above and:
Four complimentary registrations to a headliner program, a copy of the Smithsonian Annual Report.
Sponsor ($1,000) All the above and:
Reserved seating at in-person programs, dedicated concierge phone line for inquiries and registration.
Partner ($2,500) All the above and:
Invitation for two to attend the prestigious annual Smithsonian Weekend, recognition in the Smithsonian Annual Report.
Benefactor ($5,000) All the above and:
Recognition as a sponsor of a selected program, priority seating at all in-person programs.
Bonus: Contributions at the Advocate level and higher include membership in Smithsonian Associates’ Circle of Support.
Performances, and Lectures—Multi-Session
Program Planner (New listings in red); (In-person programs•)
and Multi-Session
Are you wondering when the next round of Studio Arts classes starts?
Winter Classes
Begin in January and end in March. On sale in November.
Spring Classes
Begin in April and end in June. On sale in February 2025.
Winter Studio Arts classes
From Developing Your Creative Practice to The Mark of van Gogh to The Joy of Photography, the winter lineup of Studio Arts classes goes on sale in November. Look for them in next month's issue!
Summer Classes
Begin in July and end in September. On sale in May 2025.
Fall Classes
Begin in October and end in December. On sale in August 2025.
NOTICE TO OUR PATRONS:
Smithsonian Associates offers vibrant educational programming experiences both via Zoom and in person to audiences across the country and around the world.
SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES GENERAL INFORMATION AND POLICIES
Please visit SmithsonianAssociates.org for more details
MEMBERSHIP Depending on your level of support, you will receive special benefits, including significant savings on most Smithsonian Associates program tickets and a monthly Smithsonian Associates program guide, and much more. Visit SmithsonianAssociates.org/join for more information. Become a member today!
Phone 202-633-3030, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
Phone registration orders are subject to a $3 handling fee.
CONTACT US
Email CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org
Mail Smithsonian Associates, P.O. Box 23293, Washington, D.C. 20026-3293
Phone .........................202-633-3030, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
PROCESSING FEES
All program registrations are subject to a 10% processing fee to defray administrative costs. Registrants will see this fee applied during the checkout process. Exclusions are transactions for Discovery Theater, Smithsonian Summer Camp, Studio Arts, and Study Tours.
CREDIT TO YOUR SM ITHSON IAN ASSOCIATES ACCOUNT
Credit for cancellations or exchanges are only available for ticket orders that cost more than $40. If in compliance with the specific guidelines below, credit is issued to your Smithsonian Associates account, not your credit card. Credits are non-transferable.
Important note: Cancelling your program in the Zoom personal link that you received does not initiate the Smithsonian Associates credit or refund process. Please contact Customer Service via email at least two weeks in advance to request a change to your registration
For all Smithsonian Associates online programs, study tours, and Studio Arts classes: If you wish to cancel or exchange tickets for any ticket order costing more than $40, please contact Customer Service via email at least two weeks before the program date to request a credit. Please note that there is a $10 cancellation fee, as well as a cost adjustment when there is a price difference if you are applying your credit to another program.
Courses: To receive credit to your Smithsonian Associates account for a course, (excluding Studio Arts classes), please contact Customer Service via email at least two weeks before the first session. Credit will also be issued within two weekdays after the first session, provided that Customer Service is contacted within that period. Credit will be prorated to reflect the cost of the first session. No credit will be given after the second session.
REFUNDS are only issued when a program is cancelled or if it sells out before we receive your order.
CHANGES I N PUBLISHE D SCHE DU LES Smithsonian Associates reserves the right to cancel, substitute speakers and session topics within a course, and reschedule any program, if needed. Occasionally, a time or date of a program must change after it has been announced or tickets have been reserved. Participants are notified by email. Check SmithsonianAssociates.org for latest updates.
MOVING? If you are receiving our print publications, please email or write us with your new information and allow 6 weeks for the change of address to take effect.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO Smithsonian Associates reserves the right to take photographs or videos (or audio) during programs for the educational and promotional purposes of the Smithsonian Institution or authorized third parties. By attending a program, the participant agrees to allow their likeness to be used by Smithsonian Associates or Smithsonian-authorized third parties without compensation to the participant. Participants who prefer that their voice and/or image not be used must notify us in writing prior to the beginning of the program.
Viewing Smithsonian Associates Online programs on Zoom
If you have not yet downloaded Zoom go to www.zoom.us/download and download the latest version of the Zoom desktop application.
Because Internet speeds vary, try to use a hardwired internet connection (ethernet cord) to your computer. Limit the number of devices and close other applications in use while viewing, and avoid any high bandwidth activities.
You will receive two emails after registering for a program: The first is an immediate automatic confirmation of your purchase from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org and a second one from no-reply@zoom.us at least 24 hours prior to the program date with a link to your online program on Zoom.
Click the Zoom link sent to you via email (“Click Here to Join”). It will automatically open a web page asking you to launch the Zoom application. Click “Open Zoom Meetings.”
Once the meeting is open in Zoom, maximize the window by clicking “Enter Full Screen” in the top right corner. Also, make sure your speakers are on.
