All upcoming Courses

A picture is not only worth a thousand words: It can sometimes inspire a whole invented world. In a 3-session series, art historian Heidi Applegate explores novels in which Thomas Gainsborough, Asher B. Durand, and Cuban American artist Ana Mendieta and their works play roles. She also examines the factual background along with the fiction.

The music of Maurice Ravel brings a unique form of magnetism, delicacy, passion, and a frisson of disquiet to the concert experience. Concert pianist and speaker Rachel Franklin celebrates Ravel's 150th birthday by exploring a wide range of works from such masterpieces as Daphnis et Chloé and La Valse to solo display works like Tzigane that dazzle with their beauty and technical brilliance.

World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. These international expositions brought together nations to display a myriad of advancements, often reflecting the aspirations and challenges of their times. Art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into three pivotal exhibitions examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session highlights the London World's Fair of 1851.

The radical innovations made by European and American painters and sculptors between 1900 and 1960 forever altered the way we think about visual art. In a richly illustrated 5-session series, art historian Nancy G. Heller discusses major works by the period’s seminal painters and sculptors, emphasizing their broader socio-political and aesthetic contexts. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

In a summer workshop series, discover the power of reflective writing inspired by art guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Step into an intriguing contemporary painting by the German artist Sigmar Polke to discover how close looking at art can help us navigate challenging times and deepen our self-understanding.

In a summer workshop series, discover the power of reflective writing inspired by art guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by the masterful prints of one of Japan’s most innovative artists, Katsushika Hokusai, and by poetry across time, slow down, look closely, and reflect to explore the metaphor of wind in our world and in our lives.

World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. These international expositions brought together nations to display a myriad of advancements, often reflecting the aspirations and challenges of their times. Art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into three pivotal exhibitions examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session highlights the Chicago World's Fair of 1893.

Guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface, discover how reflective writing can offer a creative buoy for engaging with loss. Inspired by works of visual art and poetry, experience a process in which reflection and writing becomes a place of comfort and a space for holding sorrow as well as remembrance. This is part of a summer workshop series.

Sparked by new and influential explorations of psychology and human behavior in the early 20th century, the work of pioneering Expressionist artists still holds the power to move and challenge viewers. Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar traces the movement’s roots, meaning, influences, and most notable practitioners, including artists of the Die Brücke collective and the Der Blaue Reiter group. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Discover the fascinating world of ancient Egypt in a 4-session series that explores the daily life, culture, and innovations of one of the world’s most influential civilizations. Scholar Shelby Justl of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia draws on the discoveries of ongoing archaeological explorations and experimental archaeology to bring to life the rich history of Egypt and its expanding role on the global stage. This session explores ancient Egyptian food and drink.