Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.  

French artist Rosa Bonheur was one of the 19th century’s most celebrated animal painters. The first woman awarded France’s Legion of Honor, she gained international fame for her highly realistic works and dedication to studying animals firsthand—including at Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. Known for her unconventional lifestyle (trousers, short hair, and smoking in public), Bonheur remains a compelling figure. In an illustrated lecture, art historian Nancy G. Heller examines her life, art, and lasting influence. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The 50th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the first decade of the 17th century to the early 21st, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 7-concert series. This concert features music of Franz Schubert.

Washington, D.C.’s cemeteries offer a revealing lens into the city’s layered history, where landscape design, architecture, and memory intersect. Carolyn Muraskin of DC Design Tours explores four distinctive burial grounds: Oak Hill Cemetery, Mount Zion Cemetery and Female Union Band Society Cemetery, Glenwood Cemetery, and Rock Creek Cemetery. By examining their designs and symbolism and the lives they commemorate, Muraskin presents these sites not as static resting places but as dynamic cultural landscapes that continue to shape how we understand the city’s past.

In the early 18th century, American colonists along the seaboard built and sailed small vessels in coastal trade. Growing Caribbean plantations needed provisions, prompting widespread smuggling that violated British, French, and Spanish mercantilist laws. Skilled American mariners, adept in shallow-water navigation, became ideal illicit traders. Historian Carl Herzog of the USS Constitution Museum argues that decades of defying imperial policies fostered professional networks, business savvy, and covert practices that ultimately helped sail colonists toward revolution.

Warsaw stands at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe, a dynamic center of business, politics, and culture. Its landscape blends the remnants of the historic city that narrowly survived World War II, the monumental architecture of the communist era, and a striking modern skyline. Guide Christopher Skutela takes you on a virtual journey through the places and stories that bring the city to life, including the Royal Castle, the site of the former largest Jewish ghetto in Europe, the prisons of the communist regime, and the Praga district.

Art historian and author Laura Morelli leads an immersive virtual tour of Siena, one of Tuscany’s most beautiful and historic cities. Exploring the Gothic cathedral, the Palazzo Pubblico, and the distinctive Piazza del Campo, she reveals the artistic treasures that define Siena’s medieval legacy. Along the way, Morelli examines masterpieces by Duccio, Simone Martini, and the Lorenzetti brothers, highlighting the art, architecture, and history that make Siena a jewel of Tuscany. (World Art History Certificate elective, ½ credit)

Historic preservation is often thought of as the stewardship of grand landmarks associated with great figures like Thomas Jefferson, as well as places of worship, courthouses, and monuments. But the modest houses, working landscapes, and overlooked spaces that hold our personal and collective memories also matter. Public historian Ken Turino traces the history of the preservation movement in America, including how the field has evolved to have a more inclusive vision of what deserves protection.