All upcoming Lectures

Pop culture is populated by plenty of fictional cephalopod and cephalopod-inspired characters, from Squidward of “SpongeBob SquarePants” to the heptapod aliens of Arrival. Whether these portrayals accurately represent the biology, anatomy, and behavior of the animals that inspired them is another question. Come find out how quickly Finding Dory’s Hank could regenerate his eighth arm and whether a kraken could really sink a ship as cephalopod expert Danna Staaf proves that truth can be stranger than fiction.

Smithsonian Associates speaker Paul Glenshaw returns to the Art + History series to look at great works of art in their historical context. This majestic landscape, created in 1868, is Bierstadt’s personal expression of his joyful first sight of the Sierra Nevada and a scene he thoroughly invented. The painting, along with Bierstadt’s many similar works, was a powerful lure for immigrants and settlers drawn by the promise of the American West, yet it also reveals the complicated legacy of Manifest Destiny. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

René Lalique, the daring jeweler of Belle Époque Paris, revolutionized adornment by rejecting gemstone traditions and blending metals with enamel, horn, glass, and semi-precious stones. His nature-inspired creations—dragonflies, orchids, and nymphs—elevated jewelry to fine art, embodying Art Nouveau’s union of art and life. Collaborating with Sarah Bernhardt and elite patrons, Lalique gained acclaim at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Art historian Tosca Ruggieri’s illustrated lecture explores his evolution, techniques, patrons, and rarely seen masterpieces. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The recent canonization of Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15, demonstrates that the desire to venerate holy people is undimmed in the contemporary Catholic Church, says historian Kate E. Bush. She explores how saints have been made through the centuries, detailing how Catholicism moved from accepting saints by popular acclamation to papal canonization. Even today, though, the devotion of everyday people is the main ingredient needed to make a saint, Bush argues.

The picture-perfect snowcapped cone of Mount Fuji has attracted Japanese artists and pilgrims for more than a thousand years. Historian Justin M. Jacobs examines the history of human influences on this dormant volcano and its dynamic—and symbolic—role in Japanese history, including the elaborate network of Shinto and Buddhist shrines that that have drawn countless pilgrims from far away.

Through the story of a pebble, paleobiologist Jan Zalasiewicz illuminates a complex history that begins in the farthest reaches of space and continues on Earth with volcanic eruptions, extinct animals and plants, long-vanished oceans, and transformations deep underground. The pebble’s story shows how geologists reveal the Earth’s past by forensic analysis of even the tiniest amounts of mineral matter crammed into a pebble.

Among President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal initiatives was the Federal Art Project, which offered a crucial source of income and creative purpose for thousands of artists at a time when galleries were shuttered and patrons scarce. At its peak, the program employed over 5,300 artists. Art historian Nancy Elizabeth Green explores the enduring legacy of the Federal Art Project, illuminating how art and government together helped to lift the spirits of a nation during one of its darkest times. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Historian Alexander Mikaberidze looks beyond the caricature of the frivolous queen to rediscover Marie Antoinette as a complex political actor—a woman negotiating power, motherhood, and identity in an age of revolution. Drawing on art, private correspondence, and contemporary accounts, he re-examines how Marie Antoinette’s image was constructed, weaponized, and ultimately transformed from royal scapegoat to enduring cultural icon.

World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. In a 3-part series, art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into the pivotal exhibitions held in St. Louis in 1904, San Francisco and San Diego in 1915, and Paris in 1925, examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session focuses on the Paris 1925 World's Fair.

Step behind the silver screen with author and design historian Cathy Whitlock as she explores the artistry that brings movies to life. Based on her book Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction, Whitlock leads a journey through the sets, locations, and design stories behind films such as Gone with the Wind, The Great Gatsby, and La La Land.