Travel journalist Bill Clevlen draws on his book Presidential Road Trips to guide history-lovers through presidential sites across the country. Explore homes, retreats, and landmarks like Madison’s library, Eisenhower’s living room, Johnson’s desk, Kennedy’s Air Force One, Nixon’s helicopter, and Lincoln’s Springfield home. Fill the tank for the ultimate presidential road trip including mansions, museums, grave sites, memorials, historic landmarks—and plenty more.
The Mediterranean island of Malta has a rich past that reaches back some 7,000 years—a culture that thrived well before the pyramids of Egypt. Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar, who was born on Malta, surveys its geography, history, and heritage as well as its vibrant modern and contemporary art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)
Historian Edward T. O’Donnell explores America’s dramatic shift from neutrality to engagement in World War I, highlighting the war’s overlooked but profound impact. He examines the causes of the conflict, American isolationism, and the pivotal events that led to U.S. involvement. O’Donnell also discusses military mobilization, the nation’s role in defeating the Central Powers, and the domestic consequences, including propaganda, suppression of dissent, and Wilson’s promotion of the League of Nations.
Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a course of three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a wide range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice.
Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape as horticultural expert Keith Tomlinson leads a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens in settings as varied as Singapore, the Arizona desert, and the American Midwest. In vibrant visuals he explores how each garden has taken a unique approach to design and interpretation as they celebrate plant collections, conservation, education, and the distinctive environments and landscapes in which they bloom. This session focuses on the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and the Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona.
Memory plays a major role in defining who we are. But what if memory could be changed intentionally, precisely, and for the better? Neuroscientist Steve Ramirez examines how memory manipulation shapes the imagination and sense of self and considers the question of whether erasing a deeply traumatic memory would change who a person is. Ramirez also discusses the ethics of artificially controlling memory.
Ages 6 to 12. Follow the lives of Olympians Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph from childhood infirmity to Olympic glory in this soaring musical.
Archaeologist Mike Pitts, author of Island at the Edge of the World, challenges the myth of ecological collapse on Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Drawing on early records and recent archaeology, he reveals the Islanders’ resilience and reinterprets the iconic statues, surveying a unified culture shaped by powerful beliefs, rituals, and creativity. He refutes the long-held narrative of self-destruction and offers a deeper understanding of the island’s spiritual and cultural legacy that is rooted in Polynesian mythology and Pacific traditions.
