Traditional circular patterns have long been used around the world in contemplation and relaxation practices. Learn how to create calming geometric designs that emphasize the connection among the mind, the body, and the spirit.
Spend three fascinating Friday evenings expanding your knowledge of the world of wine as you sip along with sommelier Erik Segelbaum in a series of delectable adventures. He explores classic and up-and-coming producers in Oregon. Each immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.
Ages 6 to 12. Follow the lives of Olympians Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph from childhood infirmity to Olympic glory in this soaring musical.
A celebration of gardening origin stories inspires the theme of this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show, “Rooted: Origins of American Gardening.” Started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the show is both the nation's largest and the world’s longest-running horticultural event, known for acres of beautiful displays. Experience memories and magnificence in a day spent at the show with horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey.
Drawing on one of the greatest Post-Impressionist and early modern art collections in the world, Barnes Foundation educator Penny Hansen guides a five-part series of online tours that examine the paintings of artists who helped shape a revolutionary period in the history of art. High-definition Deep Zoom technology provides close-up views of their canvases. This session highlights Pierre-August Renoir.
The Vikings have fascinated people for centuries, but new discoveries have transformed the view of their world. Archaeology and modern scientific techniques have revealed that Vikings were as good at trading as they were at raiding. In a daylong seminar, historian Jennifer Paxton traces how Vikings pioneered in creating an economic empire that reached from the far western Atlantic Ocean to the markets of Constantinople and Baghdad.
Avocados are one of today’s most beloved foods, valued for their rich flavor, healthy fats, and essential nutrients. But long before, avocados evolved as nourishment for giant Ice Age animals like sloths and mammoths. When those creatures vanished, humans stepped in, reshaping the fruit through domestication and forest management. Archaeobotanist Heather Thakar follows the avocado’s history from the highlands of ancient Honduras to today’s grocery stores.
Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, two key figures of postwar British art, shared a complex personal and artistic bond. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine explores this relationship by examining their distinct approaches to painting—Bacon’s expressive style contrasted with Freud’s painstaking realism. Despite their differences, both artists were fascinated by the human figure, and their mutual admiration sparked a rivalry that shaped their artistic trajectories. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
