Daytime Programs

The story of Britain can’t be told without its kings. William the Conqueror, Edward III, Henry VII, George III, and George VI stand out as pivotal figures who redefined and reset the future course of their country. Historian and Tudor scholar Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger traces England’s history through the reigns of those transformative sovereigns.

Olive trees, their branches, and their fruit have been featured in the art of the Mediterranean for thousands of years. Join Italian artist Francesco Ciavaglioli, Rome-based curator Cornelia Lauf, and Luanne Savino O’Loughlin, an importer and retailer for Olio2Go, as they showcase the ancient bonds between agriculture and art in a lively visual journey that engages the senses.

Italian Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo explores the life and career of Andrea Palladio (1508–1580), arguably the most influential architect in the Western world. His works range from magnificent villas in the Veneto to churches in Venice. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

London-based historian David Gwynn examines the contradictory legacy of the Goths, portrayed as both barbaric destroyers and heroic champions of liberty. He brings together the interwoven stories of the original Goths and the diverse Gothic heritage, providing new insight into the complicated history of this great lost civilization.

Arlington National Cemetery is one of the most sacred spaces in a region filled with memorials and monuments. Jim Carr, a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel, offers an overview of its history, traditions, and heritage and examines what sets Arlington National Cemetery apart from other cemeteries in the world.

For decades, African nations have fought for the return of countless works of art stolen during the colonial era and placed in Western museums. Shortly after 1960, when 18 former colonies in Africa gained independence, a movement occurred to pursue repatriation. Art historian Bénédicte Savoy reveals this largely unknown but deeply important history. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The Phoenicians might not have survived the turmoil of antiquity, but their legacy endures. Yet, despite their many achievements, they remain an enigma. Author and lecturer Vadim S. Jigoulov, addresses the questions surrounding Phoenician identity, describes the scope of their maritime exploits, and discusses their portrayals in works by Greek and Jewish authors.

From its beginnings, motion pictures have delighted the public—and upset civic and religious authorities who felt that movies needed to be regulated to protect “innocent” minds and discourage immorality. Media expert Brian Rose surveys years of movie censorship and the many ways Hollywood has tried to deal with this ever-evolving issue.

When the French jewelry firm Cartier and Russian Carl Fabergé decided to open showrooms abroad—on the same street in London—the scene was set for an epic international battle. Join curator Kieran McCarthy, a Fabergé specialist, and author Francesca Cartier Brickell, a Cartier descendant, for a sumptuously illustrated talk about the relationship and rivalry between two of the greatest names in luxury in the early 20th century.

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Mary Hall Surface, founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, leads three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of artworks chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels. This session focuses on memory, identity, and setting.

Throughout the history of Western music, men have claimed most of the spotlight, with scores of brilliant creative women relegated to the less brightly lit corners of the musical word. In programs featuring live piano performances, Rachel Franklin places them center stage as she examines their talent, grit, intellect, and drive, without which many of the most celebrated musical figures might have been significantly less successful.

In this summer series, discover a “novel” way to explore the arts. Independent art historian Heidi Applegate explores the artists—Leonardo da Vinci, Judith Leyster, and Camille Pissarro—and paintings that inspired three works of art-focused historical fiction. This session discusses Laura Morelli's The Night Portrait. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Florence is replete with frescoes, paintings, sculpture, and architecture created in an era in which art was the cornerstone of cultural activity. From her home in Tuscany, art historian Elaine Ruffolo traces the history of this jewel of a city from the dawn of the Renaissance to the era of the Medici dukes. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The lives of the disparate Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Louise Nevelson, and Cindy Sherman share one thing: the desire to ignore society’s dictates and live and work according to their own. Art historian Nancy G. Heller examines how these controversial American creators helped ignite some of the most important and radical developments in modern and contemporary art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Mary Hall Surface, founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, leads three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of artworks chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels. This session focuses on sunlight, shadow, and story.

In a virtual tour of Longwood Gardens grounds and newly reopened Orchid House with orchid expert Barb Schmidt, learn how it’s more than beautiful flower displays…it’s an important center for horticultural science.

Between the ninth and seventh centuries B.C., the rulers of Assyria, a small kingdom in what is today northern Iraq, expanded through conquest to dominate the area from Egypt to Iran and created a series of magnificent royal cities adorned with palaces and temples. Paul Collins, a leading authority on the art of ancient Mesopotamia, leads a journey through these palaces to reveal how they were designed to ensure that Assyrian kingship would exist for all eternity. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Mary Hall Surface, founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, leads three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of artworks chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels. This session focuses on surprise, connect, and experiment.

The Philadelphia region enjoys a tradition of horticulture that goes back to the city's inception in the late 17th century. Explore the cultural, political, economic, and even religious factors that influenced the surprising evolution of gardening and the establishment of world-class horticultural institutions in the region.

The Baroque period is characterized by the spirit of competition among great painters, sculptors, and architects. Art historian Aneta Georgievska Shine explores the spirit of admiration and rivalry that shaped the work of Caravaggio and Bernini, both in relation to Michelangelo and their own contemporaries. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Rock music exploded on the big screen in 1955 when Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” played behind the opening credits of Blackboard Jungle. Brian Rose, professor emeritus at Fordham University, looks at rock movies’ first decade and how Hollywood benefited from the power of this music—and its target audience—around the world.

In this summer series, discover a “novel” way to explore the arts. Independent art historian Heidi Applegate explores the artists—Leonardo da Vinci, Judith Leyster, and Camille Pissarro—and paintings that inspired three works of art-focused historical fiction. This session discusses Carrie Callaghan's A Light of Her Own. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The Krebs cycle generates the building blocks of life and fuels the furnace of respiration. Biochemist Nick Lane offers an overview of this complex pathway within our cells that could answer questions from the origins of life to the devastation of cancer.

The fall of Naples in 1442 not only brought Spanish rule, it transformed the city into a vital center of artistic production. Join Sophia D’Addio, a lecturer in art history at Columbia University, in an exploration of paintings, sculptures, medals, and architecture commissioned by the Aragonese rulers of Naples, most notably the commissions and collections of King Alfonso of Aragon. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Caravaggio (1571–1610) not only revolutionized painting at the turn of the 16th century with his hyper-realistic style, he often turned Rome on its head with his criminal behavior. Rocky Ruggiero, a specialist in the Early Renaissance, traces Caravaggio’s works and how they are intimately tied to his personal demons.  (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

In this summer series, discover a “novel” way to explore the arts. Independent art historian Heidi Applegate explores the artists—Leonardo da Vinci, Judith Leyster, and Camille Pissarro—and paintings that inspired three works of art-focused historical fiction. This session discusses Alice Hoffman's The Marriage of Opposites. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)