Bring home the beauty of the Smithsonian’s inventive botanical holiday decorations when you create a centerpiece guided by a horticulturist from Smithsonian Gardens.
Through lecture, demonstration, and hands-on experimentation, students enhance their experience of color as they learn about the color wheel, the Munsell color chart, and the attributes of value, chroma, and hue. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Woodblock printing and linocut printing are ideal for creating bold images made up of patterns and textures. This course is an introduction to the relief print, from techniques of design and transfer through cutting and printing the block. Students design and produce their own editions, using nontoxic materials and employing both one-color and two-color techniques.
In this combination course, students work from still life, architectural interiors, and landscape to translate the world of three dimensions to two through the arts of drawing and painting.
The elegant and enduring Italic script has a venerable legacy. Begin your study of these versatile hand-written alphabets, which translate well into many practical and artistic applications.
The elegance of hand-lettered calligraphy is unmatched by machine. This class gives students a chance to learn the basics of this graceful and stylish art in a relaxed and supportive setting.
The beautiful decorations of religious and secular manuscripts are centuries-old Islamic traditions. Guided by a graduate of the Turquoise Mountain Institute, explore the elements of gold-leaf manuscript illumination in the Afghan tradition.
This class gives students a chance to use Chinese brush and ink as they learn to write basic Chinese characters, short phrases, and poems.
This three-session workshop examines fundamental concepts of composition and their practical application in studio-art practice, offering participants tools to enrich their own work as well to analyze and appreciate visual art in general. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Take fresh to look at those chipped plates, old ceramic figurines, and other odds ends that accumulate in your home. Learn to transform them into the raw materials for one-of-a-kind mosaic pieces assembled in the centuries-old folk art technique called pique assiette.
Guided by floral designer Sarah von Pollaro, modern-day romantics create a one-of-a-kind arrangement to gift to a loved one (or keep for themselves) as they enjoy champagne, strawberries, and chocolates.
Master basket weaver Lori VanKirk Schue guides students of all levels in creating a round spoke basket in a pattern that combines twining and braiding techniques.
Love mixed media? This workshop offers the perfect way to expand your repertoire by creating an array of one-off prints using acrylic paints and other materials.
