Join us in person on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, for a variety of programs and studio arts classes and workshops, as well as a range of local and regional destinations in our walking tours, full-day study tours, and overnight tours.
Discover the spring splendors of the Potomac Gorge, a 1,900-acre natural area spanning Maryland and Virginia that is one of the most botanically diverse places in North America. Hike north from Turkey Run Park along the Potomac Heritage Trail on a wilderness adventure inside the Beltway as you admire lush upland forests, floodplains brilliantly decorated by Virginia bluebells, and great blue herons in the Potomac River.
This introductory course teaches the basic skills needed for drawing. Working with a variety of materials and techniques, including charcoal and pencils, students explore the rendering of geometric forms, volume, and perspective, with an emphasis on personal gesture marks.
Participants refine and expand their drawing skills through studio practice in traditional media. Sessions focus on classic subject areas such as landscape, portrait, and figure.
Learn clay techniques and gain an understanding of the human body, gestures, and expressions as you sculpt a portrait, torso, or full-figure piece by working from life.
Whether you want to work in digital or film, this course offers a solid foundation for new photographers ready to learn the basics. Topics include camera functions, exposure, metering, working with natural and artificial light, and composition.
Discover the joy of this craft characterized by colorful floral designs embroidered in wool, a style that originated in the Andean mountains of Peru.
In this course, gain the technical background and experience you need to get started as a painter. Working from museum masterpieces, still-life arrangements, or your favorite photos, explore basic painting techniques, including color-mixing, scumbling, and glazing.
Popular theory on right-side brain activity holds that the right brain is primarily responsible for the intuitive understanding of visual and spatial relationships. Designed to improve the way people see and record objects on paper, this class provides a set of visual exercises to help build the ability to draw.