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In 1919, 21-year-old Peggy Guggenheim invested a multimillion-dollar inheritance in modern art—and became a visionary collector who later established galleries in New York and London. Today these works are found in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, housed in the palazzo on the Grand Canal that was her home. Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar discusses Guggenheim’s life and her role as an influential collector. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Join five-time James Beard Award winner Dorie Greenspan for a delectable evening celebrating her new book, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes. Greenspan and chef Carla Hall serve up stories, baking wisdom, and insights into the magic behind the kinds of cakes that don’t need frosting, fuss, or special occasions—just a fork and a little hunger for happiness. The evening includes a Q&A session.
Fantasy is now an established and lucrative genre with a dizzying array of popular iterations across literature, games, and film. But the story of how hobbits, dungeons, knights, and dragons took over our collective imaginations is a long, complex one. In a fall series, historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the origins of the modern fantasy genre, from the evolution of obscure Gothic novels to the iconic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons. This session focuses on the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons.
Pull out your sketchbook and pencil to take an artful break as you explore the Smithsonian while drawing objects from vast, fascinating collections. The theme is inspired by the shifting of the seasons and heavily features nature and objects that speak to the changing colors of fall.
Historian Rosemarie Zagarri examines the role of women in the American Revolution, including ordinary women who participated in boycotts against Great Britain as well as more educated women who supported the patriotic cause. Zagarri focuses on the influential wife of a political figure, an enslaved poet, and a satirical playwright.
Why and how does a living language like English change? The answer, in a word, is fascinating. Linguist and English-language historian Anne Curzan offers a lively tour that spans the language’s many influences and shifting landscape, from Beowulf to blogging, texting, and tweeting.
Union Gen. William T. Sherman won military fame for his campaigns in the South— but they represented a single chapter of a career largely focused on the American West. Historian Bennett Parten reframes Sherman's overall legacy, discussing how the famous general played a pivotal role in the early history of California; the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad; and the U.S. government's many wars against native peoples.
Few cities in the world are as intertwined with water as Venice. Built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon along the Adriatic coast, Venice evolved from a marshy refuge into a powerful maritime republic—and its relationship with water has defined its history, politics, culture, and identity for more than a millennium. Historian and author Dennis Romano explores how the aquatic environment of the Venetian lagoon has shaped nearly every aspect of life in the city over the course of its 1,600-year history.
History has not been kind to King James. A cradle king who was crowned in Scotland in 1567 and England and Ireland in 1603, James VI and I has long been eclipsed in fame and reputation by his cousin and predecessor, Elizabeth I, and his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots. Historian and author Clare Jackson reappraises his life and legacy, revealing how the king’s keen interest in joining old and new worlds—the creation of colonies overseas, and closer to home, uniting Scotland, England, and Ireland—set the geopolitical stage for centuries to come.
Madeira, which originated on its namesake Portuguese island, was consumed at many milestones of early American history. George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Thomas Jefferson were huge aficionados of the wine. In fact, Virginia and much of the U.S. owe their wine industry to Jefferson’s attempts to recreate Madeira at Monticello. Dig into the many styles of this glorious food-friendly wine from a gorgeous island.
