All upcoming International Culture programs

Ever since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Smithsonian Institution has been a key player in the fight to protect Ukraine’s heritage. Corine Wegener, director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative; Hayden Bassett, a Smithsonian research associate and director of the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab; and Amber Kerr, the head of conservation at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, detail how the Smithsonian is working with Ukrainian cultural institutions to monitor cultural heritage sites, provide expert advice, detect and assess damage, and provide emergency supplies and equipment.

With so many flavors and endless possibilities, the wines of the Southern Hemisphere are particularly well equipped to pair with classic and modern holiday dishes. This delicious seminar with sommelier Erik Segelbaum explores how to select and pair wines like a professional sommelier to make every seasonal meal memorable.

Begun in 1337, the ground floor of Orsanmichele church in Florence, Italy, was originally a loggia-style market. When it was transformed, the inside was decorated with paintings of saints and the outside with statues by artists such as Donatello, Ghiberti, and Verrocchio. Today, the upper floor of Orsanmichele is a museum where all but one of the original sculptures are on display. Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights this museum and its treasures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The boldly passionate musical and dance form of flamenco casts it spell over aficionados around the world. But new fans might find some of its distinctive features puzzling. Flamenco scholar Nancy G. Heller introduces the basic elements and vocabulary of traditional flamenco music and dance, demystifying and enhancing the experience for audiences. She also traces the innovations explored by its avant-garde performers in the 21st century.

When Europeans and Americans became aware of the exquisite workmanship of Japanese porcelains, bronzes, silks, embroideries, and lacquerware in the 1850s, a cult of emulation and the “Japan craze” began. Former curator Nancy Green discusses the influence of Japanese aesthetics on avant-garde painting and printmaking, in fashionable ceramics and metalwork, and on graphic design, advertising, bookbinding, and illustration. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Museum consultant Sabiha Al Khemir discusses how calligraphy occupies a central place in Islamic arts through examples from across media, time, and place. She covers the various facets of calligraphy in form and content from the sacred to the secular, highlighting its aesthetic, symbolic, and metaphysical dimensions and demonstrating the ways in which it carries a profound cultural significance. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Cave temples at sites such as Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, and Badami are notable not just for their antiquity and religious significance but also for the ingenious, sophisticated techniques used to excavate them from the sides of mountains. Art historian Robert DeCaroli examines the history of these Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, and Ajivika temples and monasteries, how they were made, and how they are being protected today. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

French gastronomy has long been the benchmark for the world’s finest cuisine. The creativity bubbling up in French food today is rooted in thousands of years of culinary history, the collective heritage of a country that has always focused (sometimes obsessively) on everything that is put on the table. Susan Herrmann Loomis, author, cooking teacher, and French cuisine expert, leads a lively tour through the centuries that showcases the rich history of a unique and beloved cuisine and the influences that shaped it.

What is Indian food in America today? Food writer, journalist, and former restaurant editor at Food & Wine Khushbu Shah answers the question in her new cookbook, Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora. The dishes in Amrikan (UM-ree-kan—it’s “American” with a South Asian accent) are neither fully Indian nor fully American in their origin. In conversation with Helen Rosner, food writer at The New Yorker, Shah discuss her inspiration behind the book, along with her favorite recipes and some clever tips and tricks.

Nestled among bustling streets in the heart of Paris, the iconic Père Lachaise cemetery harbors stories of intrigue, fame, artistic brilliance, and cultural significance. Unravel the cemetery's secrets and celebrate its role as a sanctuary of memory and reflection with art historian Madeline Díaz, who explores why the 220-year-old Père Lachaise is not merely a resting place for the departed but a testament to Parisian history itself.