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Discover landmarks, art, and other projects from the New Deal period with author David Taylor during a walking tour in Washington, D.C. Sites visited include Judiciary Square to see the public sculptures and dramatic courthouse bas reliefs there; the Henry F. Daly Building, constructed in the Classical Moderne style; the Federal Trade Commission Building, which features monumental Art Deco sculptures; and the National Mall and Washington Monument, both of which were renovated during the New Deal period.
Pennsylvania Avenue has hosted inaugurations, protests, and parades throughout the history of the United States. But the development of this grand boulevard connecting the Capitol to the White House was fraught with conflict and intrigue. Visit Lafayette Square, walk Pennsylvania Avenue, and learn from Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, how this part of downtown Washington went from being Murder Bay to America’s Main Street.
A master of light and color, Johannes Vermeer creates a timeless world where the smallest actions take on a sense of beauty and meaning beyond their commonplace settings. His gloriously lit, serene, and exquisitely rendered masterpieces continue to speak to us through their ability to capture some of the most universal ideas in human experience. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine discusses Vermeer’s place within the artistic culture of Holland and examines some of his favorite themes and their possible meanings. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)
It’s all about who you know when you’re an animal. For vampire bats sharing blood meals to survive, macaque monkeys forming grooming pacts after a deadly hurricane, and great tit birds learning the best way to steal milk, it pays to be well-connected. In this tour of the animal kingdom, evolutionary biologist Lee Alan Dugatkin describes social networks that existed long before the dawn of human social media.
Discover the sculptures of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in this artful workshop. Practice your observation and sketching skills alongside other participants while you are surrounded by modern and contemporary artworks.
Over the course of the more than three decades he lived or visited there, the Badlands transformed Theodore Roosevelt into the kind of vigorous outdoorsman that he’d idealized as a youth—and that shaped his public image as president. Perhaps more importantly, this corner of the West turned him into a passionate conservationist. Experience the Badlands landscapes—filled with dramatic vistas, vividly colored canyons, and wandering herds of wild bison—on a 5-day study tour led by naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley.
From the elaborate banquets of ancient civilizations to the lavish soirées of the Renaissance, feasts have revealed both the culinary delights of their time and the social hierarchies, power dynamics, and cultural exchanges that have shaped our past. In an evening series, food historian Francine Segan uncovers the meaning behind the food, drink, and rituals that have defined such gatherings and spotlights the unique foods of royal tables in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. This session focuses on ancient Greece in the time of Alexander the Great.
When he became president in 1797, John Adams was confronted with intense partisan divides, debates over citizenship, fears of political violence, potential for foreign conflict, and a nation unsure that the presidency could even work without George Washington at the helm. Historian Lindsay M. Chervinsky surveys the second U.S. presidency, a period critical to the survival of the republic, and examines how Adams met these unique challenges and how he shaped the office for his successors.
For more than 115 years, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, has been recognized as one of the world’s most important and beautiful collections of gardens and glasshouses. As he explores its indoor spaces, Karl Gercens, Longwood’s conservatory manager, covers historic features including the Orangery and East Conservatory and previews a history-making addition: the West Conservatory, which brings together 19th-century glasshouse traditions and the newest sustainable technologies.
