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Travel the world with the summer edition of Sketching the Smithsonian as you take an artful break and explore the fascinating, vast collections of this extraordinary museum.
Explore the brilliance of Louis Comfort Tiffany, a leading figure of late-19th and early-20th-century American design. Known for his stained-glass windows, signature lamps, and innovative glasswork, Tiffany transformed decorative arts into fine art through his bold experimentation with color and light. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton, a lamp collector herself, examines his creative vision, his studios, and his relationship with his father, Charles Lewis Tiffany of Tiffany & Co., revealing how Tiffany’s luminous creations continue to captivate admirers today. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Learn to use the iPad, Apple Pencil, and Procreate for illustration and animation. Students get an introductory lecture on the basics of digital art production, demonstrations, and experience drawing in Procreate on an iPad.
The War of 1812 is among the most misunderstood wars in American history. Historian Richard Bell argues its causes, course, and consequences have long been obscured by the American Revolution and the Civil War. More than the conflict that inspired the national anthem says Bell, it was a defining moment in a young republic, establishing American credibility abroad, securing independence, shaping national identity, entrenching states’ rights, and unleashing imperial ambitions—all at extraordinary human cost.
After the devastation of World War II, Italy transformed into one of Europe’s great economic success stories of the 1950s and 1960s by embracing Western consumerism. Through globally popular films, advertising, and design, the country projected an image of modernity, elegance, and pleasure that captivated international audiences. Lecturer Adam Tanner examines how the myth of la dolce vita forged during these boom years continues to shape how Italy is imagined, both at home and abroad.
Between 1400 and 1800, the people of Europe, Africa, and the Americas grew more connected by overseas trade and colonization. According to historians Christopher Hodson and Brett Rushforth, accounts of this transformative era have overlooked the reach of the pre-Napoleonic French Empire. Hodson and Rushforth, authors of Beyond the Ocean: France and the Atlantic World from the Crusades to the Age of Revolutions, examine the significant role that France played in the history of the Atlantic world and the ways it shaped France in return.
Art historian Laura Morelli illuminates the vibrant world of the Etruscans, an ancient Italian people often shrouded in mystery despite their rich and distinctive cultural legacy. Drawing on masterworks of painting, sculpture, and metalwork uncovered in central Italian tombs, she reveals how the Etruscans envisioned the afterlife and adorned their burial spaces with remarkable luxury items. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Learn the techniques needed to create fine mosaic jewelry as you make silver-plated mosaic pendants using mosaic gold, smalti, semiprecious stones, stained glass, and millefiori.
Capture the magic of your travels in a whole new way. Learn how to easily transform your favorite vacation photos of places into beautiful, expressive paintings in watercolor and ink.
Campers are introduced to a wide variety of art forms that evoke movement. From Calder to Hokusai and butterflies, campers gather their own movement inspiration from visits to the Natural History Museum and the African Art Museum. They also investigate concepts of motion by painting with marbles, making spin art, and experimenting with balance as they make mobiles. The week ends with what’s sure to be a very moving exhibition.
