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Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
By understanding how plants work, you can be more successful at caring for them, since knowledge of basic plant biology can be a valuable tool for indoor gardeners fascinated by plants and their unique characteristics. Virginia Velez Thaxton, a horticulturist with the Interiors Section of Smithsonian Gardens, explores the essential factors plants need from their environment and offers an overview of the physiological processes at play.
Bursting with big talent with big dreams, MGM in the 1940s and ’50s produced the most glorious string of musicals in film history: gems like On the Town, Singin’ in the Rain, An American in Paris, The Band Wagon, and Gigi. Grab a bowl of popcorn and join documentary filmmaker Sara Lukinson, who combines a lively lecture with an abundant sample of film clips that will have you singing in the rain. That’s entertainment!
Winslow Homer remains one of the most celebrated American artists of the 19th century, renowned for his evocative portrayals of everyday life and the natural world. Rather than focus on society’s elite, Homer turned his attention to ordinary Americans, capturing them with honesty, restraint, and quiet empathy. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton traces Homer’s artistic evolution, his commitment to American Realism, and the parallel yet sharply contrasting career of Thomas Eakins. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Discover the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Experience new ways to contemplate the gifts of winter inspired by the vibrant Winter Landscape by Wassily Kandinsky, an artist who embraced the transcendent power of color. Designed for writers of all levels, and for the curious, the workshop invites participants to look outwardly at art and to look inwardly through writing.
Ages 3 to 7. Join us for a screening of the film adaptation of Ezra Jack Keats' beloved book.
Millions of American GIs served in the European Theater of Operations during the Second World War, fighting their way through Italy, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands before pushing into Germany itself. Most were not professional soldiers, but ordinary young men drafted and sent overseas to confront one of the most formidable armies in history. Historian Christopher Hamner explores the experience of these ground troops—nicknamed “dogfaces”—from their stateside training and transatlantic journey to the brutal and bewildering realities of combat on the European continent.
Journey back to the time when aluminum trees shimmered in living rooms, Shiny Brite ornaments sparkled on branches, and cartoon holiday specials became beloved TV traditions. Through period photographs, vintage advertisements, and colorful catalogs, cultural historian Leslie Goddard brings to life the spirit of Christmas in the United States from the late 1940s through the 1960s. Goddard explores how the holiday evolved during an era marked by postwar prosperity and cultural optimism for many.
