What's new this month?

Actor Henry Winkler was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 31. Since then, he has written a series of lauded children’s books that offer a funny and realistic look at life for a child who struggles with dyslexia. For amplifying important discussions about dyslexia and other issues that touch American lives, Winkler will receive the John P. McGovern Award from Smithsonian Associates. The award presentation highlights an evening in which he discusses his career and his path to stardom and how the issues and causes for which he advocates connect to his roles as an actor, author, comedian, producer, and director.

In-person Program: Go on an interactive exploration of the Natural History Museum and participate in hands-on crafts projects and games. Then roll out your sleeping bag and dream away in the darkened halls of one of the world’s most famous museums! Geared for children ages 8 to 14 years old, accompanied by an adult.

Alexandria, Virginia, a port city with deep roots in pre-Revolutionary America, was a heavily divided and conflicted city during the Civil War, and the memories of the war still resonate today. Journalist Chuck Raasch guides you on a tour that touches on those memories.

The stamp of prolific chef, author, and TV personality Bobby Flay can be felt in restaurants across the country, as well as at the dinner table in many families’ homes. Join him as he discusses his newest cookbook, Bobby Flay: Chapter One, shares insights into his remarkable life and career, and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the culinary world that shaped him.

Explore the art and architecture of the Middle Ages through dazzling early Christian mosaics, sumptuous Carolingian illuminated manuscripts, sculpted Romanesque church facades, and soaring Gothic cathedrals. Art historian Judy Scott Feldman examines the art of the thousand-year period between classical antiquity and the Renaissance and its relationship to a diverse society infused with faith and spirituality. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Alexandria, Virginia, a port city with deep roots in pre-Revolutionary America, was a heavily divided and conflicted city during the Civil War, and the memories of the war still resonate today. Journalist Chuck Raasch guides you on a tour that touches on those memories.

Alexandria, Virginia, a port city with deep roots in pre-Revolutionary America, was a heavily divided and conflicted city during the Civil War, and the memories of the war still resonate today. Journalist Chuck Raasch guides you on a tour that touches on those memories.

Have you ever wondered why scores of British words and phrases—such as one-off, kerfuffle, easy peasy, and cheeky—have been enthusiastically taken up in the United States? Drawing from his new book, Gobsmacked!: The British Invasion of American English, writer Ben Yagoda takes a deep dive into the most popular British terms in the United States today as he explores why Americans have embraced British insults and curses, sports terms, and words about food and drinks.

Food and drink appear in myriad contexts over four centuries of European painting. In the Renaissance, feasting transcended mere sustenance, serving as a significant form of communication and expression. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo delves into images of lavish banquets to explore their menus, ingredients, preparation, dining practices, and table settings, as well as the intricate depiction of food in the period’s art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Bletchley Park was Britain’s nexus of top-secret work during World War II, where under the cloak of secrecy, agents worked furiously around the clock to decode Germany’s secret messages, notably those encrypted with the Enigma machine. Alan Turing, Joan Clarke, and Dilly Knox were among the recruits. Sir Dermot Turing, Turing's nephew and author of The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park, shares the story of this unusual group of people whose mission was to save the world from destruction.