Stretch your creative muscles and deepen your observational skills at the National Gallery of Art. Create a drawn-treasure map as you visually explore time, space, and place in the museum's West Wing sculpture galleries.

The period of post-biblical Judaism is exceedingly rich in archaeological evidence, found both in Israel and in the lands of an ever-widening Diaspora. In an illustrated full-day program, biblical scholar Gary Rendsburg of Rutgers University synthesizes archaeological findings and literary evidence to reveal a multifaceted portrait of Jewish life in late antiquity.

Learn the foundational skills needed to create a naturalistic figure painting from a live model. The class covers basic proportion, anatomical structure, and color mixing from a limited palette.

Create a unique stitched pendant hung from a strand of colorful beads. Learn a variety of easy and lovely stitches, how to mount the embroidered cloth in a pendant bezel, and jewelry-making techniques to finish the piece.

This elegant script, commonly known as copperplate, is unmatched in its usefulness for social stationery. Beginning with basic tools and mechanics, students discover how to develop their skills and to recognize the small details that make this style of writing so appealing.

Dubbed “The Queen of the Washington Suburbs” in 1903, Cleveland Park is one of the District’s most beautiful and architecturally eclectic neighborhoods. With a rich history, the neighborhood boasts fanciful Victorian mansions, gorgeous gardens, and the National Cathedral, the second-largest in the United States. Carolyn Muraskin leads a visit to the National Cathedral’s grounds and explores Cleveland Park highlights including the site of President Grover Cleveland’s summer home, Red Top, and the McLean Gardens apartment complex, built on the grounds of the estate of an owner of the Hope Diamond.

Beginning students explore watercolor techniques and learn new approaches to painting through demonstration, discussion, and experimentation.

Expand on your technical background and grow your practice as an oil painter. This class provides students with the opportunity to work on personal projects, set up a still-life arrangement, and explore figure painting from a live model. Unfurl your style with support and feedback from the instructor.

Inspired by bold sentiments and big wishes, create cards for most events on your calendar. Attention is given to card construction, sentiments, a bit of ink blending, and water coloring with dye-based ink.

The cyanotype photographic method uses the sun to expose UV-light–sensitive chemicals in order to create rich, deep blue prints. Learn a short history of cyanotypes and how to use the cyanotype chemicals alongside objects from nature or your home, then put basic techniques to work to create prints.