Programs

While Norfolk is known as a city on the water, gardens and greenery are the focus of the day. Horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey leads a tour to a 175-acre botanical oasis with 60 themed gardens and a historic estate that takes you back to the early 20th century.

Explore the basis of abstraction by studying color, line, and shape as they relate to composition. Learn to create exciting, innovative works of art, using a series of drawing and painting exercises designed to examine nontraditional ways of handling traditional materials and subject matter.

Ever since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Smithsonian Institution has been a key player in the fight to protect Ukraine’s heritage. Corine Wegener, director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative; Hayden Bassett, a Smithsonian research associate and director of the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab; and Amber Kerr, the head of conservation at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, detail how the Smithsonian is working with Ukrainian cultural institutions to monitor cultural heritage sites, provide expert advice, detect and assess damage, and provide emergency supplies and equipment.

The limitless creative possibilities of watercolor can be a bit intimidating for beginning students. In this series, focus on the basics with methods that narrow parameters. Learn what supplies make all the difference and how to manipulate your brush to create flowing lines.

Are you drawn to photos that include spirals, grids, angles, and other shapes? If so, this is the class for you. The first session discusses appropriate camera controls and time-of-day recommendations for several locations. Take what you learned to the streets and photograph these items in the field. The second session is a photo review.

In Spain during the 11th and 12th centuries, women of the royal family, whether married or not, ruled alongside men. They governed shares of the crown lands and wielded remarkable power, partnering with their brothers and fathers. Historian Janna Bianchini explores the bonds among these princesses and how this unusual system ultimately came apart in the 13th century.

Step behind the scenes and into the heart of “The West Wing,” where President Jed Bartlet's world was brought to life by an ensemble of actors like no other. Join cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack for a conversation, moderated by political commentator and strategist Kevin Walling, as they explore the essence of what made the show a cultural phenomenon and share on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even the most devoted “West Wing” aficionados have never heard.

Renaissance Florence’s often-violent political scene was dominated by rich mercantile families, the most famous being the Medici. Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo traces the family’s influence on the political, economic, and cultural history of Florence from the rise of the dynasty led by Cosimo de Medici through the golden era under Lorenzo il Magnifico to the achievement of the family’s goal: the papal tiara. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

From Martha Washington to Jill Biden, each woman who has served in the role of first lady of the United States has a story. During a walking tour of the area around the White House, A Tour of Her Own staff members share a few of these sagas.

From Martha Washington to Jill Biden, each woman who has served in the role of first lady of the United States has a story. During a walking tour of the area around the White House, A Tour of Her Own staff members share a few of these sagas.