Programs

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for five online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. This writing session is inspired by 20th-century African American artist Alma Thomas’ colorful compositions.

Over the centuries, major themes in art continue to reappear. The nude, animals, events in history, and depictions of fantasies are a few notable examples of categories that artists have interpreted in styles ranging from the naturalistic to the surreal. Art historian Joseph Cassar examines important masterworks within selected genres and the similarities among—and the uniqueness of—the artists and cultural norms that influenced their choices. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

The use of embroidery on quilts between 1865 and 2025 waxed and waned alongside fashions, social changes, materials, and the roles of women in domestic life and the workplace. During class, practice stitching while diving into these topics.

From the beginnings of motion pictures in the 1890s, some civic authorities have felt they needed to be regulated to protect innocent young minds and discourage immorality. To counter the growing establishment of film censorship boards by cities and states, Hollywood eventually created the 1934 Hays Code, which set up strict rules of language and conduct for films. In 1968, the code was replaced by a voluntary ratings system. Yet 50-plus years later, that system continues to have its own problems. Media historian Brian Rose looks at the long history of movie censorship.

A quarter of Latin America’s nearly 600 million people have African ancestry, and that continent’s influence is reflected in the daily life of countries throughout the region. Kim Haas, host and creator of the public television series “Afro-Latino Travels with Kim Haas,” provides insights into the historical and cultural impact of people of African descent in Latin America from the 16th century to the present day—as seen in everything from music to cuisine to history-making infrastructure projects.

Gouache is widely used by artists who want the ease of a water-soluble medium with the bonus of opacity. Either alone or married with other mediums, gouache plays along for exquisite results.

Reflections and refraction are all around us! Get inspiration, tips and recommendations to create awesome photos including these components, which are seen in many different styles of photography: landscapes, architecture, street photography, vehicles, art and more.

What do an annoying house fly, the nearly endangered Mexican long-tongued bat, and a poop-eating butterfly have in common? Each creature, respectively, is the reason we can enjoy a bite of chocolate, a nip of a tequila, or the calming scent of lavender. Naturalist and educator Liana Vitali of Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Maryland offers an entertaining glimpse into the lives of pollinating winged marvels—and how our lives depend largely on their unique and wild ways.

One of the most exciting, and sometimes challenging, things about learning how to draw is recreating what you see in three-dimensional space on two-dimensional paper. Using lines that recede to the horizon, explore basic linear perspective and create objects that visually jump off the page.

Over more than 500 years, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh’s royal palace, has witnessed many extraordinary events, including state occasions, balls and banquets, intimate dinners, secret meetings, and even a dramatic murder. In conversation, Emma Stead, the palace’s curator, and Deborah Clarke, its former senior curator and author of a book about Holyroodhouse, delve into the stories of its past occupants and look at its present use by the British royal family.