Cultural historian George Scheper explores Oaxaca, Mexico—a vital crossroads from pre-Columbian times to today. He highlights the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples, Spanish colonial legacy, and Oaxaca’s evolution into a global arts center. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city boasts well-preserved colonial churches and palaces and a dynamic cultural life that reflects centuries of rich heritage and creative expression.
If you’ve taken the studio arts class Gyotaku: The Japanese Art of Fish Printing, you are ready to try Hawaiian-style gyotaku. It includes printing in colorful inks and thin acrylics and adding color and texture with watercolor crayons and acrylic media.
The three voyages of Captain James Cook from 1768 to 1779 were filled with high drama, tragedy, intrigue, and humor. Historian Justin M. Jacobs places Cook and his world in historical context, highlights his substantive connections with the Polynesian world, and examines his search for the “Great Southern Continent” and Northwest Passage.
Pull out your sketchbook and pencil to take an artful break as you explore the Smithsonian while drawing objects from vast and fascinating collections.
Miami Beach boasts the world’s largest concentration of Art Deco architecture—a pastel landscape of curves, geometry, and seaside style. Urban historian Bill Keene examines Art Deco as a nationwide phenomenon and traces the creation, decline, and revival of the city’s distinctive quarter—designated a U.S. historic district in 1979—and the unique brand of “Tropical Deco” that emerged and thrived there. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
The English painters, poets, and critics who gave birth to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 sought to reform art by rejecting what they called the melodramatic style of High Renaissance artists like Raphael. In a full-day seminar, art historian Bonita Billman traces this fascinating movement from its origins to flowering conclusion and also examines its influence on the Arts and Crafts movement and its legacy of beauty. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)
Originally part of the residence of the Medici dynasty, the Palatine Gallery encompasses the entire second floor of the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy. Its collection includes the largest concentration of paintings by Raphael in the world, as well as works by Titian, Tintoretto, Caravaggio and Rubens. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero discusses some of these magnificent pieces of art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
President Michael Douglas? President Gene Hackman? President Harrison Ford? Hollywood has long imagined Oval Office leaders, and film historian Max Alvarez guides audiences through nine decades of cinematic presidential portrayals. From failed box office attempts in the 1930s and ’40s, to JFK-era thrillers, Clinton-era dramas, and more complex depictions in “The West Wing,” “House of Cards,” and “VEEP,” Alvarez explores how film and television shaped presidential images. Expect dueling Nixons and LBJs in this lively multimedia lecture.
