From the classical villas of ancient Rome to the landscaped estates of the Renaissance, artists and patrons have long sought to bring sculpture into dialogue with nature. Art historian Jennie Hirsh traces the history and vision behind three of the world’s most inspiring contemporary sculpture gardens: Storm King Art Center in upstate New York, Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland, and Château La Coste near Aix-en-Provence. These sites reveal how artists and architects continue to redefine the possibilities of sculpture, scale, and place, offering a compelling perspective on the interplay between art and landscape. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

This course is based on contemporary research about visual perception and its application to the practice of drawing. Through a series of exercises, study major elements that are the foundation of visual language including the concepts of line, shape, light and shadow, and composition.

Learn to use a variety of approaches to the medium of embroidery while taking inspiration from the Smithsonian collection. Explore the history of embroidery back to the Middle Ages and together analyze the art form while practicing in a series of guided exercises.

Media historian Brian Rose examines the many ways the internet has radically transformed the “old” media of newspapers, magazines, the recording industry, film, radio, and television. He traces how this digital revolution took place in such a short period of time and considers what might lie ahead in the continually changing era of “new” media.

Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, two key figures of postwar British art, shared a complex personal and artistic bond. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine explores this relationship by examining their distinct approaches to painting—Bacon’s expressive style contrasted with Freud’s painstaking realism. Despite their differences, both artists were fascinated by the human figure, and their mutual admiration sparked a rivalry that shaped their artistic trajectories. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

If you have some watercolor experience, go beyond the basics of paint application and learn how to construct strong, vibrant, personality-filled painting while still receiving guidance on foundational components.

This year promises to be a good one for stargazers and astronomers. J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine, highlights exciting celestial events in 2026, including the March 3 total lunar eclipse, which will be visible across the U.S. He also lets you know where and when to look for all the bright planets—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—and two meteor showers.

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other holiday. Andrew Roth of the Jefferson Educational Society in Erie, Pennsylvania, unlocks the hidden stories behind its evolution from ancient and surprising origins to how it’s marked today. He also traces how greeting cards, wine, roses, and chocolate came to symbolize one of our most revered cultural traditions of saying, “I love you.”