The Philadelphia region boasts the title of America's Garden Capital, and with more public gardens than anywhere else in the country, it’s a well-deserved one. Spend a day with horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey exploring two captivating green spaces in the area— the Scott Arboretum on the Swarthmore College campus and the Brandywine Valley’s Mt. Cuba Center—and gather new ideas for your own home garden.
June 6, 2024, will mark the 80th anniversary of the greatest amphibious operation in history: D-Day. Kevin Weddle, professor emeritus of military theory and strategy at the U.S. Army War College, traces the development, execution, and aftermath of the cross-channel invasion that signaled the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany.
The architecture and interiors of Scotland’s finest historic houses uniquely reflect the country’s heritage and culture. In a richly illustrated day-long journey into history, cultural historian Lorella Brocklesby explores more than 400 years of splendor from fortified 16th-century tower houses and palaces of Baroque extravagance to elegant 18th-century residences and exuberant revival styles of the Victorian period. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)
Celebrate spring with a delicious evening at Shilling Canning Company, a modern Mid-Atlantic restaurant where executive chef Reid Shilling serves his take on seasonal cuisine highlighting ingredients from around the Chesapeake. His specially designed menu for the event showcases locally sourced, creatively inspired dishes—all in the restaurant’s spirit of sharing the bounties of the Bay region. Sommelier Erik Segelbaum, who leads Smithsonian Associates’ popular Wine Adventures series, pairs wines with the courses and joins chef Shilling to talk about the food and drink.
Barbara Walters was a force from the time TV was exploding on the American scene in the 1960s to its waning dominance in a new world of streaming services and social media. Drawing from her new biography of Walters, Susan Page, Washington bureau chief of USA Today, examines the woman behind the legacy—one whose personal demons fueled an ambition that broke all the rules and finally gave women a permanent place on the air.
Accompany former National Geographic executive vice president and chief science officer Terry Garcia and nature and cultural photographer Chris Rainier, a National Geographic Explorer, on a journey with some of the world’s most renowned explorers, scientists, astronauts, visionaries, thinkers, and authors as they discuss their insights about what motivates them, what is left to explore, and why we should care. Following the presentation, Garcia and Rainier are joined by deep-sea explorer and founder and president of the Ocean Discovery League Katy Croff Bell for a short conversation on the future of exploration.
In the early 20th century, a group of Italian artists sought to embrace modernity in all its glorious messiness and contradictions. The result was Futurism, not a style but a way of looking at life. Its adherents called for abrupt change and the replacement of reason and order with vitality and force of will. Art historian Mary Ann Calo examines Futurism as both an idea and a development in the visual arts. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)