(Note:  After the catalog went to press, the instructor requested that the program be converted to online-only.) The United States has relied excessively on military power and military force to attain its national security objectives. We spend too much on defense, use force too readily, and have huge military bases the world over. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned about this and the military-industrial complex in his Farewell Address in 1963. The lecture will explore ways and means to reduce our overreliance on the military.

Washington, D.C. is filled with sculptures, statues, and works of art that go mostly unnoticed. This lecture explores the variety of art works and what they tell us about who and what merits recognition in the capital. Learn the stories behind these lively, amusing, and enigmatic pieces that include Dante, Samuel Gompers, the controversial statue of Lincoln, the hidden Calder, and more.

At the end of the Second World War, the vast suburban shopping mall did not exist. By the 1970’s, malls dominated retail shopping and had contributed to the decline of center cities across the US. By the late 1990’s, many malls were beginning to look shop-worn and tarnished. By 2020 the industry was in free fall, dozens of malls were closed, abandoned, or threatened with foreclosure. In a richly illustrated lecture, Bill Keene briefly traces the rapid rise of the shopping mall, highlighting the reasons for its success and the devastating impact of that success on center cities. Following that introduction, the focus shifts to the reasons for the early decline and then rapid fall of the shopping mall: from aging infrastructure, changing demographics, the rise of Internet buying, consolidation among department stores, to over-building. Each contributed to the decline and fall of malls across the country. With the advent of Covid, the decline became for many a death spiral. The program concludes with an overview of the prospects for the near future, ranging from housing, offices, to Amazon fulfillment centers and more.

While acknowledging the genius of his contemporary Beethoven, Franz Schubert enjoyed the life of an independent artist. His music lit up Vienna’s cafes and taverns. He preferred the Bohemian lifestyle. His wonderful music reflects his passion for poetry and gorgeous melodies. Through this love, he gifted us with the melody for Ave Maria and many other gems!

This workshop will highlight how to strengthen abstract design in a painting so as to enhance its universal appeal. The focus will be on the effective use of “tools” that make for the “abstract” in a “realistic” painting. We will also examine the abstract in Traditional/Classical, Modern, Impressionist, and Contemporary well-known works of art.

If your sleep routine is a little out of whack, we can help! Let us show you the best foods to help you achieve a good night's sleep, foods you should avoid, and foods that will kick start your energy when you wake up.

Frances Perkins, the first woman in American history to serve in a U.S. President’s Cabinet, accepted FDR’s invitation to serve as Secretary of Labor in 1933. Her New Deal provided solutions for addressing the Great Depression  What were the programs she and FDR created and implemented—and what remains to be accomplished from her New Deal?

Early Georgetown was not the polite society conjured by books like “The Georgetown Ladies’ Social Club.” Rather, it was built in part from trafficking in human beings and from their labor. For instance, in 1805, Francis Lowndes, the son of a trafficker in humans, sold to Robert Peter the tract now known as Tudor Place for $6,000. Peter sold inherited family slaves for $100,000 a few years later. In this class you’ll learn about the real history of an early Georgetown that was diverse in the extreme.

Early Georgetown was not the polite society conjured by books like “The Georgetown Ladies’ Social Club.” Rather, it was built in part from trafficking in human beings and from their labor. For instance, in 1805, Francis Lowndes, the son of a trafficker in humans, sold to Robert Peter the tract now known as Tudor Place for $6,000. Peter sold inherited family slaves for $100,000 a few years later. In this class you’ll learn about the real history of an early Georgetown that was diverse in the extreme.