Following a brief review/introduction of English medieval cathedral architecture, this interdisciplinary course will examine the history, art, and architecture of the following cathedrals: Canterbury (England's first), Winchester (a center of power for Anglo-Saxons), York (home to a second archbishop), Peterborough (elevated to cathedral status by Henry VIII), and Norwich (established by the Normans without local support).

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Tuesdays; Nov 3, 10, 17, TBD - UR Campus ( No seats currently available )

Imagine being wrongfully imprisoned for nearly four years and turning to art to help you describe, remember, and cope with imprisonment for 'looking like the enemy.' Explore the artists and their works, including arts and crafts, photography, and sculpture, and delve into the vocational skills made available in the ten camps. Learn more about the artists who survived the camps and later became famous in their respective fields after the war. GAMAN: endure with dignity.

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Wednesday, Nov 18, Synchronous Online

Enjoy this 45-minute private, guided Autumn Garden Walk tour with emphasis on the history of the formal gardens and, of course, the fall blooms. You'll also have time on your own for further garden exploration. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Tuesday, Sept 29, Agecroft Hall ( No seats currently available )

This class will take you on a musical tour of the history of the cello, featuring both lecture and musical examples played live. We will begin with a brief history of bowed string instruments, we'll toss in a little non-classical music, and end with a few holiday favorites in the Christian and Jewish traditions.

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Mon, Dec 21, NRCT, Room 124 (Choir Room) ( No seats currently available )

If you haven't tried chain maille, this is a great chance! Wear your light, lacy, and versatile creation dressed up or dressed down. All materials will be provided: you only need to bring your good eyesight, some patience, a good sense of humor, and be able to work with jewelry pliers in both hands. Come have fun and leave this two-session class wearing a beautiful design! Your choice of bracelet or necklace (20' long). Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Thursdays; Oct 1 and 8, TBD - UR Campus

Come to this class to learn about the long-term health benefits of just moving! BeMoved® embraces the joy of dance with people of all movement abilities. Movement expressed through dance and music has a transformative power that enriches a person's well-being above and beyond the well-known physical fitness benefits. BeMoved® is a dance fitness experience that begins with easy-to-follow therapeutic movements that flow into dance styles inspired by a wide variety of musical genres. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Mondays; Sept 28, Oct 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov 2, 9, 16 (skip 23), 30, Dec 7, 14, TBD - UR Campus ( No seats currently available )

After the decline of Mughal dynasty, power shifted to British East India Company. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Indian artists trained in Mughal and other local styles created fantastic hybrid kinds of art under the patronage of their British overlords.

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Monday, Nov 9, TBD - UR Campus

Taking photos of people can be a challenging experience. This class is designed to offer tips and strategies to improve your people-photography skills, resulting in more meaningful photos.

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Thursday, Oct 22, TBD - UR Campus ( No seats currently available )

For centuries, artists have been fascinated by the aesthetic qualities of what we eat. Renaissance artists created masterful portraits out of assemblages of fruits and vegetables, while Andy Warhol painted majestic soup cans. In this session we will explore how artists use food images to communicate political views, comment on society, and make statements of values.

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Monday, Dec 14, Synchronous Online

Celebrate Halloween by viewing and discussing art that makes us uneasy. The artist may have intended to frighten the viewer or viewers may react to this unusual art because it touches a dissonant cord in them. Come join us in examining scary art to discover why certain artists want to shock and disturb us with their works. Costumes and masks are optional!

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Friday, Oct 30, Synchronous Online

Learn the language of art to analyze, interpret, and critique artworks using art works from the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the VMFA. Build your visual vocabulary by examining the choices artists make in their works and why they make these choices. Learn how to be comfortable viewing art and to enjoy talking about art with others. This program has been offered before, but always with new artworks to expand your skills at viewing art!

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Monday, Sept 14, Synchronous Online

Learn how to make your very own live evergreen wreath from instructor and local farmer Conner Parrish. We will work with grape vine wreaths and live greens from the farm. All materials will be included with the course, which will be held at Conner's business, Bloomistry. Note: the new refund policy applies.

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Thursday, Dec 3, Bloomistry

His water lilies have graced coffee mugs, mouse pads, beach towels and umbrellas, but there's so much more to this impressionist master. We'll look at how photography, industry, atmospherics and time itself all inspired Monet during his 60-year career as an unstoppable artistic innovator.

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Friday, Sept 18, TBD - UR Campus (8 seats (7%) remaining)

The art world may appear glamorous, but deception often lies beneath the surface. After weapons and drugs, art is the third-most lucrative illicit trade, with reports suggesting that more than half of artworks are fake or misattributed. When is a copy simply a copy, and when is it a forgery? What techniques do master forgers use? What can science reveal about art authenticity? We will uncover riveting stories of criminal art activity and master forgeries. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Mondays; Sept 28, Oct 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov 2, Synchronous Online ( No seats currently available )

August Wilson was the first African American playwright to have a Broadway theater bear his name, honoring his powerful portrayal of African American culture. We will read, watch, and examine plays from Wilson's American Cycle, which represents each decade of the 20th century. We will explore his life and influences while focusing on 'Gem of the Ocean,' 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone,' 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' and 'Seven Guitars.' Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Wednesdays; Oct 7, 14, 21, 28, Nov 4, 11, Synchronous Online (1 seats (8%) remaining)

Journey into the vibrant world of early 20th century art and witness the birth of abstraction. This transformative period reshaped the cultural landscape, from the bold colors of Fauvism, through the fractured forms of Cubism, to the dreamlike realms of Surrealism. We'll feature leading artists including Matisse, Kandinsky, Picasso, Mondrian, Duchamp, and Dali. We will explore their aesthetic goals and the social and cultural currents that influenced them. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Thursdays; Oct 8, 15, 22, 29, Nov 5, 12, Synchronous Online

From its emergence in the early 20th century, country music has resonated with those navigating a rapidly changing world. A key genre of American roots music, it expresses hardship while evoking emotion. Let's explore the history of country and American roots music through the stories and artistic developments of key figures including the Carter Family, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, and Dolly Parton. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Mondays; Sept 28, Oct 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov 2, Synchronous Online (4 seats (31%) remaining)

This course is a history class with a laugh track. We'll analyze the 20th and 21st centuries against their historic context, using humor as the platform. We'll discuss how comedy was shaped by and responsive to American society, and how comedians influenced and shaped American life. We'll cover Silent Films, Vaudeville, Radio, Screwball and Romantic Comedies, and the Golden Age of Television. We'll study how each generation's identity influenced what (and whom) they laughed at. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Wednesdays; Oct 14, 21, 28, Nov 4, 11, 18, Synchronous Online ( No seats currently available )

From new industrial materials to innovations in housing, mid-20th-century designers worked to shape an aesthetic that reflected post-World War II ideals. Let's explore the optimism linking design and lifestyle, especially through open living spaces. We will examine the Case Study Program and the work of designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, John Lautner, Eero Saarinen, E. Fay Jones, and Donald Wexler, within the context of rapid social change. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Wednesdays; Oct 7, 14, 21, 28, Nov 4, 11, Synchronous Online (2 seats (15%) remaining)

Let's examine royal succession through acclaimed British films that explore power as a moral and political crisis, tracing the monarchy's evolution from personal rule to institutional authority. We will cover the Plantagenet struggles in 'Becket' and 'The Lion in Winter,' the moral costs of kingship and the performance of national leadership through 'Chimes at Midnight' and 'Henry V,' the Tudor rupture through 'A Man for All Seasons,' and the consolidation of legitimacy in 'Elizabeth.' Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Mondays; Sept 28, Oct 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov 2, Synchronous Online (3 seats (23%) remaining)

Continue the journey into how music drives the emotional power of film. Explore how scores and songs shape story, character, and memorable moments. We will focus on films in which songs take center stage, from iconic themes to pop- and rock-driven storytelling. Spanning genres and eras, we will see how composers, songwriters, and performers expanded the language of film music: from Westerns and global cinema to the pop-cultural impact of James Bond and the Beatles. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Wednesdays; September 30, October 7, 14, 21, (SKIP Oct. 28) November 4, 11, Synchronous Online (4 seats (31%) remaining)

Since the 1890s, when Americans were beginning to develop their own traditions in classical music, composers have recognized the dilemma of creating the American sound. We will explore how classical musicians, and Broadway and Hollywood composers, most of them Jewish, followed parallel paths in creating sounds that reflect these lands and its people. Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, William Grant Still, Florence Price, Alex North, Elmer Bernstein and others will be the protagonists of this lecture. Note: The new refund policy applies.

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Mondays; Oct 12, 19, 26, Nov 2, 9, 16, Synchronous Online

Come and tap your feet to a program of pieces composed by Scott Joplin, the uncontested King of Ragtime, plus a sampling of those by his most distinguished disciples, James Scott and Joseph Lamb. Performed on piano accompanied by Alan's signature commentary.Offered twice; please register for only one session.

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Monday, Oct 12, NRCT, Room 124 (Choir Room) ( No seats currently available )
Mon, Dec 14, NRCT, Room 124 (Choir Room) ( No seats currently available )

Unleash the power of your photography. The class is designed to illustrate by examples ways to enhance your images using lines, shapes and facial expressions to compose powerful images.

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Wed and Fri, Dec 16 and 18, TBD - UR Campus

Over the course of four sessions we will track the evolution of the Beatles' music from before the beginning in 1958 to their breakup in 1970. For some of their most popular and influential songs we will listen to a mix of official releases, outtakes, film clips, and live performances to discover what there is in the composition, arrangement, and recording techniques that we react to so strongly.

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Mondays & Wednesdays; Oct 19, 21, 26, 28, TBD - UR Campus ( No seats currently available )

Salvador Dalí is one of the best-known and controversial artists of the 20th Century. When he died in 1989, at the age of 84, his personality had become as well-known as his paintings.

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Wednesdays; Sept 30, Oct 7, 14, 21, 28, Nov 4, Synchronous Online

This class will focus on sociological and economic aspects of the decades in which Elvis was born and lived, 'twinless-twin' syndrome, health and wellness, and the cost of fame. A spotlight will be cast on Elvis's musical career, his skill and propensity for art and design, his Jewish roots and connections, and his religious and spiritual leanings.

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Friday, Sept 11, Synchronous Online

Behind every garden lies a hidden world of beauty, survival, and connection. In this photo-filled presentation, Richmond nature photographer and Certified Master Naturalist Jim Easton explores how gardens become vibrant ecosystems filled with pollination, predation, seasonal change, and surprising wildlife interactions. Through engaging stories and striking images, discover how plants, insects, birds, and other creatures form a dynamic web of life unfolding right outside our doors.

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Thursday, Nov 19, TBD - UR Campus ( No seats currently available )

VPM's new state-of-the art headquarters is located in the heart of downtown Richmond. On this behind-the-scenes tour, explore best-in-class television, radio and podcast studios. You'll also meet the team that brings you your favorite PBS and NPR programs, as well as local news, arts and culture programming, Style Weekly, and early childhood education resources.

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Monday, Oct 19, TBD - UR Campus ( No seats currently available )

Song hunters and collectors contributed songs to the rich cultural heritage of American music, including folk, gospel, country, and blues. We will explore the songs found by A. P. Carter and Alan Lomax, leading directly to the folk revival. The song collector featured will be Harry Smith, who collected American folk music from the 20s-40s. Singers include the Carter Family, Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and others.

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Mondays, Nov 16, 23, 30, Dec 7, Synchronous Online

Why and in what ways might an artist include water in an artwork? Is it tangential or is it central to the composition? In this session we will explore how artists have used water to convey their messages, meanings and their intentions: or simply to fill up a section of their artwork.

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Monday, Nov 16, Synchronous Online

Learn about women who have works in the VMFA's European Galleries and who flourished between the 1500s and the early 1800s. These noteworthy and exceptional artists led extraordinary lives, earning favor at royal courts, travelling great distances, supporting their families, and navigating the restrictions that excluded them from traditional paths of artistic education and professionalism.

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Tuesday, Nov 24, TBD - UR Campus ( No seats currently available )