【推荐1】Lecture-related events which are free and open to the public will be held in the National Gallery of Art. Seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis. Registration is not required. Don't miss an event!

Lecture One: The Moon in the Age of Photography

August 20 at 2:00, 2020

West Building Lecture Hall

Mia Fineman, department of photographs, Metropolitan Museum of Art

2019 marks 50 years since Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, capturing the attention of viewers worldwide who eagerly awaited the first photographs taken onsite. Mia Fineman explores the fascinating history of the moon imaging.

Lecture Two: Conversation with Oliver Lee Jackson

September 15 at 2:00, 2020

East Building Auditorium

Oliver, artist, has created a complex body of work which masterfully weaves together visual influences ranging from the Renaissance to modernism. His works are drawn from his study of African cultures and American jazz.

Lecture Three: Photography and Nation Building in the Nineteenth Century

October 6 at 2:00, 2020

East Building Auditorium

Makeda Best, master of Photography, Harvard Art Museums. In this lecture, Makeda Best will explore the function of slavery and enslaved people in visual narratives about the Civil War.

Lecture Four: Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art

December 8 at 2:00, 2020

West Building Lecture Hall

The Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art features several scholars presenting original research on modern Italian art. This annual lecture series began in 1997 and is named after the great specialist of Italian art Sydney J. Freedberg (1914 - 1997).

【推荐2】The Valley Art Center energizes and encourages art appreciation in people of all ages and backgrounds through education，inspiration, and opportunities to experience the visual arts. We support art students and artists through quality curriculum and programming along with exhibition space. We promote the growth of each individual's potential and the advancement of the arts in the community.

This course, with a four-hour format, is for serious artists of all levels from beginners to advanced learners. Guidance will be offered on issues such as composition, colors, tools and techniques, but the emphasis of the course will be on thinking creatively. Individual attention will be available whenever needed. The course will end up with a group discussion of the students' works.

IMPORTANT：students will be responsible for bringing all necessary materials，including any desired photographic reference. Supply list is available online. And don't forget your lunch. $192/$173.

Learn the basics of digital photography. We will start with understanding what those symbols on your camera mean. We will explore how to set your own film speed，aperture (孔径) and shutter (快门) speed. We will also learn when to use a flash. We will explore taking action shots，landscapes and family portraits (全家福). In this class you will practice and apply what you have learned using your camera! $96/$86.

Everyone can draw! If you have ever wanted to learn how to draw or just want to refresh yourself in drawing basics, then this is the class for you. This class will focus on building drawing skills through the use of line, value，perspective，and composition. Students will work on a variety of projects with different drawing mediums to develop their personal style. A list of suggested supplies is available online. $96/$86.

In this art form, drawing skills are not required for this colorful and expressive craft. Beginners learn several basic classical techniques and those with experience are guided in other techniques of choice. For those who are making jewelry, this is another form to add to your artist's toolbox!

All equipment and supplies are included in the first project fee of $8, payable to the instructor at the first class. $96/$ 86.

【推荐1】GOING TO UNIVERSITY is supposed to be a mind-broadening experience. That statement is probably made in comparison to training for work straight after school, which might not be so encouraging. But is it actually true? Jessika Golle of the University of Tübingen, in Germany, thought she would try to find out. Her result, however, is not quite what might be expected. As she reports in Psychological Science this week, she found that those who have been to university do indeed seem to leave with broader and more inquiring minds than those who have spent their immediate post-school years in vocational (职业的) training for work. However, it was not the case that university broadened minds. Rather, work seemed to narrow them.

Dr. Golle came to this conclusion after she and a team of colleagues studied the early careers of 2,095 German youngsters. The team used two standardized tests to assess their volunteers. One was of personality traits, including openness, conscientiousness（认真）and so on. The other was of attitudes, such as realistic, investigative and enterprising. They administered both tests twice—once towards the end of each volunteer’s time at school, and then again six years later. Of the original group, 382 were on the intermediate track, from which there was a choice between the academic and vocational routes, and it was on these that the researchers focused. University beckoned for 212 of them. The remaining 170 chose vocational training and a job.

When it came to the second round of tests, Dr. Golle found that the personalities of those who had gone to university had not changed significantly. Those who had undergone vocational training and then got jobs were not that much changed in personality, either—except in one crucial respect. They had become more conscientious.

That sounds like a good thing, certainly compared with the common public image of undergraduates as a bunch of lazybones. But changes in attitude that the researchers recorded were rather worrying. In the university group, again, none were detectable. But those who had chosen the vocational route showed marked drops in interest in tasks that are investigative and enterprising in nature. And that might restrict their choice of careers.

Some investigative and enterprising jobs, such as scientific research, are, indeed beyond the degreeless. But many, particularly in Germany, with its tradition of vocational training, are not. The researchers mention, for example, computer programmers and finance-sector workers as careers requiring these traits. If Dr. Golle is correct, and changes in attitude brought about by the very training Germany prides itself on are narrowing people’s choices, that is indeed a matter worthy of serious consideration.

【推荐3】A couple of years ago I graduated from art school. After graduation I was unsure of what to do with my degree. I had majored in Illustration（插图） and loved it, but didn’t really feel interested in doing illustrations for any companies. This left me with few options other than freelance（自由作家） and a nannying（保姆） job.

I spent two years working as a nanny doing freelance illustration on the side. It just wasn’t quite enough to pay rent, but I loved it, so I worked well over 50 hours a week trying to keep up with both.

Just under a year ago I went to a friend’s wedding. I couldn’t think of a gift for them and really didn’t have a lot of money to spare so I used my talents to create a portrait for them. It wasn’t much, and I hoped it would be a good gift. When I handed the portrait to them and they unwrapped it the looks on their faces was something I did not expect. There were joyful tears in their eyes as they cried, “That’s us! This is so beautiful!”

It’s funny because when I was in art school portraits were always my least favorite assignment. I hated drawing people and was always so much more interested in drawing little furry creatures. Once I saw the looks on my friends’ faces after giving them their portrait it was all over. I suddenly loved portraits and wanted to do more.

I now take portraits to every wedding I go to and have given them as gifts to the families I nannied for. Every time the reaction makes all of the hard work and time I put into them so worth it.

【推荐3】Various Apps to Learn

Apps are typical digital learning tools, which can give you diverse and personalized content to meet your needs. Want to find an app that can help you learn? Here are some great ideas for you.