This program is now full. Please check back for future dates.

with Rick Black

In an online workshop, book artist Rick Black will lead participants through the steps of making a dos-a-dos book. Which, in short, is two books with one cover. This is simpler than you’d think to make. And it’s a great form that can capture two sides of a theme: sisters, mother and father, languages, politics, you name it. We will concentrate on the actual bookmaking but we are more than glad to help in terms of themes, etc.


We will be mailing the necessary supplies directly to you so you can complete your own dos-a-dos book. Registration will close on Monday, April 26th. 

This program is limited to 5 participants.

Suggested Donation: $20 (includes supplies)


About Rick Black

A poet, book artist and photographer, Rick Black is the founder and owner of Turtle Light Press, a small publishing company that specializes in handcrafted books, fine art prints and note cards.

In recent years, Rick has won several awards for his own poetry as well as books that he has published. He has given readings at the Library of Congress and elsewhere around the country. He often takes bike rides in the region and can be spotted taking photographs in and around Arlington, Falls Church, and Washington, D.C.

As he has gotten to know the area, he has begun turning his digital photos into artistic paintings – luminous, colorful and playful. His images have been selected to adorn the rooms of the Hilton Garden Inn in Falls Church. He has exhibited widely in the mid-Atlantic region and his work can be found in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

For close to twenty years, he worked as a journalist, including a three-year stint in the Jerusalem bureau of The New York Times. He also has freelanced for numerous national newspapers and magazines, including The Los Angeles TimesThe Boston GlobeThe Chicago Tribune, and other publications.

To see more of Rick’s books or his artistic photographs, please visit his website: www.turtlelightpress.com

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Renee Sandell

Join Renee for a timely, interactive art “workout,” designed to strengthen your endurance. We will use her Balanced Way of Seeing® method to explore layers of meaning in Frida Kahlo’s 1932 painting, Self-Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States. We will explore the significance of this work and its timely relevance to the Pandemic. Reflecting on past moments in our lives requiring our perseverance and bravery, we will rediscover sources of endurance needed for the challenging issues in times ahead.  We will consider this work and explore its timely relevance to our lives in 2021. Reflecting on past moments in our lives, we can rediscover sources of our own endurance needed to confront challenging issues in times ahead. An Endurance Resource PDF will be emailed after the workshop.

Suggested Materials

  • White paper
  • Pencil
  • White drawing paper
  • Black sharpie marker

Suggested Donation: $10


About Renee Sandell

Renee Sandell’s art, teaching, and research focus on Visual Fitness 4 All: Engaging Creativity and Insight® for EVERYONE. Renee is founder/director of the expeditionary, museum-based SummerVision DC Program, which she designed and has delivered for the National Art Education Association (NAEA) for 10 years since 2010. Previously Professor of Art Education at George Mason University (2004-2014) and at Maryland Institute College of Art (1990-2003), she is co-author of two books on gender issues and has published numerous articles, book chapters and art curricula. Winner of the 2019 Lowenfeld Award, Sandell was recognized as 2015-2016 Distinguished Lecturer in Art Education at Miami University and 2013 NAEA National Art Educator. Renee has received numerous awards for her leadership and scholarship on her Form+Theme+Context (FTC)®  and her Marking & Mapping®, an accessible form of visual meaning-making. Sandell’s Visual Fitness 4 All® for Engaging Creativity and Insight® workshops are designed to nurture envisioning skills for individuals within professional development programs, organizations, health spas, businesses, and other venues. She has been offering Art & Virtues workshops since early in the Pandemic. During fall 2020, Renee taught her first Smithsonian Associates studio course: “Curating a Life: Art as Memoir.” Her Spring course is Seeing More: Art, Virtues, and Our Lives.

Renee’s artwork includes artistic installations of multi-media markings on paper, board, and silk, explore the human condition in time, space, and place. To learn more about Renee’s work, visit www.visualfitness4all.com and www.reneesandellart.com

This program has been postponed. Please check our Program Calendar for future program dates.

with Tiffany Carmouché

Spend an evening with artist Tiffany Carmouché. Explore painting possibilities as you reflect on written and sensory inspiration. Create art during the guided journey of hope and beauty. Dance with your muse as you create your masterpiece! As we add color to the blank canvas and have fun we can reflect, play and be present in the moment.

Suggested Donation: $10


About Tiffany Carmouché

Tiffany Carmouché

Best Selling Author, Motivational Speaker, and Fine Arts Sculptor, Tiffany Carmouché, empowers people to break out of their comfort zone and shed limiting beliefs as they step into their power and live fully expressed, helping people speak with confidence, write with impact, and create without inhibition. For over 15 years with her art, her captivating words and the life she lives, she has touched and inspired people worldwide.

Ms. Carmouché uses a variety of the arts to help people heal and have fun, as they ignite creativity, they expand brain plasticity and are empowered to embrace self-expression, innovation and author their lives.