Past Forward: The Art of Building the Future

Course Description

In a world filled with AI art, virtual reality, and futuristic designs, this week-long course invites you on a time-travel adventure through art and architectural history to see how the past can spark smarter questions about the future. From glowing Byzantine mosaics and soaring Gothic cathedrals to Renaissance breakthroughs and modern skyscrapers, you’ll discover how every “new” technology once felt as surprising and world-changing as today’s.

You’ll make, design, and think your way through 1,500 years of human imagination—and into the future. We’ll explore how artists and architects used their tools to express power, beliefs, and big ideas — and how their choices can help us think more creatively and ethically about our own rapidly changing world. You’ll learn to see every creative act as a choice about the kind of world we want to build next.