Cruising Southern Spain and Portugal

Charles Ingrao

Charlie Ingrao, a popular Smithsonian Journeys Expert, is professor emeritus of history at Purdue University, where he has taught a wide range of courses on the European World. He has published thirteen books and given public lectures to academic, governmental, and military audiences across North America and central Europe. Charles has also been a regular commentator for print, radio, and television media, including The News Hour with Jim Lehrer (PBS).  In addition, Charles' family history has inspired a lifelong fascination with the western Mediterranean and the Spanish and Portuguese empires.

Lawrence Butler

Dr. Butler received his BA and MA from Oberlin College and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.  Trained as an art historian of Medieval Europe, the Mediterranean and Islamic world, Butler’s teaching and scholarly interests now range across pre-modern Eurasia, including the Silk Road connections between the Mediterranean world and East Asia. While at George Mason University he served as director of the Art History program, and as Coordinator of the Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology minor.

Dr. Butler has taught at GMU and Hiram College and has also held research positions at a number of museums. He was a Fulbright Research Fellow in Turkey in 1982-83. He has been an active participant in the Semester at Sea program, taking students on academic study tours around the world.  He was the visiting lecturer in Art History on the Fall 1999, Summer 2004, and Fall 2009 voyages.  On the Summer 2011 voyage, he was the Global Studies lecturer.

In 2004, Dr. Butler was awarded George Mason University’s Teaching Excellence Award and in 2005 he was elected to Phi Beta Delta, the honorary society for international education.  He lectures frequently for the Smithsonian Associates on the arts and cultural history of Spain and Portugal, Turkey, China, and many other places in between.

Gail Cornell

Gail Cornell is an architectural historian, whose research and lectures on the history of architecture have taken her to Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, and North Africa numerous times. A graduate of Harvard University's graduate School of Design, Gail has led many tours to Europe for Smithsonian Journeys over the past 20 years. She is an Adjunct Faculty member of New York University and a lecturer on architecture, design and art at NYC's Museum of Modern Art.  As a resident of New York City, Gail volunteers her time as an architectural historian at New York City's historic City Hall.