SummerFest and the Learning Is Easy

by Deborah Lanser

Introduction

The four-week SummerFest session will begin on June 5, with a wonderful variety of interesting options. Most classes will be held on Fridays, while a few off-campus classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can check out the offerings on May 21 when the ProClass catalog arrives. Preregistration will start on May 26 and registration will be held on May 27. Classes are free for all members, while nonmembers may register for a fee of $25 per course. Here’s a preview of the learning adventures that will be offered next month.

Getting Outside

One of the best ways of appreciating the scenic beauty of the Hudson Valley is on a cycling tour. You can do that by registering for Easy Miles, Big Views: Cycling the Hudson Valley Rail Trails. Barbara Alstadt has designed four rides that will take cyclists through lush forests, peaceful waterways, and charming hamlets.

Over the last 400 years, the beautiful landscape of Montgomery Place has changed considerably, from Mohican homeland to colonial farmland to stately county seat. In Montgomery Place: Changing Thoughts on a Changing Landscape, Henry Woods will help participants appreciate the site’s evolution through readings, guided walks, and personal observation.

Fashion History

As Laura Erdos Fernandez will explain in Deconstructing Lace: Its Power, History, and Cultural Significance, some artists remain anonymous while working in culturally important forms. From its development in ancient open work, through the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo periods, and up to contemporary fashion, lace can make a statement about gender equality in attire.

The Visual Arts

Marc Chagall, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh all drew inspiration from the extraordinary light, landscape, and culture of Provence. Join Sevan Melikyan in a virtual journey through Nice, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Arles, Saint-Rémy, and the Basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume to learn about the Artists, Legends, and Masterworks in Luminous Provence.

Novices and experienced painters alike can develop a style of their own when Dean Vallas demonstrates Watercolor for Beginners. In the three-hour classes you can enjoy learning watercolor techniques and how to mix colors as you paint still lifes and possibly landscapes.

Stargazing

Have you ever wondered why the stars shine or how the solar system formed? Come join Bill Tuel in an exploration of the spectacular advances in 20th-Century Astronomy that underpin the remarkable advances in the 21st century. Find out why there is so much hubbub about the Hubble Space Telescope.

Health and Well-Being

In Yoga and Meditation, Stacie Greenhouse will lead an hour of mindful movement that includes a foundational flow of poses to optimize full-body range of motion, followed by a period of restorative rest and meditation. Ultimately, participants may experience a period of deep relaxation that helps calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and lower blood pressure.

The gentle movements of tai chi can provide many benefits, including improved joint flexibility, increased muscle strength, decreased pain, and better balance. Georgette Weir will teach beginners and experienced practitioners the opening movements in Tai Chi for Arthritis and Balance. These movements can be incorporated into participants’ everyday workout.

Today, as in centuries past, people need quiet, durable ways of navigating uncertainty, dangers, and hope. Join Ed Ingebretsen in Superstition: Spiritual Technologies and Living with Meaning in a Responsive World to learn more about discovering ordinary acts that orient us in time and protect what matters, and to engage in a world felt to be alive.

Can sound be considered medicine? Concettina Calder explores that possibility in Alchemy of Sound: The Art of Restorative Vibration. The course will use harmonic resonance and rhythmic patterns to guide participants into a state of calm, clarity, and balance.

The Performing Arts

Now is your chance to improve your vocal talents in Singing with a Voice Coach. Nancy Theeman will help singers of all levels develop vocal technique and confidence to improve their singing and song interpretation.

Emily Houpt will help participants learn to create in the moment in Introduction to Improvisation. This class is for anyone interested in strengthening their creativity, public speaking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. The improvisation techniques can be applied both on stage and in everyday life.

History

Among the issues of immediate political concern are corruption, reform, and the dynamics of power. That’s where history can provide some relevant insight. Robert Beaury will delve into the complex legacy of Tammany Hall and the Ghosts of the Past to shed insight into current political structures.

Thea Burgess will show eager historians how to become History Detectives: Investigating Our Place in Our Town with Historic Red Hook (HRH). Join her and other eager historians in a walking tour of the village and St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery, checking out the Elmendorph Inn’s archives, and learning basics of genealogy research using primary sources.

Film

If you want to learn more about Australia, you can take a 22-hour flight to get there. Or you can sign up for Reel Australia: A Journey Through Film Down Under. Michael Beames and Sara Beames will show films from 1906 through the present that explore the identity, culture, and history of this southern continent.