Spring 2020 Catalog
Course Dates: March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8 Spring Registration: February 8 - February 21, 2020, opportunity to change classes through March 27
Click on any of the titles below to see expanded information. There is a print button on the bottom of the page and also a link to the PDF Course Table.
LLI members pay an annual membership fee of $175. Only members can register for Fall and Spring classes.
Members with financial need can apply for a scholarship by emailing [email protected]. Your email will be forwarded to the President of LLI, who will get in touch with you.
The mission of the Lifetime Learning Institute at Bard College is:
- to provide enriching educational and social experiences in a community of mature adults by offering noncredit and noncompetitive courses under the sponsorship of Bard College;
- to encourage members to volunteer, according to their individual skills and interests; and
- to share ideas and experiences with students of all ages.
LLI is an all-volunteer, member-run organization that encourages active participation. Our presenters volunteer from our membership, the community, and the Bard faculty. LLI organizes two seven-week semesters, a winter intersession, a summer series, and occasional special events.
At Bard, LLI is part of the Center for Civic Engagement, one of many CCE programs that engage communities locally, nationally, and internationally. LLI is also affiliated with the Road Scholar Institute Network, a national organization that facilitates communication with similar groups.
- Dean Stuart Stritzler-Levine Seniors-to-Seniors Grant: Five graduating seniors receive grants to help them complete their Senior Projects. A Bard College committee chooses the recipients, who may use the funds as needed. Prior to Commencement, the recipients present their Projects at a high tea hosted by LLI.
- Bard High School Early College Summer Intern Incentive: BHSEC in New York City offers selected students the opportunity to graduate with two years of college credit. During the summer before their final year, students may participate in unpaid internships. LLI provides a small stipend to four students to help with their expenses during this time.
- Bard Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Community Action Awards: support for student internships, travel, and other costs, and support for other CCE programs.
- Bard College Conservatory of Music: ongoing general support.
- Bertelsmann Campus Center: technical upgrades to conference rooms and classrooms.
- Bard College Fund for Visual Learning: art materials for students.
- Joan Tower Composition Scholarship Fund: general support.
- Montgomery Place: funding for archival materials.
Period 1
8:30 a.m. until 9:50 a.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This course, dedicated to the memory of Ward Stanley, will focus on the (disputed) applicability of the term “impressionism” to music, taking into account developments in the visual and verbal arts and concepts such as “realism” and “symbolism.” Although the musical focus will be Debussy and Ravel, attention will also be given to their predecessors (Liszt, Wagner, Chabrier, Rimsky-Korsakov, et al.). Performances will be both recorded and live.
Presenter: Raymond Erickson , PhD, has given seven previous LLI courses, all but one dealing with Bach. He is Professor Emeritus of Music, Queens College and the
Graduate Center, CUNY, and has also taught at Rutgers and The Juilliard School. He earned his PhD in history of music at Yale and is a widely traveled keyboard performer.
Producer: Cathy Reinis
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This course will review the social, economic and political causes of the American Civil War and examine how the issues of the antebellum period are reflected in our society today.
NB: This class is also offered in fifth period.
Class Limit: 31
Presenter: Robert Beaury, BA, MS, (LLI) is adjunct at Columbia-Greene Community College.
Producer: Susan Hinkle
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Pioneer suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie, daring aviator Amelia Earhart, LIFE photographer Margaret Bourke-White, and Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg are just a few of the strong women whose accomplishments and contributions have provided inspiration for millions of women (and men). Their stories have been told by strong women through writing, artwork, photography, and video journalism. This course illuminates the lives of these storytellers and examines how and why they were successful, often under challenging and dangerous conditions.
Presenter: Gary Miller (LLI) is a veteran photojournalist, filmmaker, and live television director with over 40 years of experience for clients like the New York Stock
Exchange, Time, Newsweek, corporate Fortune 500 companies, museums, and galleries. He has taught freelance photography at the New School for Social Research and is the author of a book on the same subject.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Period 2
10:10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This course will examine how the literary, visual, and performing arts have functioned in authoritarian societies, the role they play in supporting or opposing those societies, and some of the consequences of dissident artistic expression. The course will discuss specific literary works and present video excerpts of relevant performances.
Presenter: Chuck Mishaan , MA, (LLI) is developing a syllabus examining the intellectual, political, and artistic history of Western Europe from the period of the Enlightenment to the present day. He has been presenting his popular classroom series on Opera as Politics at Bard LLI and many other area LLIs. He is a guest lecturer at Bardavon and has been a lecturer at the Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society.
Producer: Chuck Mishaan
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Acclaimed composer, highly regarded Bard professor, and longtime LLI favorite, Joan Tower once again will bring Bard Conservatory students to Bard Hall to perform and discuss selected works from the chamber and classical repertoire as well as some original compositions. Ample time will be provided for questions and discussion.
Class Limit: 75
Presenter: Joan Tower , BA (Bennington), MA and DMA (Columbia ), is a longtime professor at Bard and recipient of numerous awards. She is “widely regarded as one of the most important American composers living today” according to Musicalsalesclassical.com. Professor Tower has a special friendship with LLI.
Producer: Robert Blacker
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
In this course, rather than view the economy from the vantage point of firms and households, a micro view, we’ll take an overall, i.e. macro view. We’ll discuss the concept of gross domestic product : how it’s measured, the factors that determine it, and government’s role in influencing it through both monetary and fiscal policy. In addition, we’ll spend time exploring the differences between centrally planned and free-market economies. Finally, we’ll examine the interaction of environmental issues and economics.
Class Limit: 30 Enrollment limited to prior attendees of the presenter’s economics courses.
Presenter: Andy Weintraub, PhD, has taught economics at the university level for 40 years. He is currently an economic consultant, specializing in forensic economics. When not engaged in economics pursuits, he practices his skills as a magician, an interest he has cultivated since childhood.
Producer: Marge Moran
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This survey highlights William Inge, one of America’s most prolific playwrights, whose works gained great popularity during the 1950s and were successfully translated to the screen. Participants will read and discuss Come Back Little Sheba, Picnic, and Bus Stop.
The three plays are contained in a single volume: William Inge, Four Plays, published by Grove Press.
Presenter: Lou Trapani is the artistic and managing director of The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck. This is his 15th year teaching at Bard LLI. He has begun teaching in the LLI programs at SUNY New Paltz and Vassar College.
Producer: Emily Michael
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This class will be an informative, experiential look into the landscape of aging faced by all. We will provide a map through the presentation of topics that lead to a more informed perspective on aging, and how to make the most out of our remaining time, be it months or years. Students will work with Katy Butler’s book The Art of Dying Well as a broad structure to discuss the topics of legal and financial acumen, finding medical partners,
home safety, green burial, and keeping connections in the face of change.
Class Limit: 31
Presenters: Marion Power , RN, has worked as an RN for 40 years–in surgery, the emergency room, hospice, and outpatient care. She is currently a certified geriatric care manager. She has a BA in Arts and Cultural Studies and has worked as a docent giving art tours to people with dementia and their care partners. Nina Lynch (LLI) is a graduate of Elmira College, studied social work at Adelphi University, and has worked with and for older adults since early 1970s. Nina retired from Dutchess County Office for the Aging in 2011. She is a founding member of Rhinebeck at Home.
Producer: Anne Brueckner
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Join us on an exciting trip into mood, metaphor, meter, and tone. Discover how exploratory exercises can lead you into the nonlinear use of words that may surprise and
enable you to express your deepest thoughts and feelings. Come for the art of it. Come to read skilled poets and fall in love with poetry. Come for the assignments, support, feedback. Come to write poetry only you can write. All levels welcome.
Class Limit: 15
Presenter: Anique Taylor , MFA Drawing (Pratt), Poetry (Drew). Anique Taylor’s writing has been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. Her chapbooks, Where Space Bends and Under the Ice Moon , have won awards. In 2020, her
first book, Where Space Bends , will be published by Finishing Line Press. She teaches poetry, creative nonfiction, and the creative journal, bringing her experience as an artist, poet, and spiritual life coach to her teaching.
Producer: Susan Hinkle
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Yoga can be a valuable addition to our toolbox for practices of self-care. This class will highlight different yoga techniques to support healing and health. Topics covered will be yoga for a better back, yoga to relieve stress and anxiety, yoga practices for stronger bones, and yoga for depression. Restorative yoga, yoga nidra, and one focus meditation will be among techniques introduced.
This is a participation class; students should bring a yoga mat and wear loose-fitting clothing.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Susan Blacker (LLI) began her yoga teacher training at Kripalu Center for Yoga Health. She was certified to teach in 2002. Susan continues to take workshops in Yoga of Heart®: Cardiac & Cancer, Healing Art of Yoga, Yoga for a Better Back, and
Yoga for Students with Health Challenges. She teaches classes in Woodstock and Saugerties and gentle yoga classes from home.
Producer: Jane Diamond
Period 3
11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Is the rules-based international system, created under US leadership, headed towards collapse? How has the dissolution of the Soviet Union prompted countries to reexamine their foreign policies in a post-American era? What are the post-Soviet Russian and Chinese objectives? How are Japan and our European allies viewing their relations with the US? Will the European Union hold together? Is NATO still viable? Is there a “solution” in the Middle East? These and other topics will be discussed in a seminar format.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Donald Westmore (LLI) studied at Columbia University (political science/government) and University of Washington and Stanford (Japanese studies/language). He served as State Department Foreign Service Officer, with postings in Japan, South Vietnam, and Sri Lanka, and as Interim Ambassador to the Philippines. He was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Japan and Southeast Asia and held other important foreign and defense policy positions.
Producer: Emily Michael
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
The Revolutionary War reopened age-old rivalries between British Anglicans and Scots-Irish Presbyterians, who by then had settled in America’s frontier. In the South, it became a bare-knuckle fight over grudges going back generations and is often called by historians “America’s FIRST Civil War.” Topics include the history of the Scots-Irish, the religious reformation, riflemen and their rifles, and how the South was settled. The course
will conclude with the biography of frontier hero Daniel Morgan, a perfect example of all this wrapped up in one package!
Presenter: Bob Ulrich , BS, MBA, is a past LLI member and contributor, has been a guest lecturer at several Lifetime Learning venues in our local area, as well as at the Northern NJ Revolutionary War Roundtable, the Mohonk Mountain House evening lecture series, Road Scholars, and multiple local historical societies. Bob graduated from Cornell and Columbia and was a captain in the US Army Signal Corp before his 30-year career with IBM.
Producer: Chuck Mishaan
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Morbidity and mortality due to infectious disease declined during the 20th century in developed nations, but remains high in poorer nations. Diseases covered this semester include prion diseases such as kuru and mad cow disease, which look like infectious diseases but really aren’t, followed by diseases caused by protists (malaria, African sleeping sickness). The class will conclude with discussions of various diseases caused
by worm infections, including trichinellosis, hook worm disease, schistosomiasis, and dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease). Supplemental readings will be available before each class. No previous background in science required.
Class Limit: 75
Presenter: John Ferguson , ScB (Brown), PhD (Yale), (LLI) is Professor Emeritus, Biology Program, Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computing. He has taught for 36 years at Bard College. This is his third time teaching at LLI.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Each week an artist from the Bard College Division of the Arts faculty will give an illustrated talk about their own work. A final schedule of presenters will be published before registration. The preliminary schedule is:
March 20 – Laura Battle, professor of studio arts;
March 27 – Brent Green, visiting artist in residence in film and electronics;
April 3 – Tim Davis, associate professor of photography;
April 10 – Ellen Driscoll, professor of studio arts and Director of Studio Arts Program;
April 17 – Lothar Osterburg, artist in residence in studio arts specializing in printmaking;
May 1 – Emilio Rojas, visiting artist in residence;
May 8 – Daniella Dooling, artist in residence in studio arts.
Producer: Arlene Becker
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
The figure of Salomé, not the person but an artifact composed from various sources, has been prominent since Oscar Wilde’s play, Richard Strauss’s opera, and many cinematic representations. The sources drawn upon — principally the New Testament and the
historian Josephus, but also Byzantine and Renaissance painting – need to be understood in their own terms for the modern amalgam to be appreciated.
Presenter: Bruce Chilton , MDiv, PhD, DD, is a scholar of early Christianity and Judaism. He has taught in Europe at the universities of Cambridge, Sheffield, and
Münster, and in the United States at Yale University (as the first Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament) and Bard College. His most recent major book, Resurrection Logic: How Jesus’ First Followers Believed God Raised Him from the Dead, was published in September 2019 by Baylor University Press.
Producer: Jay Hochstadt
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
During this course, we’ll be exploring the work of seven US poets laureate, reading and discussing a few poems by each. You might even find a new poet in the mix to explore further after the course.
Class Limit: 15
Presenter: William Joel , PhD (Computer Science). All things are connected. That’s the premise of what William J. Joel does. Each of Dr. Joel’s interests informs each
other. Dr. Joel has been teaching computer science since 1983 and has been a writer even longer. His works have appeared in Chronogram, Common Ground Review, DASH Literary Journal, and The Blend International.
Producer: Bill Tuel
Period 4
1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This class will introduce participants to the international, historical, and political developments affecting the region from the origins of the conflict to the creation of the
state of Israel in 1948 and the war that followed; to the 1967 war; the emergence of the Palestinians; and efforts to negotiate and the impediments. The range of perceptions about “facts” and historical efforts will be highlighted to deepen understanding of the complexity and persistence of this conflict.
Class Limit: 30
Presenter: John Ruskay, PhD, (LLI) is Executive Vice President Emeritus of United Jewish Appeal-Federation of NY and senior fellow at the Jerusalem-based Jewish People Policy Institute. His PhD is in Political Science from Columbia University in Middle East Politics. Dr. Ruskay was appointed by President Obama to a two-year term on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. He served as Education Director of
92nd Street Y and Vice-Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Producer: Merrill Mishaan
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This course will examine the changing relations between emergent states and their trading partners in the Indian Ocean and Pacific region. It considers how mutually
beneficial seaborne commerce morphs into land domination by military force. Towards the end of this course, students will assess how the disasters of this late colonial period affect our present-day actions.
Presenter: Tom Walker is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served in three Navy squadrons as a pilot and legal officer. He has taught at Vassar LLI and Dutchess Community College. He recently retired as a senior counselor in the New York State Division of Veteran Affairs.
Producer: Emily Michael
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Seven experienced local gardeners will enthrall us with successes and lessons learned from mistakes made in their landscapes, flower beds, vegetable beds, and indoor plants. Each class focuses on different aspects of the growing process–new perennials; gardening 365 days a year; organic pest (large and small) controls; seed saving, exchanging, and testing; soil improvement strategies; and gardening as art, science, meditation, and dirty, hard work. Presenters welcome questions and comments from participants. Several classes will include tastings of preserved garden bounty. Optional June visits to the presenters’ gardens will be arranged.
Producer: Susan Hinkle
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This is the eighth year in the series Seeing Differently. The class reads one poem each week using noticing and other strategies to delay the cultural (or perhaps human) need for instant interpretation and allow participants to investigate a poem’s complexity. In-class writing responding to the poem extends this exploration. (This is not a writing class.) Participants form a community of readers and writers who share insight and experience and develop a simple but profound way to approach poems.
Class Limit: 15
Presenters: Barbara Danish, PhD (LLI), was director of the Writing Center at NYU, taught at Pratt Institute, and currently works at Family of Woodstock. Laura Brown (LLI) earned her MA in painting from Indiana University and is the managing director of JSTOR.
Producer: Ellen Foreman
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Who was Sigmund Freud? What were his major contributions? Why was he so controversial in his time and why does he remain so today? In this course we will discuss some of the theories Freud developed that made him one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. We will explore the evolution of his process in light of his background and the Victorian era as well as the importance of the development of the technique of psychoanalysis. We will also discuss past and current advances in psychoanalysis.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Dale Bernstein (LLI) is a licensed psychotherapist, in private practice since 1972. She trained in Freudian psychoanalysis at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research in New York City. A founding member of the New York Association of Feminist Therapists, she also has specialties in couples and group psychotherapy. She does pro bono work in crisis management in Rhinebeck.
Producer: Merrill Mishaan
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
The course explores the history and variety of the wines of New York and covers all the wine regions of the state. The purpose is to acquaint the students with the extraordinary range of wine-grape varieties grown here, perhaps more than any other state. There will be explanations of grape-growing and wine-making as well as clear definitions of the terminology used, such as terroir and fermentation, both of which are actually rather complex. Tasting wines will be part of the course.
Presenter: José Moreno-Lacalle , MA, WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits, first wrote about wine in 1969, then took a long hiatus to obtain an MA in art history. He taught and then went to Sotheby’s where he worked as a computer programmer. In 2010 he earned his wine Diploma (the equivalent of a Master’s Degree). He has been writing about wine on his blog, Wine, Seriously, and has published a book, The Wines of Long Island.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
Tai Chi is a blood-freshening moving meditation and slow-motion martial art. It promotes longevity and increases cognition, strength, confidence, balance, and flexibility. These gentle, stress-lowering exercises allow the chi or life force to follow the blood in the body, rather than stagnate. With tai chi we help ourselves heal from the inside out.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Annie LaBarge (LLI) is a poet and a painter who has taught art at the high school and college level. She studied Tai Chi with Joe Mansfield, Margaret Cheo, and Michael Porter. She is currently teaching in Health Alliance Hospital’s Oncology Support Program. Her background includes all three sets of Yang Style Long Form Tai Chi.
Producer: Jane Diamond
Period 5
3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
The course covers the basic mechanics of garden and forest plants and trees. It will cover plant evolution; naming of plants; cell function; function of stems, roots, and leaves; and plant reproduction. We will answer questions such as: When did plants first arrive? What makes maple syrup run? What causes fall leaves to change color? Why don’t the pipes in trees freeze in the winter? And, we will address a host of other items.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Rick Jones is a retired executive of a major NYC bank with an extensive interest in botany and natural history. He has certification in both botany and ornamental horticulture from the Continuing Education Department at the New York Botanical Gardens. He has many years as a volunteer in the Horticulture Office of NYBG and a docent for organized and drop-in tours. He is an avid trekker/hiker both here and abroad.
Producer: Bill Tuel
Friday: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
A legacy letter reflects the “voice of the heart.” Think of it as a love letter to your family. The instructor will give examples written from biblical times to the present. She will discuss several personal reasons for writing a legacy letter. The goal will be for each member of the class to write a legacy letter based on assignments and feedback from the instructor and the class. With a small class, everyone will have the time to fully discuss their writing.
Class Limit: 12
Presenter: Beverly LeBov Sloane, BA (Vassar College), MA (Claremont Graduate University), is a writer, writing instructor, and writing coach. She teaches Memoir Writing and From Memoir to Legacy Letters at Bard College Institute for Lifetime Learning, Marist College Center for Lifetime Studies, and Vassar College
Center for Lifetime Learning. Sloane has written four books on health administration. Sloane is a fellow of the American Medical Writers Association.
Producer: Marge Moran
Friday: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
The course will explore selections from the Great American Songbook, including Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Rogers and Hart, and Harold Arlen. Selecting songs each week, the class will examine their origins, lyrics, and melodic and harmonic structure. As a group, students will sing them (no pressure), listen to the jazz masters, and learn to follow their sinuous improvisations. Appreciation of this uniquely American art form is our goal. No knowledge of jazz or singing expertise is necessary, just an openness to this wonderful music.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Alan Lipper (LLI) is a local actor/singer/guitarist who has loved these tunes since he purchased his first Sinatra album many moons ago. He hopes his enthusiasm for them will be contagious.
Producer: Merrill Mishaan
Friday: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
This course will review the social, economic and political causes of the American Civil War and examine how the issues of the antebellum period are reflected in our society today.
NB: This class is also offered in first period.
Class Limit: 31
Presenter: Robert Beaury , BA, MS, (LLI) is adjunct at Columbia-Greene Community College.
Producer: Susan Hinkle
Friday: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8
The class will explore the culture of wine, from 7000 BC to the present. Wine prolonged the fruit of the harvest and was an important part of secular and religious celebrations. Two hundred years ago, high-quality wines were only available from a few sources, most notably in Europe. With improved transportation, storage, and methods of growing grapes and making wine, many places now produce excellent wines. The class will taste and discuss wines from around the world while the presenter talks about all of the above.
Class Limit: 35
Presenter: Paul McLaughlin , PhD Organic Chemistry, (LLI) was introduced to wine when he was in Germany with the US Army. He has tasted wines from many parts of Germany, Italy, and France, and has been broadening his experience through reading and tasting for nearly 50 years. He started teaching wine at LLI in 2010, and has put considerable effort into taking out the mystery while preserving the mystique of wine.
Producer: Marge Moran
OFF-FRIDAY CLASSES
Tuesdays: 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
April 21 (Wagon House Education Center, Olana State Historic Site)
April 28 (Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College)
Painters of the Hudson River School brought to the public a uniquely American style of art with their realistic yet romanticized landscapes of a new nation. They portray the places that we preserve, enjoy for recreation, and honor as national landmarks. In this two-part course – classroom and museum – Skip Doyle will discuss the works and styles of the Hudson River School painters and their historical and geographical context with special reference to the Hudson River valley where the School’s earliest subjects were located.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Skip Doyle is a licensed outdoor guide who leads people into nature where they encounter firsthand the experiences portrayed by these painters. He lectures
throughout the Hudson River Valley on regional history, culture, and nature. He offers nature and spiritual programs at retreat houses along the Hudson River, and writes the “Valley Explorer” column for the Sunday Poughkeepsie Journal.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Tuesday: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
May 5 (Bard College Campus)
After a gathering in the classroom, we will spend the morning outdoors leisurely walking the nature paths of the Bard College campus while reading verses from notable nature writers and nature poets. The instructor will bring a sampling – Emerson, Thoreau, Muir, Burroughs, Whitman, Dickinson, Frost. Each student is asked to bring a favorite quote from a nature writer or poet of their choice. Feel free to bring beverages, snacks, or lunch since we shall pause in reflection at many points throughout the campus – and dress warmly accordingly.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Skip Doyle is a missionary and educator. He leads nature retreats and outdoor programs, and teaches at colleges and libraries throughout the Hudson River Valley and the Northeast. He is the author of The Spiritual Directions, which is a meditation booklet based on scripture that focuses on practicing the greatest commandments.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Wednesdays: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
April 1, 8, 15, 29; May 6 (Bard Hall, Bard College Campus)
The US-China Music Institute at Bard College was founded in the Fall of 2017. The Institute is committed to promoting the study, performance, and appreciation of music from contemporary China and to supporting musical exchange between the United States and China. This course will present the history of Chinese classical music as it relates to the arts in general and will introduce traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu, the pipa, and the guzheng in live performances.
Class Limit: 75
Presenter: Jindong Cai is professor of music and arts at Bard College and director of the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, as well as associate conductor of The Orchestra Now. Born in Beijing, Professor Cai received his early musical training in China. He came to the United States for his graduate studies at the New England Conservatory and the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati.
Producer: Bob Blacker
Thursdays: 1:00 p.m.
April 16; May 7, 21; June 4 (Kaatsbaan Dance Center, Tivoli)
Classes will be open rehearsals by professional dance companies in residence at Kaatsbaan. June 4 will be a tour of the grounds and historic buildings.
April 16: Damani Pompey “Magnus Works”
An open rehearsal of “Magnus Works”, by choreographer Damani Pompey, a project that seeks to investigate languages of movement through work and its relationship to the humanity of audiences.
Presenter: Damani Pompey, Artistic Director
May 7: Durante Ballet
Durante Verzola’s work has been described as “sharp and witty”, a celebration of classicism and vitality. He presents classical ballet in thrilling ways, with a jazz bounce to the stage.
Presenter: Durante Verzola
May 21: Alejandro Cerrudo and Company
Alejandro Cerrudo (Choreographer, dancer) was born in Madrid, Spain and trained at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza de Madrid. He is a passionate advocate for dance aesthetic as a superior form of art, and is most articulate when enthusing about conceptual choreography, in the creation of which he excels. His work is exquisite, at turns deeply cerebral, vividly visceral, funny and tactile in the extreme.
Presenter: Alejandro Cerrudo
June 4: Kaatsbaan, a Walking tour
A walking tour of the grounds including the Dancers’ Inn and the existing structures that will be part of future development. An alternative will be a Kaatsbaan dance film.
Presenter: Jane Diamond (LLI)
Producer: Jane Diamond
Credits
Curriculum Committee
Anne Sunners, Chair
Irene Esposito, Secretary
Regina Armstrong
Dorothy Baran
Bob Blacker
Anne Brueckner
Jane Diamond
Ellen Foreman
Susan Hinkle
Dacie Kershaw
Linda LeGendre
Emily Michael
Chuck Mishaan
Merrill Mishaan
Margaret Moran
Cathy Reinis
Linda Scherr
Margaret Shuhala
Bill Tuel
Leslie Weinstock
Catalog Committee
Bill Tuel, Chair
Susan Hinkle
Deborah Lanser, Catalog Editor
Grace Murphy
Margaret Shuhala
Betsy Tuel
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Join us for SPRING Semester 2020
Course Dates: March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17; May 1, 8 Spring Registration: February 8 - February 21, 2020, opportunity to change classes through March 27
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