Spring 2023 Catalog
Course Dates: March 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31; April 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 and Off-Friday offerings in April, 2023
Spring Registration: Starts February 23 and ends March 18, 2023
Course Enrollment: First-Come – First-Served. Open to all members (free with your 2022-2023 membership).
Click on any of the titles below to see expanded information. The complete catalog with all course details (such as class size limits, classroom locations, dates, etc.) is in ProClass.
There is a print button on the bottom of the page and also a link to the PDF Course Index Table. The Thursday courses will be held via Zoom; all Friday courses will be held in person on campus, and two will be hybrid. Off-Friday courses will be held in person at their respective locations.
Go here to access the complete catalog in ProClass. Once there, choose Spring 2023 from the “Select Semester” drop-down menu and hit the “Search” button. Registration will go live on February 23rd at 9:00 a.m. Log in to ProClass to register for courses.
zoom courses
THURSDAY, Period 1
9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, First Period: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
March 9, 16, 23; April 6, 13, 20 (NB: 6 sessions, no class on March 30)
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: World War II planners promoted mass consumption to create a full-employment economy, but they did not anticipate the dire environmental consequences that resulted. Pollution, visual blight, and crowding followed urbanites into the sprawling suburbs. We will look at cases in which the byproducts of mass consumption created environmental hazards: traffic-clogged suburban sprawl, the not-so-benign DDT, planned obsolescence, junkyards and electronic waste, deteriorating air and water quality, and, ultimately, climate change. We will discuss those who warned it should be otherwise, including Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Paul R. Ehrlich, Barry Commoner, and Bill McKibben among others.
Presenter: Mark Lytle, PhD, is the Lyford Paterson Edwards and Mary Gray Edwards Professor Emeritus of Historical Studies at Bard. In addition to his biography of Rachel Carson and America’s Uncivil Wars, a history of the 60s era, he is the author of the recently published The All-Consuming Nation: Pursuing the American Dream Since World War II (Oxford).
Producer: Marge Moran
Thursday, First Period: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
March 9, 16, 23, 30; April 6, 13, 20
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: Few of us are comfortable envisioning the late stages of our own lives or those of loved ones. But through careful thought, communication, documenting one’s end-of-life wishes, and planning for one’s needs, we can age as successfully, autonomously, and actively as possible. Discussions will include starting conversations with loved ones about your health care and wishes; aging well at home; innovative technologies; balancing autonomy with the need for help; communicating with doctors, medical staff, and family; having necessary legal and medical documents to ensure your wishes are carried out; caregiving and hospice care; and how being organized can make a difference for your peace of mind.
Presenter: Carolyn Siewers is retired from a career in occupational therapy and is a certified end-of-life doula. She has worked in the medical field for more than 30 years. She has significant experience presenting medical information in plain language to help individuals and families make informed choices in healthcare. She also has extensive knowledge and familiarity with navigating healthcare systems and services, medical terminology and jargon, medical procedures, and reviews of medical research.
Producer: Linda LeGendre
zoom courses
THURSDAY, Period 2
11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, Second Period: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
March 9, 16, 23, 30; April 6, 13, 20
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: Viewing the economy as a whole—the macro approach—is somewhat different from looking at
how individual markets work. There are economic issues that can best be viewed from a macro approach, e.g., gross domestic product, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, the distribution of income, monetary and fiscal policy, to name a few. These topics will be the focus of our spring course in macroeconomics. Members taking this class should have taken one of the previous courses where the focus was on market economics, although if they have had some economics courses in their educational background, that might suffice.
Presenter: Andy Weintraub, PhD, has taught economics at the university level for 40 years and at LLI for 15 years after that.
Producer: Marge Moran
Thursday, Second Period: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
March 9, 16, 23, 30; April 6, 13, 20
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: The course will cover mostly European or American women artists who have been documented and have works that are extant. Biographical information, when available, and images of their works will be shown via PowerPoint. A good knowledge of art history is not necessary but is useful. The major periods of art history, from Gothic to modern, will be covered in a chronological and thematic presentation. Feminist art-historian Linda Nochlin’s influential and seminal essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” is available online and is highly recommended reading (a link will be sent before the first class).
Presenter: José Moreno-Lacalle, MA, taught advanced placement (AP) art history for seven years at the Lenox School, a private school in Manhattan. On several occasions, he took his art history students on trips to Europe. He also taught history courses covering Europe, Asia, Africa, and pre-Columbian America. He later worked for Sotheby’s auction house for 16 years.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 1
8:30 a.m. until 9:50 a.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: Several countries in this region have experienced remarkable economic growth. Perhaps this was stimulated by the early industrialization of Western nations? Another factor might be the resilience of shared cultures among Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, and China. Join us as we explore this region!
Class Limit: 60
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 Bard LLI, Vassar LLI, and Dutchess Community College. He recently retired as a senior counselor in the New York State Division of Veterans’ Services.
Producer: Emily Michael
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 2
10:10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: The Roaring 20s ended with the Black Friday stock market crash. The 1930s began with the Great Depression, the rise of authoritarianism, and other threats to the fragile new world order that had grown out of the ashes of World War I.
How did the literary and visual arts reflect and react to the turmoil and challenge of the catastrophe of this “brave new world”? What defined the culture of this decade? This course will take a closer look at the arts and culture of the 1930s.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter and Producer: Chuck Mishaan, MA, (LLI) has been presenting courses at Bard LLI for many years, including his popular Opera as Politics series, the Leonard Bernstein Centenary Lectures, and recently The Roaring 20s. His commentary on the intersection of politics and the arts continues with this course.
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
THIS IS THE ZOOM SECTION OF THIS COURSE
Description: The Roaring 20s ended with the Black Friday stock market crash. The 1930s began with the Great Depression, the rise of authoritarianism, and other threats to the fragile new world order that had grown out of the ashes of World War I.
How did the literary and visual arts reflect and react to the turmoil and challenge of the catastrophe of this “brave new world”? What defined the culture of this decade? This course will take a closer look at the arts and culture of the 1930s.
Class limit: none for Zoom attendance
Presenter and Producer: Chuck Mishaan, MA, (LLI) has been presenting courses at Bard LLI for many years, including his popular Opera as Politics series, the Leonard Bernstein Centenary Lectures, and recently The Roaring 20s. His commentary on the intersection of politics and the arts continues with this course.
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: Small differences in the human genome sometimes lead to devastating symptoms. The hope was that the elucidation of the “complete” human genome (there are still a couple of loose ends) would result in the cure of inherited disease, but that outcome has largely remained elusive. This semester we will examine a few single-gene defects, including acute intermittent porphyria (probably King George III), hemophilia (young Alexis Romanoff), color blindness, Huntington’s disease (Woody Guthrie), xeroderma pigmentosum, cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Supplemental readings will be available before each class. No previous background in science is required.
Class Limit: 60
Presenter: John Ferguson, ScB, PhD, (LLI) is professor emeritus, Biology Program, division of Science, Mathematics, Computing at Bard College This is his fifth time teaching at LLI.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: (This course is dedicated to the memory of art historian Ward Stanley, a popular LLI presenter, with whom this presenter had hoped to collaborate on a course dealing with some of the isms.)
This course will look at Claude Debussy (1862–1918), his music, and his milieu from the perspective of the many isms that characterized his time — among them monarchism, republicanism, nationalism, impressionism, symbolism, neoclassicism, romanticism, Japonism, occultism, colonialism, Wagnerism, misogynism, racism, antisemitism, and hedonism. It will complement rather than duplicate the previous Debussy course, both in content and the live and recorded music played. The visual and literary arts will figure prominently.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Raymond Erickson, PhD, has given seven previous Bard 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 the history of music at Yale and is a widely traveled keyboard performer. He is on the Bard College Conservatory of Music faculty: chamber music, harpsichord, and piano.
Producer: Cathy Reinis
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: Part 1 concentrated on Lindy Hop/Swing Dance and the music and musicians from the 1920s to the late 1940s. Susan and Ron will continue that historical journey in Part 2. Each week will focus on the styles of music from the 1950s to current music and bands in 2023, while focusing on how Lindy Hop has evolved with each musical style. Each class will begin with a 20-minute dance instruction, learning new steps and grooving to the music. Class participants are encouraged to share their experiences seeing and hearing the bands and how the music enhanced their lives.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Ron Fields, a longtime Ulster County resident, developed an avid interest in swing music and dance, including jazz and swing dance history. He currently participates in two performance groups and helps conduct monthly Zoom presentations of swing music and dance. Ron has been dancing for 20 years.
Presenter: Susan Simon (LLI) Before 2009, Susan did not know how to dance, nor did she have any desire to dance—that all changed when she started Lindy Hop classes and discovered that the combination of the music and the dance instantly creates soulful joy. She wants to share this with you!
Producer: Linda LeGendre
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: A survey of one of America’s most prolific playwrights, whose work gained great popularity during the 1960s and was 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: Four Plays: Come Back Little Sheba; Picnic; Bus Stop; The Dark at the Top of the Stairs by William Inge, any edition.
Class limit: 100
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 also teaches in the LLI programs at SUNY New Paltz and Vassar College.
Producer: Emily Michael
on-campus courses
Friday - Period 3
11:50 a.m. until 1:10 p.m.
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: WWII and the Great Depression were significant threats to our national security in the 20th century. Regardless of race, religion, etc., millions of men joined the fight against our enemies on two fronts. More than 350,000 women also served in uniform. When the war ended, and the Depression was over, the future seemed bright. This course will examine the 1950s and how prosperity did not apply equally to everyone. The hunt for enemies within, the invention of fancy gadgets, and the development of suburbs delivered a sense of security and progress. For women and minorities, however, the struggle continued.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Robert Beaury (LLI) is a retired social studies teacher from Germantown Central School and a former adjunct at Columbia-Greene Community College.
Producer: Emily Michael
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
THIS IS THE ZOOM SECTION OF THIS COURSE
Description: WWII and the Great Depression were significant threats to our national security in the 20th century. Regardless of race, religion, etc., millions of men joined the fight against our enemies on two fronts. More than 350,000 women also served in uniform. When the war ended, and the Depression was over, the future seemed bright. This course will examine the 1950s and how prosperity did not apply equally to everyone. The hunt for enemies within, the invention of fancy gadgets, and the development of suburbs delivered a sense of security and progress. For women and minorities, however, the struggle continued.
Class limit: none for Zoom attendance
Presenter: Robert Beaury (LLI) is a retired social studies teacher from Germantown Central School and a former adjunct at Columbia-Greene Community College.
Producer: Emily Michael
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: This is a course on the history of furniture styles and the characters who developed them, from medieval times to the present. Topics will include history, the stories of furniture designers from Chippendale to Eames, and furniture techniques. Questions such as what makes a piece Arts and Crafts and the difference between French and English dovetailing will be addressed, as will French polishing, the use of molding, and more.
Class Limit: 60
Presenter: Gus Pedersen (LLI) designs and builds custom furniture and sculptures. He has been part of the Saugerties Artists Studio Tour for many years, and has videotaped and participated in the Saugerties Chamber of Commerce Street Art Project with his out-of-the-box pieces, which are auctioned to benefit charities. To see his work go to: www.gustavpedersen.com
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: This course will feature live performances of chamber, classical repertoire, and some original compositions by students of the Bard Conservatory of Music. The course will be presented by Bard professor and Grammy Award-winning composer Joan Tower, who will introduce the musicians and moderate a question-and-answer period following the performances.
Class Limit: 50
Presenter: Joan Tower (LLI) has received several recent awards including Musical America Worldwide’s 2020 Composer of the Year; induction into the Classical Music Hall of Fame (2019); and the Golden Baton 2019, the highest honor conferred by the League of American Orchestras. The complete collection of Joan Tower compositions has been archived by the Library of Congress.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: American cinema has often been about crime. America’s first full narrative film, The Great Train Robbery (1903), combined crime and the Western, this country’s most globally recognized film genres. The best American crime movies have been shot in New York City, a location reflecting a multiplicity of social issues. Crime movies, with nuance and both visual and narrative excitement, portray the contradiction between the ideals and values of democracy and the realities of capitalism. This class will analyze the cinematic dynamics of 14 crime movies by streaming films at home, including Mean Streets, The Godfather, and Taxi Driver.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Peter Scheckner, PhD (LLI), retired professor of literature, Ramapo College of NJ, did his undergraduate work at Bard College. His publications include American War Cinema and Media Since Vietnam: Politics, Ideology, and Class (2013), co-author Patricia Keeton; The Way We Work: Contemporary Writings from the American Workplace (2008) co-editor, M.C. Boyes; An Anthology of Chartist Poetry: Poetry of the British Working Class, 1830s-1850s (1989); and Class, Politics, and the Individual: A Study of the Major Works of D. H. Lawrence (1985).
Producer: Fern Fleckman
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21
Description: How can we fully evaluate where the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is today without learning more about its principles and procedures; its decision-making processes; proposals for court reform; and the legal philosophies of its justices, including originalism? Get an inside look and better inform yourself about SCOTUS, our powerful third branch of government. Topics will include significant cases this year on LGBTQ and Native American rights, race and affirmative action, and voting. This discussion course will be geared toward the layperson and guided by a lawyer and teacher who has followed SCOTUS for years.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Jackie Olivet (LLI) practiced law in the Hudson Valley for 20 years while also serving as a City of Kingston assistant city attorney, as an Ulster County assistant district attorney, and as a law guardian for children. She then became a full-time secondary education social studies teacher for 20 years, teaching history, government, economics, and criminal justice in addition to being an adjunct instructor with Dutchess Community College, teaching law courses.
Producers: Laura Brown and Barbara Danish
on-campus courses
Friday - Period 4
1:40 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Fridays, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21
Participants will be required to wear a mask.
Description: At the end of the 19th century painting on porcelain became a popular pastime that allowed women to express their artistic talents in an area other than needlework. Many women became recognized artists. Some single and widowed women worked out of necessity, making it their living. More financially secure women were happy to decorate wares for their homes and as gifts. Interest in the new art form grew rapidly. This course will discuss the domestic and professional lives of women of the time, the rise of china painting, and the women who became masters of their trade.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Carol Bassin (LLI) received her Master of Arts in the History of Design and Curatorial Studies from Parsons School of Design in partnership with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Her undergraduate work in Elementary Education and Art was completed at SUNY New Paltz. She has taught art history classes for Bard LLI and Lifespring LLI.
Producer: Cathy Reinis
Fridays, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21
Description: Did you always want to learn ballet? Now is your opportunity! With the BrainDance as a warm-up, we will have fun learning the basics of ballet, using safe and accessible movements while increasing strength, stability, and balance. No experience or ballet shoes are needed. Dance is for everyone.
Class Limit: 15
Presenter: Judith Nelson, MFA, (LLI) has spent more than 35 years teaching dance as a full-time professor at Auburn University, Missouri State University, and Carlton College. A dancer with Limón Dance Company and David Gordon Pick Up Company, she has toured the United States and Europe as a solo artist and in musical theater. She leads professional development workshops for dance educators. Nelson has conducted workshops at the 92nd Street Y, the Mark Morris Dance Center, and in New York City public schools. She is a senior faculty member at Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Fridays, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21
Participants will be required to wear a mask.
Description: He holds the Guinness record as the literary character most frequently portrayed in film. He emerged out of nowhere and spawned an entire literary genre with a host of imitators, but has yet to be equaled. One would be hard-pressed to find anyone who does not know who he is. In this class, confirmed or aspiring Sherlockians will read and discuss selected stories, looking for influences of Conan Doyle’s own background, and attempting to understand how Doyle could create a character so intensely real that hundreds of letters addressed to him at 221B Baker Street still arrive every year.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Steve Bassin (LLI) is currently writing a mystery novel in addition to teaching. He is a retired trial attorney and a retired member of the Director’s Guild of America. He has taught courses in literature and history at Bard LLI and Vassar LLI. He has also taught at The New School and The School of Visual Arts. His specialty is mystery fiction, and he has taught previous courses on Sherlock Holmes, George Eliot, Charles Dickens, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and others.
Producer: Gary Lachmund
Fridays, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21
Participants will be required to wear a mask.
Description: Tai Chi is a blood-freshening, moving meditation, and slow-motion martial art. It promotes longevity and increases cognition, strength, confidence, balance, and flexibility. The gentle, stress-lowering exercises allow the chi, or life force, to follow the blood in the body, rather than stagnate. The practice of Tai Chi helps us heal ourselves in both mind and body.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Annie LaBarge (LLI) is a poet and painter who has taught art at all levels in schools and colleges. She studied Tai Chi with Joe Mansfield, Margaret Cheo, and Michael Porter. Her 25 years of teaching include all three sets of Yang Style Long Form Tai Chi. Annie currently teaches for HeathAlliance Hospital Oncology Support Program, People’s Place, and Bard LLI.
Producer: Susan Hinkle
on-campus courses
Friday - Period 5
3:20 p.m. until 4:40 p.m.
Friday, Fifth Period: 3:20 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21
Description: A legacy letter reflects the “voice of the heart.” Think of it as a love letter to your family. Every legacy letter is as unique as the person writing it. The instructor will give examples written from Biblical times to the present. She will discuss several personal reasons for writing a legacy letter. Our 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.
Class limit: 12
Presenter: Beverly Sloane is a writer and writing instructor. She has taught and lectured at several colleges, including teaching memoir writing and “From Memoir to Legacy Letters” in LLI programs at Bard, Vassar, and Marist colleges. She is a graduate of Vassar College and received her MA from Claremont Graduate University in California. She has written four books and is working on a memoir about her sister. She is a fellow of the American Medical Writers Association.
Producer: Marge Moran
Friday, Fifth Period: 3:20 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21
Description: Students develop the acting skills to perform public readings of essays, short stories, monologues, and poetry. As they practice vocal exercises to enhance resonance and create a delivery that is conversational and real, they learn to captivate their audience with directness and simplicity and, in doing so, find their voices.
Class limit: 15
Presenter: Alan Lipper (LLI) has performed extensively with The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, Performing Arts of Woodstock, and Rhinebeck Readers Theatre. He has studied acting with Olympia Dukakis, oral interpretation with Robert Silber, and voice in many modalities.
Producer: Mary McClellan
Friday, Fifth Period: 3:20 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.
March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 14, 21 (6 sessions)
Description: $30 fee The presenter has bought wines from “2-buck Chuck” to 1990 Louis Jadot Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru (sadly not very good). He knows the delight and excitement of wine as well as the fear and disappointment. He also knows that the most important thing is to enjoy wine. Everybody has different taste buds and different preferences! In this class, we taste about an ounce of each of six wines with something in common (grape, region). We’ll discuss those samples and anything else related to wine. Class participation is essential. All opinions (and taste buds) have an equal say.
Class limit: 20
Presenter: Paul McLaughlin, PhD, (LLI) began tasting wines in 1972 when he was stationed in Germany with the US Army. He continues to enjoy a great variety of wines from all over the world. His PhD in organic chemistry has helped him understand the natural and artificial processes that affect the quality of wine.
Producer: Marge Moran
Off-Friday, In Person
Various Dates & Times
Tuesdays: 10:30 a.m. Off Campus
March 14, 21, 28, April 4, 11, 18
Description: Presenters will lead six different hikes on various footpaths in the scenic Hudson area. Sites will be on both sides of the river. Participants should be able to walk on uneven, rocky variable terrain. Sturdy footwear is encouraged. Locations will be emailed before each hike.
Class limit: 16
Presenters: Robin Berger (LLI) and Vicki Hoener (LLI) taught for many years at Chancellor Livingston Elementary School in Rhinebeck. Now that they are retired, they are spending their time hiking across the Hudson Valley.
Producer: Marge Moran
Thursdays: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. In-person at Starr Library, Rhinebeck.
March 9, 16, 23, 30, April 6, 13 (six sessions)
Description: A $25 fee for the required tool is due at the first class. Weekly fee of $5 – $10 for materials.
Ikebana is the art of Japanese flower arranging. Ikebana emphasizes lines and curves, and focuses on the careful placement of branches and a few flowers. The results of the arrangement look quiet, simple, and elegant. Arranging flowers has always been meditative and a great way to manage stress. The goal of this course is to understand both the principles and differences between Western and Oriental styles of flower arranging. This course will combine lectures, PowerPoint, and hands-on arranging. Students will take home their creations.
Class limit: 12
Presenter: Meeihuey Lin has been teaching ikebana classes of various levels from beginner to teacher’s certification for many years. She founded the Sogetsu Ikebana group (and has been teaching group classes to members since 2016). She and her students have exhibited at the prestigious Philadelphia Flower Show and Japan House in Philadelphia.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Monday: 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
April 24
Description: Join Laura Conner, environmental educator at Minnewaska State Park Preserve, for a six-mile walk on a combination of level-surfaced carriage roads and one field road. We’ll explore an old orchard and golf course and then head out to Echo Rock, which offers glorious views of a ravine and the cliffs on the opposite side, including Gertrude’s Nose. The walk is expected to last five hours. Participants should be able to walk for the whole five hours, as there is no turnaround point. Bring snacks and beverages. The meeting spot will be emailed before the hike.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Laura Conner began her career with New York State Parks in 2000 as a seasonal environmental educator at Grafton Lakes. Next, she was the assistant park manager at Moreau Lake, while still offering environmental education. In 2007, she became the environmental educator at Minnewaska. Laura originally pursued fine art with a BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts, but changed careers in 1995, when she received an MS in environmental studies from Antioch New England Graduate School.
Producer: Eleanor Wieder
Tuesday: 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
April 18. Rain date April 19.
Description: Students are asked to prepare a 15-minute oral or multimedia presentation on Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Burroughs, John Muir, or a nature writer of their choice. This can be a reading of a poem, essay, or some insight into the author’s biography or philosophy. The afternoon session consists of a tour of Slabsides Cabin at the John Burroughs Nature Sanctuary. Participants must be comfortable walking one-half mile on a carriage road and standing for 30 minutes during a tour of the unheated cabin. Bring beverages, snacks, and lunch. The meeting place addresses will be provided by email.
Class limit: 10
Presenter: Skip Doyle (LLI) is a licensed, professional outdoor guide.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Monday: 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
April 10, 17. Rain date May 1.
Description: Join Laura Conner, environmental educator at Minnewaska State Park Preserve, for two modest, early spring walks on level-surfaced carriage roads. Hikes will be up to four miles long and take approximately two hours round-trip, and will feature views of a waterfall, the Catskill Mountains, and numerous scenic, cliff-edge vistas. Participants should be able to complete the entire walk with the group as there is no turn-around point. Bring snacks and beverages. The meeting points will be emailed before each hike.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Laura Conner began her career with New York State Parks in 2000 as a seasonal environmental educator at Grafton Lakes. Next, she was the assistant park manager at Moreau Lake, while still offering environmental education. In 2007, she became the environmental educator at Minnewaska. Laura originally pursued fine art with a BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts, but changed careers in 1995, when she received an MS in environmental studies from Antioch New England Graduate School.
Producer: Carmela Gersbeck and Eleanor Wieder
Credits
Curriculum Committee
Linda LeGendre, Chair
Irene Esposito, Secretary
Dorothy Baran
Anne Brueckner
Kathryn Clark
Barbara Danish
Fern Fleckman
Ellen Foreman
Carmela Gersbeck
Susan Hinkle
Gary Lachmund
Mary McClellan
Emily Michael
Gary Miller
Chuck Mishaan
Margaret Moran
Cathy Reinis
Margaret Shuhala
Leslie Weinstock
Eleanor Wieder
Catalog Team
Deborah Schwartz, Chair
Anne Brueckner
Susan Christoffersen
Deborah Lanser
Margaret Shuhala
Tim Sullivan
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