Spring 2025 Catalog
Spring 2025 Catalog
Course Dates for Thursday Zoom classes: March 6, 13, 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17
Course Dates for Friday In-person classes: March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
and Off-Friday offerings in March and April, 2025
Spring Registration: Starts February 27 and ends March 15, 2025 (see note below)
Course Enrollment: Open to all members (free with 2024-2025 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.
Course Enrollment: For the first time, there will be a one-class priority registration starting at 9:00 a.m. on February 27 and lasting only for that day. During that day, each LLI member may register for one course. On February 28, regular registration begins on a first-come, first-served basis and continues until March 15th. Open to all members (free with your 2024-2025 membership).
There is a print button on the bottom of the page. Thursday courses will be held via Zoom; all Friday courses will be held in person on campus. 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 2025 from the Semester menu.
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 6, 13, 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: This course will examine the ways that the human figure has been represented in art from around the world. It will include images from Europe, West Asia (the Middle East), Africa, South Asia (particularly India), East Asia (specifically China and Japan), pre-Columbian America, Latin America, and the United States. Except for the lectures on European art, the course is not chronological, except within some of the presentations. Instead, it attempts to be representative of the variety of ways in which the human figure has been depicted around the world over the centuries.
Class Limit: 100
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: Fern Fleckman
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 6, 13, 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: This course examines the influence of US media on politics and public discourse from the 1960s to the present, from the legacy media—TV networks and leading newspapers—to the cacophony of news sources today. We look at US media’s expansion in size and influence and diversification into new genres and its consolidating ownership and shrinking local and international news coverage. We examine objectivity in journalism, the rise and impact of investigative reporting, alternative media, social media, fake news, and artificial intelligence. We look at the role the media plays in both strengthening and undermining our social fabric and political institutions.
Link to the Syllabus and complete Course Information
Week 1, March 6: Overview: US Media from 1960s to Present – Using a Q&A format, this class will look at the evolution of the US media from the 1960s, when the public had very few media choices, to the current landscape that includes new social media platforms with bad actors and disinformation as well as traditional print, radio, and television outlets.
Presenter: Jeff Cohen founded the media watch group FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in the Media) in 1986 and co-founded the online activist group RootsAction.org in 2011.
Week 2, March 13: Rise of Investigative Journalism – This Q&A conversation with Peter Kornbluh will highlight his own work as an activist archivist and an investigative journalist covering some of the biggest stories in the history of U.S.–Latin America relations.
Presenter: Peter Kornbluh has worked at the National Security Archive since 1986 and currently directs the Archive’s Cuba and Chile Documentation Projects.
Week 3, March 20: Alternative Media as Agents for Social Change – While corporate-owned mainstream media outlets dominated the public discourse for much of American history, alternative forms of media took shape in the 1960s and 1970s, influenced by the rise of social movements around civil rights, feminist issues, and the environment, and against the Vietnam War.
Presenter: Amy Goodman has been the main host and executive producer of Democracy Now! since 1996, a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program broadcast daily on the Internet and more than 1,400 television and radio stations worldwide.
Week 4, March 27: Fake News – Fake news refers to false or misleading information or disinformation spread intentionally or unintentionally as if it were true news.
Presenter: Jeff Cohen (see Week 1 for Bio)
Week 5, April 3: The Fractured New Media: Blogs, Podcasts, Social Media, and the Bubbles that Define Our Politics – The press, free from government control and oversight, has long been referred to as the Fourth Estate because of its watchdog role and power to disseminate factual information, which is so critical to a functioning democracy.
Presenter: Jody Avirgan is host of Radiotopia podcast This Day In Esoteric Political History and executive producer of the podcast What Now with Trevor Noah.
Week 6, April 10: Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Today, much news content in chain-owned newspapers is generated by artificial intelligence. And AI has already played a significant role in political campaigns. Should we care if news and social media content is created by artificial intelligence? How do we identify it? Can we preserve human news sources?
Presenter: Allison Stanger is a professor at Middlebury College; Affiliate, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, Harvard (see syllabus for other positions.)
Week 7, April 17: The Future of Journalism: Is Truth Dead? Looking back on what we have learned about the challenges facing journalism and journalists today, can we build an engaged and media-literate public that supports democratic discussion of issues? We will engage the class in a discussion of what we have learned and how we can be knowledgeable consumers of media.
Class limit: 100
Hosts: Martha Honey, PhD, Pat Keeton, PhD, Felice Gelman, MBA
Producer: Fern Fleckman
zoom courses
thursDAY, Period 3
1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, Third Period: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
March 6, 13, 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: The ACLU reports that the United States has 5% of the world’s population but nearly 20% of the world’s incarcerated people, with a phenomenal surge of incarceration since the 1970s. Yet The Sentencing Project reports that increased incarceration has no effect on violent crime and increasing sentence length does not deter crime. So what’s up? How are we complicit, if unconsciously? Why do inequities of race and poverty largely define the prison population? Morally, and in consideration of public safety, what should prison be for? Assigned readings (available weekly) will help us grapple with this question of justice in America.
Class Limit: 26
Presenters: Barbara Danish, PhD, (LLI) was director of the Writing Center at New York University, taught at Pratt Institute, and currently works at Family of Woodstock.
Laura Brown, MFA, (LLI) has worked in publishing for more than 40 years and is a former president of Oxford University Press.
Producer: Barbara Danish
Thursday, Third Period: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
March 6, 13, 27; April 3, 10, 17 (six classes)
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: This course, offered by The Olana Partnership, will explore Frederic Church’s Olana through the lens of its historic visitors and those who populated this historic site over time. While the artist-designed house and landscape is often regarded as Frederic Church’s masterwork, it was also a place where Church interacted with notable 19th-century figures, hosted visitors, raised a family, and worked with artists and architects to create his magnificent house, landscape, and studio. Through virtual tours and discussions with visiting historians, this course will cover the 19th-century writers, thinkers, artists, and naturalists who crossed Olana’s threshold and will examine the vital parts visitors and influential figures had in the development of this important place.
Class Limit: 100
Presenter: Carolyn Keogh is the Director of Education and Public Programs at The Olana Partnership, where she oversees public programs, art workshops, lectures, and other offerings and events. Previously, she worked at the Guggenheim Museum, where she oversaw K-12 programs. Carolyn is passionate about making museums and cultural spaces welcoming, accessible places for diverse learners of all ages. Carolyn received a BA from NYU in art history and an MA in art history with a focus on art museum education from City College.
Producer: Mary McClellan
on-campus courses
No Period 1 Courses
FRIDAY, Period 2
10:10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
Friday, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: More efficient than brute force, mass media in a democracy “manufactures” public beliefs to benefit the interests of specific political and economic players. Visual propaganda, like cinema, molds popular attitudes to align with the interests of ruling authorities. Cinema shapes public discourse to ensure consent for policies and ideology that benefit those in power.
The term comes from the book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media (1988), co-authored by Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman. This course will examine documentary and feature films available for streaming at home (some for a nominal fee) that illustrate this concept. The course syllabus can be accessed here: Syllabus Manufacturing Consent Spring 2025
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, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: Cultivate joy and enrich your mind, body, and spirit through the power of dance! Participants will practice safe, accessible dance technique and alignment, including the BrainDance, for improved balance, strength, and flexibility. We will learn dance combinations, creatively explore fundamental concepts that encourage self-awareness and expression, create short dances, and build community. We will have fun! Please wear comfortable, nonrestrictive clothing and bare feet or soft, flexible dance shoes.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Judith Nelson, MFA, (LLI) was a professor of dance and theater at Auburn University, Missouri State University, and Carleton College. She danced with the Limón Dance Company and the David Gordon Pick-Up Company, among others, and toured the United States and Europe as a solo artist and in musical theater. An expert in BrainDance, she leads professional development workshops for dance educators through the NYC Department of Education, the 92nd Street Y, and the Mark Morris Dance Center. She holds an MFA from the University of Arizona, and a BFA from the University of Utah. Judith has lived in Rhinebeck since 2020.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: If you have not played bridge in many years or never played it at all, then this course will familiarize you with the rules, bidding, scoring, and strategy of contract bridge. Each class will provide you with both instruction and actual play, plus useful worksheets and summary guidelines. At the conclusion of the course, you should have the knowledge and skills to play bridge in a variety of both formal and informal settings.
Class Limit: 24
Presenter: Tom Mayer, MD, MBA, is a graduate of Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons and has worked as a family physician, medical administrator, patient and physician trainer/educator, healthcare author, and consultant with an active “non-video” gaming hobby. While he played bridge early in his career, it was only after retirement that he undertook it in earnest. Now he has taught bridge and organized a bridge club within the Rhinebeck community.
Producer: Anne Brueckner
Friday, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: This course continues the exploration of Claude Debussy and his milieu, this time focusing on his second book of Préludes (1913). These 12 short but amazing pieces provide reflections of Debussy’s world, painting pictures of natural phenomena, mythological subjects, popular Parisian culture, foreign visitors, imagined scenes of Spain and India, and even a fireworks display. Except for the Études for piano, these Préludes are Debussy’s last major contribution to the piano literature. The Préludes will be performed live and will be supplemented with detailed background information.
Class Limit: 40
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, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: This course will offer the fundamentals of classic Hatha Yoga as developed and brought to the west by B.K.S. Iyengar. This includes physical movement, awareness, and breath meditation. Participants will study the roots and foundational philosophies of yoga. No prior yoga experience is required. The course is open to everyone. Hatha Yoga can be and is practiced at every level of physical fitness and is adaptable to fit nearly all physical needs. Bring a yoga mat, two yoga blocks, one strap, one yoga blanket, and a notebook to each class.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Linda Cassidy has had a lifelong interest in physical movement and its synergistic effects on the mind and body. Specializing in hatha yoga as developed by B.K.S. Iyengar and taught by renowned yogi Rodney Yee, Linda brings 22 years of dedicated yoga study and 12 years of teaching experience. She skillfully guides students through transformative practices that blend physical awareness with introspective depth.
Producer: Eleanor Wieder
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 3
11:50 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: Poisons always seem to be morbidly attractive, not the least because of the vast and persistent literature of mystery novels. A poison is any chemical that interacts with normal physiology to produce an undesirable, sometimes fatal effect. We will take a look at nutritional overdoses and underdoses, drug side effects, including addictions and frank toxicity, environmental toxins, including rattlesnake envenomation, industrial toxins, and poisons of cholinergic neural transmission. Supplemental readings will be available before each class. No previous background in science is required.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: John Ferguson, ScB, PhD, (LLI) is professor emeritus, Biology Program, division of Science, Mathematics, Computing at Bard College This is his eighth time teaching at LLI.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: The course will feature live performances of chamber music, 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: 40
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. – 1:00 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: 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 artistic works and present video excerpts of relevant performances and analyses. When appropriate, content may be updated in light of ongoing current events.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: 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.
Producer: Chuck Mishaan
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: This class will provide a deeper look into fairy tales and examine the part they have played in our personal lives and in the world at large. Participants will reunite with old storybook friends—Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and the Snow Queen—as well as meet other less well-known characters. We’ll explore tales different from those we studied in Fall 2023 and examine the many possible meanings they hold for us, both as children and as adults. We hope to reveal why they are still relevant over the many thousands of years their stories have been told.
Class Limit: 30
Presenter: Patty Kane Horrigan is a writer, teacher, and counselor whose fairy tale classes help people find the deep personal riches within these stories. She encourages others to explore these magical memories from their childhoods.
Producer: Margaret Shuhala
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 4
1:40 p.m. until 2:50 p.m.
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: Students will 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, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: This course will review the scientific evidence that has been shown to improve the quality of aging or health span—the part of the life span that is disability-free. Major factors known to contribute to longevity include diet and nutrition, physical activities, adequate sleep, and good social connections. The focus of this course is on how exercise can benefit not just physical reserve but also cognitive reserve leading to expanded health span. Also discussed is the need to employ different types of exercise to recruit their respective benefits. Additionally, the challenge of starting and maintaining an adequate exercise program will also be discussed.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Ray Yip, MD, MPH (LLI) is a physician and epidemiologist certified in pediatrics (University of Minnesota), pediatric hematology and oncology (UCSF), and preventive medicine (Centers for Disease Control). After seven years of clinical practice, Dr. Yip devoted his career to global health, working for the Centers for Disease Control and the Gates Foundation in a number of countries on issues related to nutrition, refugee health, maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, and HIV/AIDS.
Producers: Mary McClellan, Florence Bannicq
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: Landscapes and gardens mirror the culture in which they were created. Both reveal ecosystems crucial in human interaction, extending beyond visual perception. The garden, a cultural artifact, is a three-dimensional sculpture that reflects the values and practices of a society. The landscape, in contrast, is a practical manifestation of the human need and ability to sustain its life on Earth. In these meetings, we will examine the concepts and examples from various cultures—the Middle East, the Mediterranean, China, Japan, and the United States— to deepen our understanding of the relationship between landscapes, gardens, and culture.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Achva Benzinberg Stein (LLI) is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and Distinguished Alumna of UC Berkeley. She has taught and practiced in the United States, Israel, Europe, India, and China. She directed the graduate program in landscape architecture at CCNY and teaches in the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. Her work with various organizations addresses social needs and urban development challenges. For a complete description of her outstanding achievements, please see http://achvastein.com/bio.htm.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: With weekly news of corporate, government, and healthcare hacks, you need protection. These breaches compromise your identity and bank accounts. You need new life skills. If you don’t understand modern criminal and victim behavior, you will become the victim. It’s just a matter of time. There is no containing breached data—bank account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, etc.—once it’s out there. Learn how to become impervious to the breaches so your Personally Identifiable Information trafficked on the dark web no longer leads to your assets or identity.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Rivka Tadjer is a cybercrime and cybersecurity expert with more than 20 years of experience in cyber investigation, profiling, cryptocurrency fraud, Artificial Intelligence, criminal behavior, cybercrime incident response, prevention, and mitigation consulting. She specializes in fraud, theft, and impersonation of seniors, high net-worth individuals and executives.
Producer: Eleanor Wieder
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: This class is for everyone who loves to sing and for those who think they can’t! We’ll focus the first part of each session on vocal technique and then have a community sing, including singing in parts. For those who took last June’s course, song selections will be different and will include show tunes, popular music, and folk music. An ability to read music is not required, but an open spirit and kindness to fellow singers is a must!
Class Limit: 22
Presenter: Nancy Theeman, PhD, has had a lifelong career in music that includes performance and teaching. She is a pianist and singer who has performed in the United States and abroad. She has chaired music programs at schools in Westchester County and has directed numerous musicals there. She has conducted community choirs and for 30 years she ran Touring Talent, a program in which high school students go to local senior residences to share their talents.
Producers: Suzanne Holzberg, Joyce Kanner
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 5
3:10 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
This course was canceled.
Friday: Fifth Period: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: Join us as we explore the people, politics, and economy of America during the first two centuries. Settlers contested with indigenous inhabitants, slavery adopted a very American focus, and fledgling beginnings at self-governance developed into a movement for independence from Britain. No prior knowledge or outside readings is required; copies of all slide presentations will be available.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: Tom Walker, MS, (LLI) 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 County Community College. He recently retired as a senior counselor in the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services.
Producer: Mary McClellan
Friday: Fifth Period: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: The spring garden is the time to recreate, renew, and rethink. Join us to learn about spring pruning, seed selection, when to plant, what to plant, and how to plant. We will discuss both local and online gardening sources, the best catalogs, and how to choose the right plant for the right location. There will be a different speaker every week. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced gardener, this is an opportunity to learn, to share, and to ask questions. It’s all about growing “your green thumb.”
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Tim Steinhoff has a 45-year career in public horticulture. He was the first director of horticulture at Battery Park City Parks and of the Green Guerillas. Steinhoff has had projects at the Horticultural Society of New York, the Heather Garden at Fort Tryon Park, and at Montgomery Place. He is the retired director of horticulture at Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie. As a lecturer, he has shared his expertise at the Chicago Art Institute, the NY and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and the Cooper Hewitt Museum.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Friday: Fifth Period: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 7, 14, 28; April 4, 11, 18 (six sessions)
Description: Memoir is a capacious form—it can encompass a single event, an era, or an entire life. It can weave back and forth in time: exploring how we remember “before” from after, or how “before” influenced who we are now. We will begin with a prompt for a two-page exercise. Subsequent classes will offer prompts, or writers can choose their own subject. Bi-weekly submissions of two to four pages will be kindly critiqued and lead to a discussion of literary approaches: point of view, showing vs. telling, foreshadowing, etc. Every submission will be returned with a full line edit from the instructor.
Class Limit: 12
Presenter: Ann Patty is the author of Living With a Dead Language: My Romance with Latin (Viking/Penguin, 2016). Her essays have been published in many print and online publications, from The Wall Street Journal to Dorothy Parker’s Ashes. Ann worked in New York trade publishing for more than 30 years. She was the founder and publisher of the Poseidon Press (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) and an executive editor at Crown Publishers and Harcourt. Learn more at annpatty.com.
Producer: Suzanne Holzberg
Friday: Fifth Period: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18
Description: Each class begins with a series of guided experiments in gentle movement and awareness set to a fun playlist. Learn six surprising principles for safe, functional, regenerative movement. While the class is not a substitute for a workout, the skills learned can be applied to exercise and activities of daily living to enhance coordination, prevent injury, and make possible a sense of personal satisfaction through movement. Please wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict movement. No prior experience is necessary.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Kelly Garone, RSMTE, is a performing artist and somatic movement therapist/educator. Her approach to movement is informed by her experience training and performing as a professional dancer, as well as her long-term process of questioning, unraveling, and re-integrating that training through the support of many different embodiment modalities. She is a registered professional member of ISMETA (International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association), and has a parallel career as an assistant and advocate for elder artists.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
off friday, in person
dates & times
as noted in course descriptions
Wednesdays, 1:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
March 19, 26; April 2, 9, 16, 23 (6 classes)
Description: This class takes students inside the homes, studios, and galleries of contemporary Hudson Valley artists. Presenters are the artists or gallery owners who will speak about their inspirations, processes, and careers. Students will experience multiple visual art forms, including abstract paintings, installation art, natural realism, ceramics, and large-scale sculptures. Tours are indoors; two tours feature outdoor sculptures. Standing is required.
Week 1. Studio of Jenny Nelson, Woodstock. Nelson is an abstract painter and a painting instructor. She begins each canvas with layers of color that are improvised, abstract, and even chaotic. Through a process of addition and subtraction, she brings each painting into balance with sensitivity and attention to detail.
Presenter: Jenny Nelson, BFA, attended Bard College as well as SCAD Lacoste in France. A former resident of the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, she instructs in Woodstock and exhibits at numerous galleries, including the Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson.
Week 2. Hotel Tivoli. The hotel is in a century-old building situated in the historic town of Tivoli. Opened by painters Brice and Helen Marden, the property is filled with an eclectic collection of furniture, lighting, and art.
Presenter: Janett Pabon has worked at Hotel Tivoli since 2014. She previously worked at NYC’s Chanterelle and the Balthazar Restaurant Group. She is a Certified Tourism Ambassador and was awarded Dutchess County Tourism’s Hospitality Service Award of Distinction.
Week 3. Studio of Donald Elder, Saugerties. Elder’s abstract impressionist paintings are influenced by and have an emotional rapport with nature. His works are infused with mystical light.
Presenter: Donald Elder began his education in New York. He later lived and studied art in France and Italy. His focus is on Abstract Impressionism, reflecting fantasy, mystical light, romanticism, and nature. He teaches at the Woodstock School of Art.
Week 4. Studio of Samantha French, in Rifton. French’s work includes public murals in Kingston and Bushwick. Her current work featuring swimmers explores the transitory qualities of memory and water, as light moves both above and below the surface. Her paintings and murals provide a subtle respite from everyday life.
Presenter: Samantha French, BFA, a Minnesota native, attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and now lives and paints in the Hudson Valley.
Week 5. Elena Zang Gallery, Woodstock. This fine arts gallery is set on an idyllic property in Woodstock. It includes a sculpture garden and a working ceramics studio and exhibits contemporary fine art by internationally known and regional artists living in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Presenter: Alan Hoffman owns the Elena Zang Gallery, which represents a variety of prominent regional artists. An artist currently working in ceramics, Hoffman has a studio with a walk-in kiln on the premises.
Week 6. The Spiral House, Saugerties. Sacred geometry revealed in stone. Artist Tom Gottsleben (1950 – 2019) designed and built a five-story, stone, spiral house. Surrounded by his outdoor stone and crystal sculptures, one experiences the beauty and harmony inherent in nature’s patterns.
Presenters: Patty Livingston with her late husband, Tom, created the Spiral House and surrounding landscape. A philanthropist, her focus is on the environment, protecting the land in perpetuity, public access, and environmental education.
Ronnie Shushan is a writer, editor, and graphic designer of books and magazines. She co-authored the book The Spiral House (2019) with Patty and Tom.
Class limit : 18
Producers: Suzanne Holzberg, Janet Pincus, Joyce Kanner
Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
April 2, 9, 16 (3 sessions)
Description: Join Laura Conner, Environmental Educator at Minnewaska State Park, for a series of three, naturalist-led outings. Each moderately paced walk will traverse level, gravel-surfaced carriage roads and will feature education served with a side of scenic views, cultural history, and signs of wildlife. Unless otherwise noted, all walks will begin at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 5283 Rt 44/55, Kerhonkson. State residents who are 62 or older pay no parking fee during the week, except on holidays. Participants must be able to walk the distance of each outing (approximately 4 miles) in the allotted time frame.
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
Monday, 10:30 a.m.
March 17, 24, 31; April 7, 14 (5 sessions)
Description: Walks this spring will be varied. They will include some walks on Scenic Hudson trails, some on the beautiful area rail trails, and some in the Woodstock Land Conservancy. They will include beautiful views of the Hudson Valley, its woods, and river, as it begins to awaken to spring. Walks will be on both sides of the Hudson. Participants should wear proper clothing and footwear for 3-5 mile walks, sometimes over uneven rocky and hilly terrain, and have the endurance to participate in this activity.
Class Limit: 20
Presenters: Vicki Hoener and Robin Berger 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
Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. – noon
March 19 (1 session)
Description: In an average year, 40% of people over the age of 70 fall at least once, and one in five of these falls results in serious injury. In this class, we will look at specific areas of weakness that can contribute to falling, such as balance deficits and muscle weakness, and review and practice a series of strengthening and balance exercises designed to help you avoid being included in these statistics.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Dr. Russell Charno, a chiropractor in Rhinebeck, NY, graduated from Northeast College of Health Sciences in 1987. He has completed extensive continuing education in biomechanics, strength training, corrective exercise, movement assessment, and functional rehabilitation. Dr.Charno teaches strength-training classes to older adults and has a particular interest in helping his patients enhance and maintain their strength, balance, and mobility into later years.
Producer: Marge Moran
Credits
Curriculum Committee
Mary McClellan, Chair
Kathryn Clark, Secretary
Dorothy Baran
Anne Brueckner
Barbara Danish
Fern Fleckman
Felice Gelman
Carmela Gersbeck
Susan Hinkle
Suzanne Holzberg
Joyce Kanner
Emily Michael
Gary Miller
Chuck Mishaan
Margaret Moran
Janet Pincus
Cathy Reinis
Margaret Shuhala
L. Walker
Leslie Weinstock
Eleanor Wieder
Catalog Team
Deborah Lanser, Chair
Anne Brueckner
Susan Christoffersen
Cristina Ochagavia
Margaret Shuhala
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