SummerFest 2023 Catalog
SummerFest courses are on campus on Fridays, June 2, 9, 16, 23
with Zoom-only courses on Wednesdays, June 7 & 14
& Thursdays, June 1, 8, 15, 22
Registration open to current LLI members plus non-members by fee
Registration starts May 26 and ends June 10, 2023
Course Dates: There will be eight on-campus courses on Fridays, June 2, 9, 16, 23. There will be three Zoom courses, one single session on Wednesday, June 7; one single session on Wednesday, June 14; one four-week course on Thursdays, June 1, 8, 15, 22. There are four off-Friday offerings, the dates for which are determined for each class. Check the ProClass catalog for those dates.
SummerFest Registration: May 26 to June 10, 2022.
Course Enrollment: Open to all members (free with your 2022-2023 membership) and non-members ($25 per course).
Click on any of the titles below to see expanded information. The complete catalog with all course details (such as course limits, classroom locations, dates, etc.) is in ProClass. There is a print button on the bottom of this page.
Go here to access the complete catalog in ProClass. Once there, choose SummerFest 2023 from the “Select Semester” drop-down and hit the “Search” button. Registration will go live on May 26 at 9:00 a.m. Log in to register for courses.
Wednesday - Zoom
11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 7 (one session, in ZOOM)
Description: Scattered throughout the wooded uplands of the Catskill Mountains are a large number of standing lithic structures that have mostly been ignored by conventional archaeologists. Often dismissed as colonial-era stone work or field-clearing piles, these formations are increasingly being understood as part of a Native American tradition of ritual building practices that reflected a sophisticated worldview and sociocultural belief system. This program focuses on presenting locational data of potential Native American sacred sites within the Catskills and surrounding regions, in order to discern patterns in their construction techniques, environmental positioning, and event-specific structural alignments related to sky observation.
Presenter: Glenn Kreisberg is an author, outdoor guide, and radio engineer, who researches archeoastronomy and landscape archaeology in the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley. His books include Spirits in Stone, Mysteries of the Ancient Past, and Lost Knowledge of the Ancients. He served two terms as vice president of the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) and studied archeoastronomy at SUNY Ulster and archaeoacoustics in Malta. He is co-founder of the nonprofit Overlook Mountain Center (www.overlookmountain.org), Woodstock, NY.
Producer: Kathryn Clark
Wednesday: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 14 (one session in ZOOM)
Description: Sharing the oral tradition of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans, Kimberly Vele will tell the story of her people. In lieu of what we may have been taught in school, Kim will present the tribe’s history, traditions, values, and beliefs from its own perspective. Kim will show a 30-minute PBS video in which she discusses Mohican life in the Hudson Valley before the tribe’s move to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, its forced removal to Indiana, and ultimately its final relocation to Wisconsin. Kim will answer questions and lead a discussion after her presentation.
Presenter: Kimberly Vele is an enrolled member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community and a tribal court judge. She was treasurer of the National American Indian Court Judges Association, a founding member of Wisconsin’s State/Tribal/Federal Judicial Forum, and a member of Wisconsin’s Tribal Judges Association.
Producer: Kathryn Clark
Thursday - Zoom
9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, First Period: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
June 1, 8, 15, 22, 2023 in ZOOM
Description: This course will survey historical periods through the lens of Russian cinema, starting with the end of the tsarist regime, followed by the Stalinist era, concluding with the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequent transition to a radical pseudo-democracy. Strikingly prophetic, select screenings will be incorporated into the class to illustrate the historical, political, and cultural psyche prevailing over prior regimes. Parallels will be drawn to contemporary imperial developments. Films will be viewed outside of class and are available via streaming services with English subtitles. Join us for an engaging exploration of hidden gems of late-Soviet/Russian cinema. There may be a nominal fee for streaming one film.
Presenter: Craig McCaughrin holds a PhD in political science from the University of Minnesota. Now retired, he was previously a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Washington and Lee University, where he taught classes on international politics, ran a film festival, and hosted a radio show on game theory and opera.
Producer: Linda LeGendre
on-campus courses
Friday - Period 1
9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
Friday, First Period: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
June 2, 9, 16, 23, 2023
Description: This class will explore practical applications of basic dance concepts. We will warm up with the BrainDance, a series of fun, accessible movement patterns. We will center on a different dance concept each week, explore it with simple, structured movement improvisations, and create short dances together. Interspersed will be pertinent examples of choreography on video. The focus will be on individual exploration and self-discovery, expanded knowledge of how to experience, view, and appreciate dance, and community building through creative dance-making. This class is appropriate for all levels and abilities. No previous experience needed.
Class limit: 15
Presenter: Judith Nelson, MFA, (LLI) has taught dance as a full-time professor at Auburn University, Missouri State University, and Carlton College. A dancer with the 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 public schools. She is a senior faculty member at Mark Morris Dance Center.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday, First Period: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
June 23, 2023 (one session)
Description: Hackers attack easy targets and sell cybercriminals and physical predators access to your credit cards, finances, online shopping spots, family, kids games, and ability to geolocate you while traveling.
Hackers have easy access to you at all open WiFi spots, but airports, hotels, airplanes, and foreign destinations are favorite spots because travelers have money, and often go to destinations easy to track. Travelers make physical robbery easier as well.
Class limit: 60
Presenter: Rivka Tadjer
Producer: Eleanor Wieder
on-campus courses
Friday - Period 2
Fridays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Fridays: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 2, 9, 16, 23.
Description: This course will examine the origins and history of photography and the important role this medium of expression has played since its so-called discovery in 1839. We will explore and discuss important contributions this art form has made to the history of art. We will focus on technical developments, as well as the role of photography as an expression of humanistic, religious, and social values.
Class limit: 40
Presenter: Marcy Elise Bernstein taught painting, photography, history of photography, and gallery studies at Newburgh Free Academy from 1986 until 2019. She holds a BFA from Parsons School of Design, an MFA from SUNY New Paltz, and teaching certification through Bank Street College of Education. Marcy founded Roost Studios and Art Gallery, a nonprofit for the arts, in 2016. In her role as executive director, Marcy coordinates, curates, and produces community art events, fulfilling a mission to build community through the arts.
Producer: Anne Brueckner
Fridays: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 2, 9, 16, 23.
Description: How do you like your movie shrink? Funny, evil, troubled, a genius of benevolence? Hollywood has room for them all. This course looks at how psychotherapy and therapists have been portrayed on the screen over the decades. You’ll stream a movie at home each week. The presenter will show additional clips to keep the thematic conversation going throughout our therapeutic sessions. How does this description make you feel? Films, subject to change, could include Spellbound (1945), David and Lisa (1962), What About Bob? (1991), and Antwone Fisher (2002). Films are available to stream; some may be at a nominal fee.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Lisa Schwarzbaum (LLI) was a nationally known critic at Entertainment Weekly from 1994 to 2013. She served on the selection committee of the New York Film Festival from 2004 to 2008 and was co-host of a weekly movie review program on CNN from 1998 to 2001. She appeared regularly on radio and TV, including as co-host on Roger Ebert & The Movies. She is a former chair of the New York Film Critics Circle.
Producer: Fern Fleckman
Fridays: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 2, 9, 16, 23.
Description: Join us in discussing the short stories of one of America’s greatest Southern writers: Flannery O’Connor. We’ll examine religious, geographical, philosophical, and personal influences on her writing, including her cartooning and her Catholic faith. If you enjoy your humor biting, your characters dark and disturbing, and your sense of morality turned on its head, this is a course for you. Or maybe you just want to find out what would make a man say, to paraphrase one of O’Connor’s characters, “She would have been a good woman if there had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.” Stories are available free online.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Daniel Lanzetta, MA, has been teaching literature most of his life at Mt. Vernon High School, The College of New Rochelle, Thornton School, and Western Connecticut State University. He hopes to continue teaching it in the afterlife, but that remains to be seen.
Producer: Mary McClellan
Fridays: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 2, 9, 16, 23.
Description: In 2023 as many as 6 percent of Americans say they are vegan (a 500 percent increase since 2014) and a plant-based diet has been recommended by a diverse range of health and environmental organizations (e.g., American Dietetic Association, WHO, and 2022 UN Climate Change Report). In this course, we will examine reasons for this trend, as well as how to shop, prepare food, entertain, and travel while transitioning to a plant-based diet. Vegan food tasting will be provided at each of the four sessions. Dr. Milton Mills, our renowned guest speaker, will present the second class.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Roberta Schiff, retired teacher of health education, life sciences, and social studies, also has a master’s degree in Community Health Education from the University of Kansas. For the past two decades, she has served as the coordinator of the not-for-profit Hudson Valley Vegans, an organization that combines social events and social action. She has presented lectures and cooking demonstrations at conferences and other venues throughout the country. Roberta also performs stand-up comedy.
Guest speaker: Milton Mills, MD is a critical care physician and member of the board of directors of Plant-Based Prevention of Disease, Inc. Dr. Mills is well known for his numerous presentations at conferences, community centers, and hospitals and for his past service, including as associate director of preventive medicine and member of the national advisory board of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Also, he is featured in the films What the Health and the upcoming The Silent Vegan.
Producer: Emily Michael
Fridays: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 2, 9, 23, 30. (no class June 16)
Description: The need to keep a secret is ancient. The need to share that secret is likewise ancient, as is the desire to discover it. People have wrestled with these problems for millennia. This course on cryptography examines ways in which humans have tried to solve the secrecy problem. From its origins in military and political communications among diplomats, cryptography has become an essential element of modern information culture. Students will learn classical cryptographic techniques, technologies used to encode, transmit, and decode messages, modern cryptographic environments, cryptographic applications, and techniques of cryptanalysis — code-breaking. Some mathematical background is helpful but not required.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Bill Tuel, PhD, (LLI) retired in 2008 from IBM, where he participated in the development of supercomputers. He has a lifelong interest in all kinds of mathematics and has taught math at SUNY New Paltz. At LLI he has taught courses in the histories of mathematics, electricity and magnetism, atomic physics, and biology.
Producer: Gary Lachmund
on-campus courses
Friday - Period 3
1:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Friday, Third Period: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
June 2, 9, 16, 23, 2023
Description: The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI, established as a Bard College program in 2001) enrolls more than 300 incarcerated individuals in college classes in six New York state prisons and supports alumni upon release from prison. This class will explore the myriad ways in which BPI has created groundbreaking opportunities for incarcerated men and women. BPI staff, instructors, and volunteers will explain their roles. The course will conclude with two recent graduates of BPI sharing their personal stories and talking about what lies ahead.
Class limit: 40
Presenter: Linda LeGendre (LLI) has had an interest in criminal justice reforms for many years and will introduce each guest speaker as the class explores BPI from its early beginnings to its present-day successes.
Producers: Linda LeGendre, Joanne Goodman
Friday, Third Period: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
June 2, 9, 16, 23, 2023
Description: Join us on Friday afternoons in June and learn the beautiful art of West Coast Swing dance from an amazing instructor! The class will include safe and fun West Coast Swing dance lessons and dance social practices in Bard Hall. Enjoy the health benefits of dance and exercise while meeting other members of LLI who are willing to try something new. What are you waiting for? Take a load off and enjoy dancing to the hottest tunes while having so much fun! No swing dance experience needed. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
Class limit: 20
Presenter: Christopher Bledsoe. In 1993 Christopher discovered his passion when he began his career as a professional dance instructor and he hasn’t once looked back. He really enjoys working with people and loves the thrill of understanding when something difficult clicks for the first time. Christopher is a master-level hip hop instructor and a West Coast Swing instructor. He has a gentle approach that brings great results. He believes learning should be fun and pressure-free.
Producers: Linda LeGendre, Carmela Gersbeck
off friday, in person
dates & times
as noted in course descriptions
Thursdays: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
June 1, 15 (two sessions)
Description: Since 2010, O+ has been providing artists with opportunities to create more than 50 large-scale public works in exchange for healthcare. The resulting murals reflect the immediate history, culture, and diversity of Kingston, as well as universal themes and stories from beyond its borders. This course involves two guided tours. On June 1, Aimee Gardner will offer an overview of O+ and its mission, with stops at five murals. On June 15, Lindsey Wolkowicz will provide an in-depth discussion of her mural Lifted, as well as the process of mural production. Participants must be able to walk and stand for two hours.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Aimee Gardner is an educator and arts administrator, and is the operations director for O+. Aimee’s professional background includes working as curriculum director for technovation, education manager at the Computer History Museum, and at CUNY as an instructional designer of seminars relating to the arts, technology, science, and the future of New York.
Presenter: Lindsey Wolkowicz is an artist, educator, writer, arts administrator, and the art director for O+. She received a BFA at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and an MFA at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. She has taught drawing around the world and works in the realms of photography, public murals, sculpture, video, and performance installation.
Producers: Suzanne Holzberg, Eleanor Wieder
Fridays: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
June 6, 13, with optional sail on the Clearwater June 20
Description: With access to a docked, 27-foot sailboat, this is a hands-on course that teaches the principles of sloop-rigged sailing. Students will neither be skippering nor crewing under sail – this is an experiential principles course dockside, not a skills-building course on the open water. After completing this course students will be sufficiently knowledgeable to enroll in a beginner’s skills course at a sailing school. The course will be held at a marina in Kingston. The optional sail will cost $75.
Class limit: 12
Presenter: Skip Doyle (LLI) is a licensed, professional outdoor guide.
Producer: Dorothy Baran
Tuesdays: 10:00 a.m. – noon
June 6, 13, 20, 27 (rain dates June 9, 14, 21, 28)
Description: Learn to play bocce, a fun team sport. Previous experience is not required. In this class, students will be paired off into four teams and will compete against each other over four weeks. The rules are easy to learn and follow, and bocce balls will be provided. Players will be using the bocce courts at Robert Post Memorial Park in Kingston. Since students will be playing on a team, please do not sign up if you can’t make every class.
Class limit: 16
Presenters/Producers: Carmela Gersbeck, Al Gersbeck
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
June 21 (one session)
Description: Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) Chairperson and DEC outdoor guide Glenn Kreisberg will lead a tour of the privately stewarded Lewis Hollow archaeological site on Overlook Mountain in Woodstock. Participants will view Native American manitou achsinal (spirit stone) features including dry stacked stone mounds, snake effigies, and springs. See the woods in a new way and understand these features in their proper cultural context. Hiking is moderate with stops for discussion. The hiking is both on-trail and off-trail, with some steep slopes and the possibility of downed trees.
Appropriate footwear and gear are recommended. OMC policy requires that participants sign a liability waiver.
Class limit: 18
Presenter: Glenn Kreisberg is an author, outdoor guide, and radio engineer who researches archeoastronomy and landscape archaeology in the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley. His books include Spirits in Stone, Mysteries of the Ancient Past, and Lost Knowledge of the Ancients. He served two terms as vice president of the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) and studied archeoastronomy at SUNY Ulster and archaeoacoustics in Malta. He is co-founder of the non-profit Overlook Mountain Center (www.overlookmountain.org), Woodstock, NY.
Producer: Kathryn Clark
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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