From splashes of color and shapes to planned composition, "abstract expression" takes on many forms with pleasant surprise results. Acrylic experience is helpful, but all levels of experience are welcome to experiment and explore.

If you haven't read poetry since high school, you're in for a surprise - there's a lot more to it than "Oh Captain, My Captain." Learn how to understand and appreciate a wide range of poetry. Read and discuss poems in a relaxed, nonjudgmental atmosphere. Find out what the kinds of poems you like say about you. For each session we will discuss three poems on a given topic; here are some examples: 19th century poetry compared to 20th century poetry, list poems, word choice, soundplay, love, loss and lust, poetry and the unconscious, poetry and dreams, imagery and imagism, solving the mysteries in poems, poetic manifestos, emotional landscapes and the end of the world.

This course is designed for the student who wants to explore creativity and needs a starting point. Through artful exercises with collage art and acrylic paint, students will be inspired and equipped to begin the creative journey of self-expression through art making. Perfect for beginners as well as those who are feeling rusty about their art making. This course is designed to rev up your creative juices.

Get that old five-string banjo out and learn to play from a professional musician! Bluegrass lovers will explore aspects such as tuning, picking styles, playing chords, and lead lines. Learn how to adjust the banjo neck, hold the banjo, and how picks are used. Practice strumming, finger placement, thumb rolls, and finger exercises as well as picking out simple notes and chords. Bring your banjo and joy for music to class. Handouts provided. Ages 14 and over.

Enjoy this easy-to-learn instrument! Receive instruction to play and learn songs. Discover how to tune your instrument, and read melodies and rhythms. Practice drills to new and old songs. Bring your ukulele and enthusiasm to class. Handouts provided. Age 14 and over.

The story of Italy's Il Duce from 1925 to his execution at the hands of irate citizens in 1945: He, not Germany's Adolf Hitler was the creator of Fascism, the first of the modern "Tough Guy" dictators. To know how he attracted millions of his countrymen, and why they ultimately rejected him, can guide us in understanding present day authoritarian leaders like Erdogan of Turkey, Orban of Hungary, Bolsonaro of Brazil and others closer to home.

Partnering with the League of Women Voters, explore far reaching, current civic issues vital in 2020, including the Census, redistricting, systemic racism, implicit bias, and the impact of fake news and social media on public perception. Explore the concept of the Common Good, engaging in facilitated dialogue with others about these issues and the election process 2020 and much more! Guest speakers include Ruby Lewis (NAACP), Auditor Greg Kimsey, Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Arbitrator Sandra Gangle, Clark Librarian Laura Nagel, former Rep. Betty Sue Morris, former Councilperson Jeannie Stewart, Alan Unell and Ellie Hutton. Learn about how spending priorities are generated. Time allotted for discussion groups.

A fun way to create a collage project that can be transformed into new work of art using a variety of tools, acrylic paint, and compatible mediums. No previous art experience needed. Start saving pictures and pages from advertisements and magazines as resources for the first class. This is a no-pressure art class that is great for beginners.

Worried about losing your Spanish communication skills? Come and refresh your skills with this conversation-style class. This class is aimed at being fun, interactive and non-intimidating environment where you can renew your passions and love for Spanish! Designed for midlevel skills, not for true beginners.

Take your writing to the next level! Whether you're writing nonfiction (essay and memoir) or fiction (short story or novel), you'll be working with certain elements. In this class we delve into three big one; character, setting and structure and learn how to use them to make your writing deeper, richer, more engaging.

This class is for the non-objective crowd or for folks wanting to loosen up their realistic paintings and try something new. Learn the different styles of abstract artists, experiment, and free your creative self. Think out of the box with interesting assignments and weekly challenges. The Principles and Elements of Design will be the backbone of this class…learn the rules, then break them!

We live in a world transformed by the combined efforts, talents, and sacrifices of dreamers, inventors, engineers, and civil and military aircrew, all part of a process of technological development begun half a millennia ago. This class will focus on that process and the challenges, personalities, technologies, and historical interludes, that pushed it forward.

The second half of our examination of the world of espionage will continue with case histories, including discussion of intelligence gathering philosophies and approaches, technologies and trends from WWI into the Cold War and then into the present day. Issues that have come to the fore in this last century concern the rise of professional espionage agents, the rise of modern COMINT, SIGINT, and cryptography, and the increasing reality of domestic surveillance will also be discussed with emphasis on the on-going debate over the reach of government and the future of civil liberties in our own day and age. Similar issues regarding the use of sophisticated algorithmic software and corporate information gathering on consumers and the right to privacy are also topics that command our attention.

When many of us in the West think of Japan, we often visualize such disparate mental images as the urban tech jungle of the Akihabara District of Tokyo side by side with more tradition-bound images of castle-towns and Shinto festivals relating to the past. This course will set these images into proper historical context and tell the epic 150-year story of warriors, artists, philosophers, generals, peasant-soldiers, business men, and regular men and women, who created the modern Japanese nation of today. The ideas and political, cultural, and geo-political predicaments that such people faced and the outcome of the controversies, upheavals, and transformations of which they were also a part provide the backdrop for a look at the ways in which their lives fashioned a new nation and a different, non-Western, version of what it means to be "modern." Through lecture and discussion and through examination of documentary and audio-visual sources we will discover how both change and continuity have catapulted Japan, within the last century and a half, from a comparatively peripheral player in Asian or world geopolitics to one of the world's largest economies and a nation with a surprisingly influential and increasingly exportable "soft-culture" in the bargain.

Stay a little longer and continue building on your Italian for Travelers¿ language skills. This course is for those who have a little experience with the Italian language (or want to continue beyond Italian for Travelers).

A beginner's course focusing on how to converse in Spanish. Focus on real-life situations using common words and phrases and learn about the vibrant culture. Great for travelers!

Continue to improve your Spanish language skills! Practice dialogues complemented by grammar and pronunciation. Course is tailored to individual needs including those traveling, watching TV, planning to live or work in a Spanish speaking country and speaking Spanish on a daily basis at work. Prerequisite: Spanish I or previous language instruction.

Do we have a health care system or a disease management system? Does gender bias and racism in healthcare alter outcomes for patients? Compare the outcomes of the U.S. system to other countries. Understand how to advocate for yourself in the health care system. Learn how pharmaceutical companies are price-fixing, altering outcomes, and using statistics to obscure results. Review the current research on addiction and which type of programs are most helpful. Learn about the lifestyle approaches to increase your immune system function during the pandemic.

Between 1347and 1350 the pandemic known as the Black Death devasted Europe. In Italy, the epidemic had a shattering impact on Italian society, a society which was transformed by social, economic, cultural and religious changes. These modifications resulted in the emergence of the Renaissance, one of the greatest periods in human history. It was more than just painting and sculpturing that were changed by the plague but also architecture, city planning, religious celebrations, traditions, and literature were transformed as well. Throughout the course comparisons will be made between the events that unfolded during the Bubonic Plague to similar events that we are experiencing during the present pandemic.

The Italians claim that Italy has a green heart and that heart is the Province of Umbria, a region also being described as the new Tuscany. It is a part of Northern Italy that has remained unchanged for centuries. It is a mountainous region packed with tall mountains, rocky crags and lush valleys. It is a region filled with castles, defense walls, and tiny villages. It is the home of St. Francis and St. Claire. It is filled with the art of Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Rafalleo, Perugino, and hundreds more just waiting to be discovered. Visit Assisi, Perugia, Città di Castello, Spoleto, and Orvieto. Visit the Umbrian churches and museums free from tourists and waiting for your arrival. Experience a region with an unmistakable personality, one where nature's beauty mingles with creations of the human genius.

You have a terrific idea for a novel, memoir, or nonfiction book, but you¿ve had a hard time putting words to paper. Maybe your schedule is too busy, or maybe you simply don¿t know where to start. Instructor and author Angela M. Sanders has published 11 novels¿with three more under contract¿and scores of magazine feature articles. In this course, she will help you discover your working style, overcome mental blocks to writing, introduce you to helpful resources, and help you set up a personalized plan to finish your book.