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.

The history of Tuscany goes back more than three thousand years. This is your chance to enter the world of the Etruscans, discover the rivalries of popes and emperors, visit the Medici’s world and examine the creativity and discoveries of the Renaissance. Explore the history, art, and architecture of Florence, Siena, Pisa, and Lucca. Travel the backroads to Volterra, Arezzo, and Cortona. Visit Pitigliano, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, and Pienza. Immerse yourself in the land, the light and the people of Tuscany—the same elements that have inspired artists, architects, and writers for centuries.

Under the guidance of a Grammy Award-winning musician, learn the basics of how to play the guitar: tuning, basic chords, picking, strumming, note reading, and chord progressions. Ages 15 and over. Purchase textbook at the Clark College Bookstore prior to class.

Discover how to play the mandolin from a professional musician! Learn chords, licks and picking techniques. Play Celtic, country, bluegrass and old-time standards. Explore different ways to enjoy this little historic instrument. Prerequisite: some prior knowledge of music theory or experience playing any stringed instrument at the beginner level.

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 first in a series on the history of England begins with Britain on the verge of the Norman invasion, delving into the world of the Angles and Saxons, as they take over the legacy of the Romans. Learn about the Middle Ages, the Domesday Book, the Magna Carta, and the Black Plague. Study Henry II, Thomas Beckett and the birth of the modern state. Discover the who and the why of the Wars of the Roses and then continue on to the Tudor era, with plenty of time for Henry VIII, Cromwell and many wives. The class culminates when Elizabeth I is crowned.

Colored Pencils have their own unique blending, highlighting, and shading techniques. In this project, we will work together on a simplified Floral Painting to experience these techniques and compare how surfaces and tools impact outcomes. No drawing experience necessary. A take away project with a supply list will be sent to your registration email address. Focus will be a floral project. Time will be provided for works in progress for collaboration and critique.

In this project, you will learn the definition of an Abstract Painting in fine art terms, learn to pick your pallet, and then let your imagination lead your hand to create one. This should be quite fun with a variety of final outcomes. Are you ready to cast your imagination onto your surface with your colored pencils? No drawing experience necessary. A take away project with a supply list will be sent to your registration email address. Focus will be an abstract project. Time will be provided for works in progress for collaboration and critique.

Adding texture to a painting in Colored Pencil can be extremely detailed, representational, or very painterly. In this project we will work on an Autumn Foliage Painting to experience an example of each of these texture treatments. No drawing experience necessary. A take away project with a supply list will be sent to your registration email address. Focus will be a fruit project. Time will be provided for works in progress for collaboration and critique.

Yes, you can “mix” colored pencil hues (colors). Yes, your mix can result in an undesirable neutral, we sometimes call “mud”. In this fun, brightly colored POP Art Cat Painting project, we will refresh our understanding of color theory, reflect on how colored pencils are manufactured to select a downsized pallet in order to retain the translucent vibrancy of the colors, even when we “mix” them. No drawing experience necessary. A take away project with a supply list will be sent to your registration email address. Focus will be on pop art. Time will be provided for works in progress for collaboration and critique.

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 main ones: character, setting, and structure and learn how to use them to make your writing deeper, richer, and more engaging.

Discover all you need to know to pack the perfect clothes for you next trip. Learn exactly how to develop a wardrobe that will serve you for every climate, budget, and style. Careful choices lead to lighter packing. Travel confidently with a culturally appropriate, comfortable and easy wardrobe.

In this online course, you will learn how to sign basic phrases and then expand to complete sentences. Learn how to put it all together, so you can introduce yourself and start a conversation. This course is taught using the best practices of the industry with a minimum of audio support. Throughout, you will be immersed in silence, so you will gain an understanding of the perspective of Deaf people and sign language.

For centuries the artistic creations 0f women have been ignored. Social constraints barred women from receiving formal training and schooling. Legal issues even prohibited women from exhibiting or selling their art. Fortunately, the time has changed and these ignored creators are being rediscovered and are finally receiving recognition.  Travel to Florence, Italy and enter the world of Florentine nun-painters, female court artists, copyists and teachers. These overlooked geniuses are emerging from the shadows of the past and their paintings, sculptures and architectural designs are finally being recognized as gems of Florence’s creative genius.

Anything you see you can draw, and even beginners can become true artists! This course is designed to be an introduction to the basic materials and technical properties of drawing. Focus in this course will be on the formal qualities of drawing and its concepts. Projects include drawing from still life, interior space, landscape, and natural forms. Develop observational skills, perceptual awareness, and expressive capabilities through the exploration of proportional relationships, linear perspective, and composition techniques. Supply list posted on class webpage.

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 outside 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!

This workshop series will take a casual student-interest lead instructional approach where the instructor will be working on acrylic projects that address students' survey responses sent prior. There will be opportunities for individual instructor support as well as quiet individual time and collaboration with other students in large group or smaller Zoom Rooms. Each workshop will end with a critique time where students can show their progress and seek next-step suggestions if desired.

This individual workshop will take a casual student-interest lead instructional approach where instructor will be working on projects that address students' survey responses sent prior. There will be opportunities for individual instructor support as well as quiet individual time and collaboration with other students in large group or smaller Zoom Rooms. Each workshop will end with a critique time where students can show their progress and seek next-step suggestions if desired.

This individual workshop will take a casual student-interest lead instructional approach where instructor will be working on projects that address students' survey responses sent prior. There will be opportunities for individual instructor support as well as quiet individual time and collaboration with other students in large group or smaller Zoom Rooms. Each workshop will end with a critique time where students can show their progress and seek next-step suggestions if desired.

This individual workshop will take a casual student-interest lead instructional approach where instructor will be working on projects that address students' survey responses sent prior. There will be opportunities for individual instructor support as well as quiet individual time and collaboration with other students in large group or smaller Zoom Rooms. Each workshop will end with a critique time where students can show their progress and seek next-step suggestions if desired.

You really can make money with your writing. Whether you want to create your own business, add to your income, supplement your retirement, or boost what you're earning as a writer, you'll find the how-to’s here. You'll learn secrets, methods, and tips to help you generate income with your writing. This online class includes all the practical information that so rarely gets taught in writing classes.

From superrealism to abstraction, and styles in-between, Colored Pencils can be a fine art as well as a hobby medium. You will learn about varieties of CP, the over 150 colors range, the various lead thicknesses and shapes along with suggestions for papers and tools to use on your own projects. In your studio or travelling, Colored Pencils may become your new art medium companion. No drawing experience necessary. A take away project with a supply list will be sent to your registration email address. Focus will be on Mandala project. Time will be provided for works in progress for collaboration and critique.

We will discuss the chronological history, and social and cultural context, of paranormal phenomena of our region from pre-history to the present day. An attempt will be made to understand the ongoing debate over whether or not such phenomena are an empirical reality and more broadly come to place the paranormal within an arc of exploration, settlement, urbanization, and the influence of wider popular culture within a local context.

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.

Wildfire Writing has a 23-year history of creating transformative writing. Now we’ll use distance learning to take our imagination to even greater heights. Tap into the process that replaces internal criticism with achievement. Learn how to cultivate your natural instincts for storytelling while you develop confidence in your unique, creative, powerful voice. Compose pieces to start a book, launch a blog, or build into a short story collection.

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.

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 main ones: character, setting, and structure and learn how to use them to make your writing deeper, richer, and more engaging.

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.