Visual Arts   

More than just beautiful flower arrangements, ikebana (“giving life to flowers”) is a contemplative practice firmly rooted in Japanese culture, aesthetics and philosophies of wabi sabi, simplicity, understated elegance and living harmoniously with nature. We will explore and practice the current expression of this graceful, ephemeral art by creating basic arrangements from simple miniatures to complex centerpieces and freestyle arrangements that can be reproduced and admired at home. Prerequisites: Participants must be able to use garden scissors to clip flowers and small branches. Note: As this is a progressive course that builds on knowledge gained in each class, participants should only sign up if they can attend all classes. Materials: Garden scissors, flat-bottomed container and large Japanese kenzan (flower frog); cost varies if buying new. Materials fee (payable to instructor): $30 for fresh plant materials and other shared supplies.

We will learn the basics of knitting including knit and purl stitches, simple increases (yarn over) and decreases (knit two together), how to cast on and bind off, and more. We will use these basics to make a scarf so that you can gain confidence undertaking projects up to the intermediate level on your own. Prerequisites: Participants should be able to read and follow instructions. Materials: Knitting needles (size 7), knitting gauge/needle size ruler, 3 oz. Lion Brand Wool-Ease (or equivalent) and project bag. Materials fee (payable to instructor): $20 for practice needles, yarn, tool kit and notebook with instructional handouts and patterns.

Want to know what this needle-felting craze is all about? We will learn foundational techniques to form and felt three-dimensional shapes and figurines using wool batting and roving, specialized barbed needles, armature and other tools. We will complete several small, colorful projects and get ready to take our needle-felting to the next level. Prerequisites: Needlework experience is helpful though not required. Participants should be able to manipulate small craft needles and form shapes with wool. Materials fee (payable to instructor): $20 for materials kit.

We will learn the basic stitches of needlepoint including tent, mosaic, scotch, gobelin and more to make a design that can be made into a pillow or framed. Prerequisites: Participants should be able to see holes and threads in a canvas. Materials (more information to be provided by instructor to registered participants): Canvas, stretcher bars, brass tacks, tape, scissors, #2 pencil (required); magnifying glasses and additional threads (optional). Materials fee (payable to instructor): $30 for shared materials.

We will be introduced to significant works of pre- and early modern architecture and urban design dating from the mid-19th through the early 20th centuries in the U.S. and in Europe. Richly illustrated lectures will include Eclecticism, the Industrial Revolution, Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts and the Bauhaus. Major projects of leading architects will be explored including Louis Sullivan, H.H. Richardson, McKim Mead & White, Antonio Gaudí, Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius and more.

We will work on a delicious needlepoint project using a monochromatic color scheme. We will choose our own colors and work each week on a section of the pattern provided by the instructor. Prerequisites: Participants should have experience with needlepoint and be able to follow a pattern. Materials (more information to be provided by instructor to registered participants): Canvas, stretcher bars, brass tacks, tape, needles, scissons, #2 pencil and threads.

We will learn the history, aesthetics and conceptual potential of printmaking, with special focus on its significance in modern art and the American printmaking revival of the 1960s. We then will translate our energy and inspiration directly to the press, where we will learn how to make and print oil- and water-based monotypes. Prerequisites: Participants should be able to stand for 10-15 minutes while using the printing press and assisting others; accommodations are available. Materials: High-quality materials will be provided to make approximately 10 prints per participant; participants may choose to purchase additional printmaking paper and supplies.

What is your personal experience when looking at art? Do you feel energized, inspired, curious, confused or even frustrated? We each have a different experience with art, and you do not have to be an art historian or have a guide to enjoy what you see. In this highly participatory course, we will learn to slow down, trust our eyes and reactions, use our knowledge and experiences to inform understanding, and work together as a small group to make meaning of one artwork each week. Note: Participants do not need to have taken other courses in the series to enjoy this one. Required textbook (read before class 1): How to See: Looking, Talking and Thinking about Art by David Salle (2016), ISBN: 978-0393354966.

We will explore Revolutionary-era paintings by artists such as Charles Willson Peale, Benjamin West and Gilbert Stuart, along with artworks by women and lesser-known artists, and of Native American subjects. We will virtually tour homes of patriot leaders as well as interiors at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing. We will end each class with a fun trivia game. Recommended textbook: Of Arms and Artists: The American Revolution Through Painter's Eyes by Paul Staiti (2016), ISBN: 978-1632864673.