Visual & Performing Arts   

There is a long history of collections of rare, natural, and exotic cabinets of curiosities, which were encyclopedic collections of objects whose boundaries were undefined. The cabinets were used to store and show off items the collector had picked up along his or her travels. We will gather our own collections, arrange them, and create our own 3D portable cabinet. We will then learn the art techniques to draw and paint (watercolor) what is contained in it.

Did you know that collage techniques can be traced back to 200 BC in China, when paper was invented? We will take a brief walk through the history of collage, looking at the early artists who used the techniques, and will spend most our class time developing our own style.

In this course, members with previous watercolor experience will enjoy using household items and products to produce a variety of textural effects. Each class will open with a demonstration using a new technique. Members will engage in brainstorming possible applications for the techniques. Everyone will be encouraged to share their work at the end of class.

Since the 1890s, when Americans were beginning to develop their own traditions in classical music, composers have recognized the dilemma of creating the American sound. We will explore how not only classical musicians, but also Broadway and Hollywood composers of different origins and ethnicities alternated in creating a sound that has been defined as evocative of America and its people. Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, William Grant Still, Florence Price, Alex North, Elmer Bernstein, Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, Wynton Marsalis and others will be the protagonists of these lectures, supported with audiovisuals and anecdotes.

Composition in art refers to how elements are placed in relation to one another within a picture. Those elements can be representational—a tree or figure, or they can be abstract shapes and lines. The goal is that all the elements work together so that the whole is greater than the parts. Composition can seem elusive, but there are keys, or strategies, to make your pictures more visually engaging, drawing the viewer in and holding their attention. This hands-on course will use water-based paint and collage and is suitable for beginners as well as experienced artists.