Session II Add-On   

Create a Barn Quilt
ART-11 (in-person)
Session II Add-On: Nov. 17, 19, 20
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 2:00 - 4:30 pm (3 meetings)
You will learn how to plan, draft and paint a 2x2 foot barn quilt, creating a unique piece of art to display. A materials fee of $10 (collected at the first class) will cover the cost of primer and paint. Before the first class you will receive instructions on how to choose, purchase and prepare your board for painting and where to find barn quilt patterns for inspiration. Materials fee $10, pay instructor at first meeting. Enrollment limited to 10.

Instructor Sandy Lachman took the Barn Quilt class last fall and taught the class last spring. Experienced quilters will be assisting students as they draft and enlarge their patterns for painting.

Data Offense for the Real World: Outsmarting AI Abuse Without the Hype
CA-04 (in-person)
Session II Add-On: Nov. 19
Thursday 5:30 - 6:45 pm (one meeting)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the fastest growing and most damaging fraud and data abuse vectors. This seminar empowers students with the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills needed to protect their personal data and privacy in an increasingly forced AI‑saturated world. Through clear explanations, real‑world examples, and hands-on demonstrations, participants will learn how different kinds of AI work, how AI can be leveraged to exploit data and violate privacy, and how to build strong digital and offline habits that reduce vulnerability. The course emphasizes accessibility, clarity, and real‑life application. No AI hype or up-sells, just real strategies for real people concerned about protecting their data and privacy.

Instructor Mamie S. Brown is a Fairbanks attorney and founder of the Law Office of Mamie S. Brown, LLC, where she provides practical, value‑driven legal services to Alaskans and Alaska businesses. She is dedicated to helping protect Alaska’s seniors from AI‑driven scams, digital exploitation, and emerging forms of technological abuse.

Finding Democracy
HIS-09 (in-person)
HIS-09-Z (distance-delivered)
Session II Add-On: Nov. 20
Friday 10:30 - 11:45 am (one meeting)
*The course is based on the instructor’s book, Finding Democracy Through the Lens of a Young German Woman, 1944-1950.
Follow the exciting journey of a young German woman as she survives WWII and chronicles the postwar U.S. occupation of a small Bavarian town during a pivotal time in modern history. This true story offers insights into the influence the Americans had on her understanding of democracy after experiencing Nazi fascism, inviting reflection on the concept of freedom, the power of personal choice, and the fragile building of democratic ideals. This course examines the postwar challenges faced by the U.S. military as they sought to denazify Germany, rebuild a self-governing country along democratic lines, and create an ally in response to the emerging threat of Communism. Key challenges included a hunger crisis, the integration of dislocated civilians into society, and countering the real fear that another demagogue would arise again to exploit underlying societal attitudes. The lessons and warnings from eighty years ago continue to hold relevance today.

Instructor Margaret F. Merritt, Ph.D. is an educator, author, and outdoorswoman. After decades of writing and publishing in scientific literature, she has focused her research and writing on historical biographies to share true stories that entertain, inform, and inspire.

Finding Democracy
HIS-09 (in-person)
HIS-09-Z (distance-delivered)
Session II Add-On: Nov. 20
Friday 10:30 - 11:45 am (one meeting)
*The course is based on the instructor’s book, Finding Democracy Through the Lens of a Young German Woman, 1944-1950.
Follow the exciting journey of a young German woman as she survives WWII and chronicles the postwar U.S. occupation of a small Bavarian town during a pivotal time in modern history. This true story offers insights into the influence the Americans had on her understanding of democracy after experiencing Nazi fascism, inviting reflection on the concept of freedom, the power of personal choice, and the fragile building of democratic ideals. This course examines the postwar challenges faced by the U.S. military as they sought to denazify Germany, rebuild a self-governing country along democratic lines, and create an ally in response to the emerging threat of Communism. Key challenges included a hunger crisis, the integration of dislocated civilians into society, and countering the real fear that another demagogue would arise again to exploit underlying societal attitudes. The lessons and warnings from eighty years ago continue to hold relevance today.

Instructor Margaret F. Merritt, Ph.D. is an educator, author, and outdoorswoman. After decades of writing and publishing in scientific literature, she has focused her research and writing on historical biographies to share true stories that entertain, inform, and inspire.

Jewish Food and Spirituality in Film & Literature
FLM-06 (in-person)
Session II Add-On: Nov. 16, 18
Monday & Wednesday 10:30 am - 12:30 pm (two meetings)
We will cook together, watch films, and read while exploring diverse Jewish cultures expressed through food, poetry, history, spirituality, generational wisdom, and lived experience. Materials fee: $20, pay instructor at first meeting. Enrollment limited to 20.

A teacher, a writer, and an immigrant, Dafna Young has lived and thrived in Fairbanks for over two decades.

Painting on Glass, A    
ART-05a (in-person)
Session I Add-On: Oct. 13
Tuesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
*Two sections of the same course, feel free to register for one or both.
*Meets at 1790 Old Pioneer Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709.
We will paint bottles, glassware, or jars with acrylic paint that you can take home and bake in your oven. Your project will then be permanent and washable. The instructor will provide plenty of glass choices, but you can also bring your own. Enrollment limited to 6.

Instructor Carla Reardon has lived in Alaska since the 1970s. She enjoys a wide variety of crafts from sewing to metalsmithing, and likes to relax by reading and doing Sudoku puzzles. If you have any questions about the course, please contact her at 907-457-4836.
 

ART-05b (in-person)
Session II Add-On: Nov. 18
Wednesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
*Two sections of the same course, feel free to register for one or both.
*Meets at 1790 Old Pioneer Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709.
We will paint bottles, glassware, or jars with acrylic paint that you can take home and bake in your oven. Your project will then be permanent and washable. The instructor will provide plenty of glass choices, but you can also bring your own. Enrollment limited to 6.

Instructor Carla Reardon has lived in Alaska since the 1970s. She enjoys a wide variety of crafts from sewing to metalsmithing, and likes to relax by reading and doing Sudoku puzzles. If you have any questions about the course, please contact her at 907-457-4836.
 

Remember & Invent: Handmade Books
ART-11 (in-person)
Session II Add-On: Nov. 17, 19 
Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 - 11:45 am (two meetings)
Join Northwoods Book Arts Guild members Chris and Vanessa for two days of bookmaking fun. Books will focus on memory and writing, as well as creativity and invention. Techniques for collage, writing, and bookmaking will be integrated in a lively workshop. Please bring copies of photos, letters, ephemera, or other items that will inspire memories. All tools and materials will be provided for use at the class. Materials fee $20; please pay the instructors on the first day of class. Enrollment limited to 10.

Instructors Chris Greenfield-Pastro and Vanessa DeWolf are both members of the Northwoods Book Arts Guild. They are excited to share the skills they have learned through the guild with others and both enjoy bringing the creative process to life in the form of handmade books.

The Italian Tale of Felix Pedro
HIS-08 (in-person)
Session II Add-On: Nov. 16
Monday 2:00 - 3:15 pm (one meeting)
Much of what we know about Felix Pedro is more legend than truth. Born Felice Pedroni, he was raised near Fanano, Fairbanks’ “Sister City,” in the community of Trignano, Italy. Paolo Greer has taken many trips to Italy to learn about Felix Pedro directly from researchers, his descendants, and famiglia. The trail pointed to Felix’s cohorts and closest friends, the Costa Brothers, of whom had prospected with him over the years and had the placers next to Pedro’s Discovery Claim. Join us as we investigate the Italian tale of Felix Pedro!

Instructor Paolo Greer has lived in Alaska for more than fifty years. He also explored and prospected for gold for decades, mostly in the high Amazon jungle.