Arts & Entertainment courses

A Personal Journey Down the Arkansas River and It Impact on America's Heartland (1803 - the present day)

We will explore this heavily regulated river from beginning to end. From raging rapids to diversion dams for irrigation ditches, to dry streambeds, and finally barge traffic, we will examine the impact this wild, elusive, and embattled river has had on cities, towns and adjacent farmland, starting with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 through to the present day.

Instructor Bio: Hannes Zacharias is the Robert A. Kipp Professor of Practice for the KU School of Public Affairs and Administration following a 35-year career in local city and county government administration. He has served as City Manager of Boonville, Mo., Hays, Kan. and County Manager for Johnson County, Kan.

June 12-26, 2024, Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging In Person

Adventures in Architecture: Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American artist who aimed to create a specifically American architecture. In doing so, the single-story house, seen everywhere across the country, was his main artistic product. This course will introduce Wright, his work, and his influence, which surrounds many Americans in their daily lives.

Instructor Bio: Vincent Clark holds a doctorate in modern European history. His graduate work included a Fulbright Graduate Fellowship at Germany's University of Heidelberg. He was history professor and chair of the history department at Johnson County Community College and has published articles and books in his field.

June 26, 2024 to July 10, 2024, Roeland Park Community Center In Person

America the Beautiful: 50 States, 50 Tastes

Come explore the delicious, unique flavors of New England, the Heartland, the Southwest and Pacific Coast. There are 50 signature dishes and stories to be told and tasted. Bring your road map, turn up the radio and bring your appetite for a 'sea to shining sea, purple mountain majesty, amber waves of grain' food adventure.

Instructor Bio: Chef Larry Canepa is a certified culinary educator with over 40 years of food and beverage experience and 20 years of teaching cooking, food and culture, and STEAM-focused classes. He has taught culinary classes at Le Cordon Bleu, the International Culinary School at the Art Institute, corporate wellness events, libraries, community centers and other venues.

June 3-17, 2024, Zoom Facilitated Sessions

Bond. James Bond: 70 Years of Weapons, Women and (foiled) World Domination

From the first novel "Casino Royale" in 1953 to the 25th "authorized" film "No Time to Die," many of us keep coming back to the exotic locales, the Bond women, the latest devices from Q Branch, the supervillains with plans to conquer the world and their formidable enforcers. We'll look at the changes to Bond over the years, his cultural impact, and his continuing appeal.

Instructor Bio: Karl Menninger is retired from a legal career in federal and state government, mostly dealing with issues concerning persons with disabilities. He teaches courses on disabilities and the law and insanity defense at the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law.

July 26, 2024 to August 9, 2024, Northland Innovation Center In-Person

Bond. James Bond: 70 Years of Weapons, Women and (foiled) World Domination - Clay County Residents

From the first novel "Casino Royale" in 1953 to the 25th "authorized" film "No Time to Die," many of us keep coming back to the exotic locales, the Bond women, the latest devices from Q Branch, the supervillains with plans to conquer the world and their formidable enforcers. We'll look at the changes to Bond over the years, his cultural impact, and his continuing appeal.

Instructor Bio: Karl Menninger is retired from a legal career in federal and state government, mostly dealing with issues concerning persons with disabilities. He teaches courses on disabilities and the law and insanity defense at the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law.

July 26, 2024 to August 9, 2024, Northland Innovation Center In-Person

Exceptional Women Artists from Renaissance to Modern Times

Although women always have been artists, few are described as great. Historically excluded from art history records, women were unable to pursue art education. Successful female artists were likely to have had husbands or fathers supporting them. This course explores seven exceptional female artists and their work from the Baroque to the present time.

Instructor Bio: Susan Pingleton, M.D., is professor emerita at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where she was a clinician-educator. Her interests include art and art history. She is involved in local art organizations, including KC/Arts, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and a member of the art committee at KU Med.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024, KU Edwards Campus, 163 Regnier Hall, In Person and Online

Expressionism

The course considers the influences, aims, context, and legacy of one of the most iconic modern art movements. While the course focuses on Germanic painting, other examples of expressionist "expression" (e.g., literature and film) and centers of production (e.g., France, Scandinavia, and Russia) will also be examined.

Instructor Bio: Eliah Bures holds a doctorate in history from UC Berkeley. He is a fellow at Berkeley's Center for Right-Wing Studies and the author of multiple essays and scholarly articles on far-right politics.

July 15-29, 2024

Finger Foods: Appetizers from Around the World

Appetizers were originally introduced by the Athenians in the early third century B.C. These finger foods, sometimes called hors d'oeuvres, antipasti, tapas, or starters, range from very simple to very complex. Put down the fork and knife and discover the history of the small, but delicious, world of finger foods.

Instructor Bio: Chef Larry Canepa is a certified culinary educator with over 40 years of food and beverage experience and 20 years of teaching cooking, food and culture, and STEAM-focused classes. He has taught culinary classes at Le Cordon Bleu, the International Culinary School at the Art Institute, corporate wellness events, libraries, community centers and other venues.

July 17-24, 2024

Going for Baroque: Getting a Handle on Handel and Traveling Back to Bach

This course introduces the lives, times, and music of Baroque's most famous composers. We'll review Handel and Bach through images, biographical details, music, and patronage in the early 18th century. We will also consider their works in terms of their function, their composition and how to listen to them in a more informed manner.

Instructor Bio: Paul Laird is professor of musicology at the University of Kansas. He has published widely on musical history topics including four books on Leonard Bernstein. The most recent is the biography of Leonard Bernstein in the "Critical Lives" series from Reaktion Books (University of Chicago Press).

June 6-20, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

Historical Movies, How Accurate Are They?

Do you ever wonder if movies that portray history are accurate? We'll explore storylines, costumes, and locales from war movies of the 20th century, American westerns, and cavalry movies, as well as: Ben Hur, Spartacus, Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, El Cid, and Titanic Be prepared to have a lot of long held myths busted.

Instructor Bio: Robert Smith, Ph.D., is the director of the Fort Riley Museum. He has a doctorate in history from KSU and has published numerous articles on military history.

This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Hyphenated Rock

After Rhythm and Blues, Country, and Western music became Rock and Roll, subgenres started to appear: Rockabilly, Soul, Prog Rock, Motown, etc. In this course we will explore the origins, impact, and influence of each type, illustrated with many musical examples. Please join the conversation.

Instructor Bio: Steve Lopes, A.E., B.A., M.A., M. Ed., was an educator for 15 years prior to 30 years of advocating for teachers as a Kansas-NEA organizer. He enjoys researching rock 'n' roll history and sharing it with Osher participants.

June 25, 2024 to July 9, 2024, KU Edwards Campus, 163 Regnier Hall, In Person and Online

Luis Humberto Salgado: A Quixote of Music - Speakers Series

Salgado (1903-1977) was an Ecuadorian art composer whose musical output combined national styles of music with European avant-garde music. He never left his home country and was basically a self-taught composer. This presentation will examine his eclectic musical style and how his work was perceived during his lifetime and today.

Instructor Bio: Ketty Wong is a member of the Ecuadorian National Academy of History and Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Kansas. Her research interests include Latin America art, popular, and folk music, as well as issues of identity, nationalism, globalization, and the reception of Western social dances in China.

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Middle Eastern & North-African Cinema (MENA)

This course offers an introduction to films produced in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The course will examine a series of topics through the lens of each country, including cultural appropriation, religious transformation, identity, gender, education and immigration, war and exile through film screenings, discussions, and supplementary readings. We will explore films from Arabic countries and review short readings. The three films discussed in class and recommended for student viewing outside of class (Saint Sharbel, Marock and Yacubian), will have English subtitles. The links will be sent to participants prior to each session enabling students to watch online free of charge. The instructor will provide short readings for students to help in understanding the background culture of film production. Readings are also an attempt to familiarize learners with some approaches to critically interpret and react to visual media.

Instructor Bio: Asmaa Ben baba is an Arabic and Islamic studies lecturer for the African and African-American Studies Department. She earned her doctorate in adult and continuing education and master's in urban and community planning from Auburn University and an additional degree in cultural studies and bachelor's in English literature from Mohamed V University in Morocco. Dr. Ben baba's research interests include online learning communities, online distance education learning environments in the foreign language classrooms, and the incorporation of cultural forms (films, literature, space, built environment, music and popular culture) in second language teaching and learning. Further teaching interests include Middle Eastern and North African sub-cultures, gender and diaspora.

July 16-30, 2024

Putting the Puzzle Together: An Exploration of "Oedipus the King" and "Turandot"

University of Kansas Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics Cecilia Cozzi and Lyric Opera of Kansas City Director of Learning Neal Long explore two iconic works (Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" and Puccini's "Turandot") and their common elements: the notion of a quest, the presence of riddles, and the importance of identity.

Instructor Bios: Cecilia Cozzi is a visiting assistant professor at the University of Kansas. She got her doctorate from the University of Cincinnati in 2023 with a thesis on psychoanalytical frameworks applied to inheritance on the tragic stage. Her primary research interest is Greek Tragedy and its reception.

Neal Long serves as director of learning at Lyric Opera of Kansas City where he oversees the company's programs of education and community engagement. Neal received his DMA from the University of Kansas in 2021 and enjoys a varied career as a singer, pianist, educator, and arts administrator.

Monday, June 10, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

Quick and Easy Content: Anyone Can Create Anything

If you desire to promote a business or a hobby, producing content is a must. Social media videos, posters, logos, ads, and web pages that used to require a graphic designer, video producer, brand manager, and social media expert no longer do! Do it yourself for free with built-in templates and AI tools to make your work professional, and unique.

Instructor Bio: Stephen Knifton is an Emmy-winning TV news producer, creating and producing engaging and highly rated news programming. Steve also created work for museums, engineers, architects, designers, hospitality + tourism, and business development clients. He has taught (remotely) video storytelling and smartphone filmmaking at several colleges and has lived and worked in New York and Toronto, distance-teaching in Canada and the U.S.

April 29, 2024 to May 13, 2024, Zoom Facilitated Sessions

Smartphone Filmmaking

With the help of an inexpensive app, we can shoot and edit film-quality videos with our smartphones, easily up to the standards of social media, commercial and brand video work, and documentary and narrative film work. Gain the control and capabilities of professional cinematographers and design the look, color, lighting and framing of every single shot in a smartphone film. This course is suitable for aspiring filmmakers, entrepreneurs, video storytellers, social media content creators and content producers. Note: Students will be required to purchase and install the Filmic Pro app on their phones. You can purchase it directly through your mobile device or on your home computer, through either the Google Play Store (Android) or through the App Store (iPhone).

Instructor: Stephen Knifton is an Emmy-award winning TV news producer, credited for creating and producing engaging and highly rated news programming. Steve moved onto the digital content world and created work for museums, engineers, architects, designers, hospitality + tourism and business development clients. For the past few years, Steve has (remotely) taught video storytelling and smartphone filmmaking at a number of colleges. Steve lived and worked in both New York and Toronto and teaches in both Canada and the U.S.

July 16-30, 2024

Summers of Love: 1967-69, Monterey, Woodstock, Altamont (formerly Woodstock at 50)

This countercultural era started with the Summer of Love and ended tragically two years later. We'll explore cultural and political events from the Monterey Music Festival, through Woodstock, ending at the Altamont Speedway Festival. While Monterey introduced many soon-to-be famous performers, Woodstock gave its name to a generation, and Altamont brought the era to a sad end.

Instructor Bio: Steve Lopes, A.E., B.A., M.A., M. Ed., was an educator for 15 years prior to 30 years of advocating for teachers as a Kansas-NEA organizer. He enjoys researching rock 'n' roll history and sharing it with Osher participants.

This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Summers of Love: 1967-69, Monterey, Woodstock, Altamont (formerly Woodstock at 50) - Tallgrass Residents

Rock music during the 1967-69 countercultural era started with the Summer of Love and ended tragically just two years later. We will explore cultural and political events of the time from the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, through the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, and ending at the Altamont Speedway Festival. While Monterey introduced the world to many soon-to-be famous performers, Woodstock gave its name to a generation, and Altamont brought the era of love and trust to a sad end. Join the conversation as we recall this seminal time in American history.

Instructor Bio: Steve Lopes, A.E., B.A., M.A., M. Ed., was an educator for 15 years prior to 30 years of advocating for teachers as a Kansas-NEA organizer. He enjoys researching rock 'n' roll history and sharing it with Osher participants.

This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

The Beatles Studio Years

By 1966 the Beatles grew tired of their grueling concert schedule often fraught with life-threatening audience responses, and as their music moved from craft(perfecting the set formula) to art (creating novel music) they stopped performing live. What surprised many was the studio recordings from 1967 to 1969 became even more revolutionary and influential.

Instructor Bio: Steve Lopes, A.E., B.A., M.A., M. Ed., was an educator for 15 years prior to 30 years of advocating for teachers as a Kansas-NEA organizer. He enjoys researching rock 'n' roll history and sharing it with Osher participants.

July 18, 2024 to August 1, 2024

The Broadway Musicals of Lerner and Loewe

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe formed one of the more distinctive writing teams working on Broadway from the 1940s to the 1960s. Their four most important shows included "Brigadoon," "Paint Your Wagon," "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot." This will be a look at the creation of these four shows and how the songs help tell the stories.

Instructor Bio: Paul Laird is professor of musicology at the University of Kansas, where one of his teaching specialties is music of the United States. He has published widely on such topics as Leonard Bernstein and American musical theater and won the 2021 KU Chancellor's Club Career Teaching Award. Laird has taught many Osher classes since the program's inception at KU.

June 11-25, 2024, Brewster Place

The Broadway Musicals of Lerner and Loewe- Brewster Place Residents

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe formed one of the more distinctive writing teams working on Broadway from the 1940s to the 1960s. Their four most important shows included "Brigadoon," "Paint Your Wagon," "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot." This will be a look at the creation of these four shows and how the songs help tell the stories.

Instructor Bio: Paul Laird is professor of musicology at the University of Kansas, where one of his teaching specialties is music of the United States. He has published widely on such topics as Leonard Bernstein and American musical theater and won the 2021 KU Chancellor's Club Career Teaching Award. Laird has taught many Osher classes since the program's inception at KU.

June 11-25, 2024, Brewster Place

The King of Swing

Experience the musical magic of jazz clarinetist and swing bandleader Benny Goodman. In the 1930s Goodman led the popular dance band in America. His tenure culminated with a landmark performance in Carnegie Hall that elevated jazz to an art form. Discover why Goodman's musicianship was celebrated with accolades that included national lifetime achievement awards and his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Instructor Bio: Jean Hein recently moved to Kansas from South Carolina, where she was director and recorder performer with Columbia Baroque as well as a clarinetist. She currently teaches online recorder classes for seniors. Hein has served on the Board of Early Music America. She holds music degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University.

Thursday, June 20, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Courses