wcw JANUARY 2024

lifelong learning
lifelong learning continued
explore a new European country in each
session. Each of the Searching for Italy
courses includes an authentic Italian
lunch and musical entertainment.
Two of our new instructors will be presenting
the following courses: U.S. Foreign
Policy Challenges, Foreign Affairs,
None of the Above: An Analysis of U.S.
Voting Patterns, and Elections and the
Presidency.
◆ SILL Sarasota Institute of Lifetime
Learning
Their Global Issue” series runs January
9-March 29 and the Music Mondays series
runs January 8-March 25.
Global Issues series features experts
exploring topical issues and offers a broad
overview of today’s world through non-partisan,
expert-based, factual lectures.
Global Issues speakers returning to
Sarasota include: General Russel Honore,
who organized the Hurricane Katrina relief
effort and will speak about the increase
in domestic violence; Sarasota native Nolan
Peterson will give an update on events
in Ukraine; and Martin Walker and Bob
Barylski will review the EU and Russia.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault
• New to SILL this year are Charlayne
Hunter-Gault speaking about optimism
and hope in troubled times; Dr. Shelley
Rigger discussing Taiwan; Amb. Eric
Rubin reviewing the Balkans; and Roya
Hakakian with an overview of women in
Iran. Other speakers will address such
important topics shaping our future as
nuclear energy, climate adaptation, and
artificial intelligence.
Music Mondays – Natalie Helm
• The Music Mondays series presents
performances and conversations with renowned
and emerging performers, January
8-March 25, on Mondays at 10:30 a.m.
at Church of the Palms in Sarasota; and
Mondays at 3 p.m. at Venice Presbyterian
Church in Venice.
Joseph Holt, the producer and host of
the Music Mondays series, says that this
year’s Music Mondays series features a
“balance between popular and classical
music, particularly with the artistry of
local pianist Eddie Tobin, former music
director for Engelbert Humperdinck, as
well as jazz sensation Colin Leonard, a
third-year student at the famed Oberlin
Conservatory of Music.”
Cellists Natalie Helm and Cheeko
Matsusaka from Sarasota Orchestra will
discuss their work with nonprofit organizations
in the area. Pianist Jonathan
Mamora will delight with his pianistic
prowess, and string lovers will be in heaven
with the artistry of Ariana Kim and a
star-studded sextet of musicians from
the Curtis Institute of Music.
Rounding out the season are a trio of
emerging Latin American singers. Ricardo
José Rivera, performing with the Sarasota
Opera this season, is joined with his wife
Carmenchú Domínguez in a special duo
session and Larisa Martínez, soprano, has
one of the sultriest voices on the planet.
Visit SillSarasota.org or call 941-365-
6404.
◆ OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute)
Here’s a sample of what Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute at Ringling College
has for its Winter Semester that runs January
8-March 1.
The winter semester features more
than 50 courses, workshops, lectures,
and special programs covering a wide variety
of topics. Highlights include Searching
Dr. Google. What Should I Believe?;
The History of Psychiatry: Winners and
Losers; Voting Behavior and the Electoral
Process; Glass: The New Hot Contemporary
Art Form; and The Historic First Federal
Prosecution of a U.S. President.
The semester, features more than 50
courses, workshops, lectures, and special
presentations covering a wide variety of
topics, including arts and entertainment,
history, music appreciation, health, literature,
philosophy, religion, and science.
Classes are offered at Sarasota Art Museum
of Ringling College of Art and Design,
1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; and
online via Zoom.
Course highlights include:
• Searching Dr. Google. What Should I
Believe?— How can we know which websites
provide health information that is
credible and safe? This presentation will
provide guidelines for finding reliable internet
sources of health information and
for evaluating other types of information,
such as health news reports.
• The History of Psychiatry: Winners
and Losers—This course is a historical
review of “losers” (e.g., lobotomy, dental
extractions, racism, controversies in
diagnosis) and “winners” (e.g., lithium,
antipsychotics and antidepressants, cognitive-behavioral
therapies) and “undecideds”
(convulsive therapy).
• Voting Behavior and the Electoral Process—Since
the establishment of the
United States, when voting was limited to
white male property owners, to the Voting
Rights Act of 1965, “hanging chads,”
and recent efforts by various states to
either expand or suppress access, the
right to vote in U.S. elections has changed
dramatically over time. This course looks
at the reasons for what happened historically—focusing
on more recent history
and what might happen going forward.
• Glass: The New Hot Contemporary Art
Form—Despite its humble origins in the
garage of an Ohio museum in 1960, the
studio glass movement is now one of the
most important recent advancements in
the world of contemporary art. Participants
will learn about the history of the
Studio Art Glass movement and its founding
artists. Field trips may include The
Ringling’s Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion,
the Basch Collection, and the hot shop at
Ringling College of Art and Design.
• The Historic First Federal Prosecution
of a U.S. President—This course will explain
the legal intricacies and legal consequences
of the indictments of Donald
Trump, taught from the perspective of a
former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department
of Justice with experience as
an assistant United States attorney and
acting chief of the Cleveland Organized
Crime Strike Force.
• CONNECTIONS, the documentary film
series, returns for the winter term. The
Biggest Little Farm, January 9, chronicles
the eight-year saga of a young couple
as they attempt to farm 200 acres of
barren land. Featuring gorgeous cinematography,
this film provides a blueprint
for healthier living, sustainable farming,
and a more harmonious relationship between
human needs and Mother Nature.
• Last Flight Home, February 6, 2:30-4:30
pm, is a deeply personal portrait of the
filmmaker’s father’s final days. Viewers
witness his extraordinary life filled with
incredible success and devastating setbacks,
and most importantly, an innate
goodness that won him the enduring love
and support of his family.
OLLI at Ringling College offers two
lectures during the winter semester: The
Rosenwald Schools of Florida, on January
8; and The Other Italy—A Journey Beyond
Italy’s Grand Tour, on January 26,
1-3 pm. General admission is $15 each.
OLLI presents three free presentations
during the winter semester: Seniors—
How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Investment
Scams, on January 26, 10-11:30 am;
The Story of Impact Theatre, on February
19, 3-4:30 pm; and Understanding Medicare:
What You Need to Know, on March 1,
10-11:30 am. Pre-registration is required.
To register, visit www.OLLIatRingling-
College.org or call 941-309-5111.
◆ The Education Center at Temple Beth
Israel
567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key
The winter term, which begins on January
4, goes into full gear with 12 programs
a day, many available in person as well
as on Zoom. Perennial favorites such as
yoga, qigong, bridge, canasta, mah jongg,
painting, movie and book discussions;
Jewish/Israeli and Foreign Film Festivals,
nature walks and birding will be back in
2024. Other offerings include: private
piano lessons; Supreme Court; American
history; art, music and literature appreciation;
the annual Lecture Series with
12 significant speakers on diverse topics;
current events; bead stringing; a Feng
Shui for perfect harmony workshop; musical
biographies including Harry Belafonte,
Tony Bennett, Oscar Hammerstein
II and Dick Van Dyke; a special course for
understanding your dog better; Jewish/
Israeli and Foreign Film Festivals; Ted
Talks; opera previews of upcoming operas
at the Sarasota Opera; Shakespeare’s
Romeo & Juliet; special one-time Thursday
and Friday programs, covering everything
from, “Your 2024 Fraud Survival
Guide,” to “Inside The Sarasota Contemporary
Dance Company” with its founder
Leymis Bolaños Wilmott; New Orleans
Jazz Nights; Happy Hour Wind Down
Wednesdays with popular jazz groups;
exclusive engagements, including the
popular WBTT; and Sunday concerts.
Of special interest to women will be
the new programs “Wisdom for Widows”
with psychotherapist Barbara Schwartz;
“The Women’s Room” with Joan Marks,
a former director of lifelong learning in
Chicago; and “Prominent Women Political
Leaders in Southeast Asia” with lecturer
Paul Sarno. Also, not to be missed
is “Charting The Lost Continent,” theatrical
readings of lusty, heartwarming,
poignant poems by Sarasota poet Linda
Albert, presented by The Sarasota Jewish
Theatre and performed by five professional
women actors.
For a brochure, email edcenter@longboatkeytemple.org
or call 941-383-8222.
Visit www.tbieducationcenter.org.
20 WEST COAST WOMAN JANUARY 2024