The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in the College of Continuing and Professional Education is now in partnership with the Booth Western Art Museum to bring different types of courses to its curriculum.
The Booth Western Art Museum is located in Cartersville and is home to the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country. Sitting at 120,000 square feet, the exhibits they have to offer include contemporary Western American art, Civil War art, historic Western art, presidential portraits and letters, Western movie posters and Western illustration.
“The partnership between CCPE OLLI and the Booth Western Art Museum is important because it expands our opportunity to offer lifelong learning to students in Cartersville,” said OLLI project manager Pat Walker.
The institute will hold courses at the museum in hopes of bringing in more students who do not live in the Kennesaw area.
“Our collaboration with The Booth provides a classroom setting inside a museum that displays pieces of art and history that are being discussed in each of the courses,” Walker said. “We are also pleased that students that would not have been able to attend a course due to the distance of KSU OLLI will hopefully be better served at a closer location to their homes.”
Since the partnership has been announced, new classes have already been made available on the OLLI website. These classes include Civil War in the Western theater, American West influence on operatic and Broadway productions of musical compositions, spirits of the great American West, legends and basic playing of Native American flutes and how to write historical fiction.
According to the website, the Civil War in Western theater course will include learning about the military battles in Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta and many more, as well as the officers who were leading the armies. This course is being taught by instructor Michael Shaffer, a historian, author and newspaper columnist.
The American West influence on operatic and Broadway productions course is being taught by instructor Donna Angel. She has taught voice, music appreciation and opera courses at KSU for 10 years, and she has also received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Opera Volunteers International in 2012. The class will allow students to listen to the unique music that was influenced by the American West.
The spirits of the Great American West course looks into the facts of legends and myths formed by American frontiersmen. Historical questions and facts are woven with the legends to help the history come alive for the students. This course will be taught by instructor Quentin Thomas, who is a recognized historian, author and poet.
The legends and basic playing of Native American flutes course will explore the basic knowledge and folklore associated with the Plains Indians and is taught by Carmen Gonzalez. Students are encouraged to bring their own instruments, but there will also be instruments available for purchase.
How to write historical fiction is a course offered that teaches students how to write fiction all while using real historical people or places. This course is being taught by Josh Langston who is a published author of five historical novels.
According to its website, the OLLI specializes in teaching courses designed specifically for adults over 50 who are interested in learning for the joy of learning.
The OLLI has a wide variety of courses, ranging from professional careers to personal classes. The institute offers classes in a variety of topics, and they also offer personal classes to students such as how to work an iPad and staging your home for resale.
