American Impressionism, Rock 'N' Roll & more as Lifetime Learning begins

The following courses start during the first week of the Friends of Snow Library’s Fall Lifetime Learning session.

On Monday, Sept. 27 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Beth Stein presents her one-class course, "American Impressionism: The Art of William Merritt Chase and “The Ten”. American Impressionism was a style of painting related to French Impressionism. In 1898, ten artists from Boston and New York joined together to form "The Ten," with the intention of creating their own society that valued originality, imagination and exhibition quality and with the purpose of exhibiting their work as a unified group of Impressionist painters. Stein will discuss the lives and achievements of "The Ten," with emphasis on William Merritt Chase, a member of this group who painted some of the most beautiful and beloved pieces of American art. This course is a hybrid.

On Tuesday, Sept. 28 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Larry Dapsis presents "Pollination Ecology: How Can We Help Bees?" Honeybees, locally and nationally, have been suffering catastrophic losses. The class will review honeybee biology and the factors responsible for this problem. We’ll also review the state of wild pollinators like bumble bees and things we can do to help them. This one-class course is Zoom only.

On Tuesday, Sept. 28 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Richard Finnegan begins a four-part course on The South Caucasus Region: Vital Global Conflict Zone. The South Caucasus region is marked by long-term tense relations between Turkey and Armenia (stemming from the Armenian genocide, 1915-1921); the transition to democracy in Armenia (the Velvet Revolution of 2018); the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed area of Ngorno-Karabakh that led to a war this year; and the overarching ambition of Russia to reassert its control over the region. We will examine each of these. This course is a hybrid.

On Tuesday, Sept. 28 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., George Scharr presents "The Birth of Rock 'n’ Roll: The 1950s to Woodstock of 1969." View rarely seen videos highlighting some of the greatest early acts of Rock 'n Roll like Bill Haley and the Comets, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Elvis, the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix and see how they incorporated musical elements from other genres like Jazz to make this new sound so dynamic. Hear behind-the-scenes stories of what really went on through anecdotes, recordings, interviews and videos. Was it really that crazy? This course is a hybrid.

On Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Jane Scarborough presents "Supreme Court Preview," a one-class course. The Supreme Court's upcoming 2021-2022 term is already projected to be the most significant one in decades. After a brief summary of the most important cases from the last term that ended in July, Scarborough will discuss the issues raised by cases that are already on the Court's calendar and will also make some predictions regarding cases that the Court has not yet decided to hear. This course is a hybrid.

On Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Kathie Gulotta begins a four-part course titled "Souls Of Black Folk." Exploring the role of empathy in social-cultural transformation, the class will examine U.S. history through the eyes of black writers, including luminaries like James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Isabelle Wilkerson, Nathan McCall, Barbara Holmes, and Ibram X. Kendi. The title of the course comes from a 1903 book written by Massachusetts native W.E.B.Dubois. This course is a hybrid.

On Thursday, Sept. 30 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Linda Kennedy presents a one-class course on "Slavery in Massachusetts Before the Civil War." Massachusetts was one of the first of the colonies to have legalized slavery—as early as 1641. Yes, slave holding was practiced not just in the southern states, but here in New England. Yet our state was one of the first to abolish slavery—in 1780, when the Massachusetts Constitution became effective. Historical researcher Linda Kennedy will cover the 100-plus-year history and incidents leading to the early abolition. This course is a hybrid.

And on Friday afternoon, Oct. 1 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Mary Ann Eaton begins a four-part "Introduction to Irish Literature." This course will offer a greater understanding of the Irish literary landscape, and explore the literature of Ireland from antiquity to the early 20th century. We will touch on ancient mythological tales, folklore, poetry, and a journal from the Western Island of the Great Blasket. Itinerary will be sent after registering. Weekly reading lessons will be emailed, and one book will be read. This course is a hybrid.

Register by mail, at the library, or online. Registration is ongoing. Please register at least 24 hours before the class.

Pick up brochures and a registration form and register at Snow Library, 67 Main Street, Orleans. Your registration and donation can also be mailed in. Course information and registration is also easily available online at https://friendsofsnowlibrary.org/2021-fall-ltl-courses/. $10 is the suggested donation per course.