Beat the Heat with Cool Summer Classes

Michael Buscaglia organized the upcoming field trip to Basha Art Gallery, which is just one of many New Adventures’ summer classes.

Jan Bobbett and Mary Kenny

New Adventures in Learning’s summer semester is just getting started, so there is plenty of time to take advantage of this lifelong learning program while taking a break from the summer heat. Just take a look at a sample of what’s coming in June:

“What Is Juneteenth and Why WE Should Care”: Eugene (Gene) Lariviere will present this class twice; once in person on June 15 and again via Zoom on June 17. We may think that there was the Emancipation Proclamation, Lee surrendered, the Confederacy fell, and slavery immediately ended. The story is much more complicated, and understanding Juneteenth should help us appreciate how slowly slavery died and its connection to continuing racism in our country.

Gene is also presenting the in-person class “Doctors Look at Works of Art,” on June 21. A physician looked at the Mona Lisa and saw things that convinced him she had a serious disease that probably killed her at a young age. Another doctor looked at a painting of Michelangelo by Raphael that revealed a diagnosis of a painful chronic disability. We’ll explore these and some other discoveries by doctors looking at art.

Gene is a retired pediatrician from New Hampshire. He has led many New Adventures classes.

Another Zoom class scheduled for June 20 is “Humor in Classical Music.” Alleen and Don Nilsen will discuss the musical humor of many major composers, including Bach, Beethoven, Gilbert and Sullivan, Mozart, and Simon and Garfunkel. They will also discuss the humor of some Broadway musicals.

Alleen and Don are both Professors Emerita at Arizona State University. In 2000 they published the Encyclopedia of 20th Century American Humor. In 2018 they published The Language of Humor with Cambridge University Press.

A field trip to the Basha Art Gallery is scheduled for June 22. Michael Buscaglia will lead the group on a visit to this important local gallery. Basha Art Gallery is one of the largest, privately owned collections of Contemporary Western American and American Indian Art in the world.

Michael taught the International Baccalaureate and advanced placement French program at Chandler High School. He received his B.A. and M.A. from Binghamton University in New York.

A full list of summer classes can be found at www.newadventures.info.

New Adventures is a not-for-profit, membership organization affiliated with Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC). Annual membership is $60, and the semester administration fee is $20 for each semester you enroll in classes. When you become a member during the summer semester, your membership includes the summer of the following year, so you get an extra semester free!

New Adventures still remains a bargain compared to many lifelong learning programs, which charge up to $40 per class. We charge no per-class fee, so your dues and semester fee allow you to take as many classes as you wish at no additional cost. Also with your membership, you receive CGCC student discounts on many college and community activities.

Have questions or need help? Call 480-857-5500 or email us at [email protected].