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• Winter 2025 OLLI Term

  • Start
    Tuesday, January 21, 2025
  • End
    Wednesday, March 12, 2025
  • Location
    Online and In-Person

  OLLI at Berkshire Community College
  Winter 2025 Term

  
  

  January 21 - March 12

  Our winter term runs January 21 - March 12, 2025, and includes a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid (online and in-person) courses. All classes take place in Eastern Time.

  Winter 2025 course descriptions can be found here.

  Course cost:
  $50 for one class
  $95 for 2-3 classes
  $125 for 4 or more classes

  Online registration is closed, please call the office to register

  Call the OLLI at BCC Office at 413.236.2190 (Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Eastern) to register by phone with a credit card, or with any questions you may have.
  

  To sign up for courses, you need to be an OLLI at BCC member. (Not a member yet? Join here.) Not sure which classes you want to take? Sign up for one or more Flexpasses, which allow you to attend six individual class sessions of your choice within a semester, as long as the class is not full. Click here to learn more about Flexpasses.

  Note that our online courses are recorded, unless otherwise noted. If you cannot attend live, or if you miss a session or two, you can access that course's Padlet for the recording link and watch it at your convenience.

  Questions? Contact us at olli@berkshirecc.edu or 413.236.2190. We look forward to hearing from you!

  Show details
• Osher Online Winter 2025

  • Start
    Thursday, January 23, 2025
  • End
    Monday, March 10, 2025
  • Location
    Online

  
  

  Osher Online is a program from the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University.  These classes are delivered by the Osher NRC via Zoom, with participants from all over the country. All times listed are Eastern time.

  OLLI at BCC is excited to be a part of this program. Space is limited! Register early.

  Osher Online classes are $60 each, and available to OLLI at BCC members only. 

  Registration is closed.

  Each class has a limit of 13 students from each participating OLLI. Register by January 2.
  

  Osher Online classes are not recorded.

  After you register for Osher Online classes, you will receive a welcome email from the Osher NRC. This email will include an Osher Online username and password as well as a link to the Osher Online Website, through which you will access your classes.
  

  You will also have access to a pre-class orientation, where you'll get helpful information for accessing your class. There you'll find the class Zoom link, syllabus, discussion board and Customer Care contact information.

  Available Courses:
  

  Color and Symbolism in Art History

  Mondays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern time
  Instructor: Eleanor Schrader

  
  

  The Tourists Tour of the Wider Universe
  Tuesdays 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. Eastern time
  Instructor: Andrew Fraknoi
  

  The Secret Life of Familiar Birds
  Wednesdays 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Eastern time
  Instructor: Elizabeth Burnette

  The World of Musical Satire
  Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern time
  Instructor: David Misch
  

  Science Everyone Needs to Know
  Thursdays 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Eastern time
  Instructor: Kjir Hendrickson

  The Next Generation's Legacy of the Holocaust
  Thursdays 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. Eastern time
  Instructor: Ruth Wade, Joy Wolfe Ensor & Rita Benn

  Class details and videos from instructors can be found here.

  Show details
• Football: The Real American Pastime

  • When
    Monday, March 03, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
  Football: The Real American Pastime

  with Professor Joel Wolfe
  

  Monday, March 3, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. ET

  Online via Zoom
  

  Gridiron football has much more closely reflected key trends in American history than baseball, even as the latter has for more than a century presented itself as our “National Pastime.”  From its earliest days in the mid to late nineteenth century through the present, football has reflected key trends in the nation. This is most obvious is in the race relations where football followed regional variations rather than embracing a broad segregationist policy as Major League Baseball (MLB) had. While Jackie Robinson could not play MLB until 1947, he lettered in four sports at UCLA, including football. In 1904, Matthew Bullock (Dartmouth class of 1904), whose parents had been born into slavery, was the head football coach at Massachusetts Agricultural College, the predecessor to UMass Amherst. Football’s close connections to all levels of government from the nineteenth century to the present is another example of how the game is quintessentially American.

  Joel Wolfe is Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has published three books on modern Brazil, but developed an interest in the History of Sport when he served as a College Magister at Rice University in Houston, TX.  He teaches both the History of Baseball and American Gridiron Football, along with classes on modern Latin America and Brazil. Before teaching at Rice, Wolfe was a tenured associate professor at Williams College. This talk is based on his forthcoming book, The American Game: Baseball and the Nation.

  _________

  Ticket information:
  

  Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC and Berkshire Museum members, and $15 for the general public.
  

  Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, Simon's Rock, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.

  Pre-registration is required. Register safely and securely online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9am-4pm) to register by phone with a credit card.

  In Partnership with the Berkshire Museum

  
  

  Show details
• Spring 2025 Open House

  • When
    Tuesday, March 04, 2025
  •  
    10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    In-person at BCC
  • Spaces left
    40

  Register

  
  

  You're invited to the OLLI at BCC
  Spring 2025 Open House
  

  Meet our Spring 2025 instructors and other OLLI members, learn more about OLLI Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) and volunteer opportunities, and have some fun!
  

  Tuesday, March 4
  10:30 a.m.
  

  In-person at Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield. Signs and volunteers on campus will direct you from the parking lot to the meeting room.
  

  Free and open to the public.

  Whether you are brand new to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College or a seasoned member of our learning community, join us for the chance to meet other OLLI members, get to know the BCC campus better, and most importantly, chat with the instructors for upcoming courses and ask any questions you have before registering.

  You can also learn more about OLLI Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) and volunteer opportunities with OLLI at BCC.
  

  Onsite registration will be available beginning at 11:00 a.m.

  Please note: For those attending the Open House who would like to register onsite, we will hand out "deli style" numbers for registration when you arrive, so you don't have to stand in line, but can instead mingle and talk with instructors and other attendees.
  

  This event will not be recorded.
  

  No tests, no grades, just learning for the love of learning.

  Our Spring Term begins March 31 and continues through mid May.  Courses are a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid (online and in-person) with a number of different lengths and a variety of start dates. All classes take place in Eastern Time.
  

  The Spring Catalog can be found here.
  Online and in-person registration will open March 4 at 11:00 a.m. 

  Contact us at olli@berkshirecc.edu or 413.236.2190 with any questions. OLLI at BCC offices are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Eastern.

  We look forward to welcoming you!

  Show details
• Now Is the Time to Talk About What is Going On - Discussion with Deborah Alecson

  • When
    Tuesday, March 04, 2025
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    In-person at BCC
  • Spaces left
    12

  Now Is the Time to Talk About What is Going On

  with Prof. Deborah Alecson
  

  Tuesday, March 4
  1:30 p.m.
  

  In-person at Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield.
  

  Free and open to the public.
  

  This event will not be recorded.
  

  This program offers an interpretation of what is going on, politically and socially since the election of Donald Trump, through the lens of thanatology, the study of death, dying, and bereavement.  It is a vision of human behavior that does not see “us and them,” or “good and evil.”  It is an understanding that comes from that which is our most profound commonality: mortality, and greatest fear: death.  I will discuss the meaning and impact of death denial and death anxiety in our lives, two undercurrents that apply not only to us individually, but to everyone, including those now in power.  It is my hope that an understanding will help us live in these turbulent times with integrity, purpose, and courage turning our fears triggered by self-preservation to compassion for the collective human experience.

  Deborah Golden Alecson, MS, is a retired adjunct professor in the field of thanatology (death, dying, and bereavement).  She has taught courses for the Schools of Health Science, Nursing, and Humanities at Excelsior College. She devised and taught “Thanatology 101” for Williams College Winter Studies semester. Most recently, she taught a course for OLLI called “Collective Mortality.” She is the author of Lost Lullaby and We Are So Lightly Here: A Story about Conscious Dying, and Complicated Grief: A Collection of Poems, and has published articles about grief in academic journals.  She wrote a monthly column for The Berkshire Eagle called “Musings on Mortality.”  Presently, she is a volunteer coordinator for the death with dignity organization, Final Exit Network.  For more information about Deborah:  https://www.deborahgoldenalecson.com/

  Contact us at olli@berkshirecc.edu or 413.236.2190 with any questions. OLLI at BCC offices are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Eastern.

  We look forward to welcoming you!

  Show details
• The Many Faces of Love: A Purposeful Memoir Workshop with Jennifer Browdy

  • When
    Monday, March 10, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  The Many Faces of Love:
  A Purposeful Memoir Workshop

  An online writing workshop led by Jennifer Browdy, PhD

  Monday, March 10
  10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET
  Online via Zoom

  Workshop Cost:
  OLLI at BCC Members: $15
  Non-members: $20
  

  Love takes so many forms, from the great passion of romantic love to the deep commitment of familial love to the love of a vocation, place or pursuit. Love has great rewards, and also sometimes comes with great challenges. 

  In this two-hour online memoir class, open to writers at all levels, we’ll focus on generating rich, detailed prose writing, capturing the full range of emotions inspired by Love and spinning them into the gold of a good story, well told.

  You’ll learn how shifts in narration, point of view and voice can change the tenor of your story; how to use description to build detailed settings without getting in the way of pacing and plot; and how to get inside your characters (including yourself!), showing them in action in ways that move and inspire your readers.

  Come prepared to be moved and to move others as we write and share about Love in good company! 

   No prior memoir writing experience is necessary, just bring your writing implements and your curiosity about the past, present and future.

  Jennifer Browdy PhD is a Professor of Comparative Literature, Writing & Media Arts at Bard College at Simon's Rock and the Open Society University Network. She is the publisher of Green Fire Press, specializing in “books that make the world better,” and the author of several award-winning books, including Purposeful Memoir as a Quest for a Thriving Future(Nautilus Gold Award winner, 2022); The Elemental Journey of Purposeful Memoir(Nautilus Silver Award, 2017), and the memoir What I Forgot ...And Why I Remembered (International Books Awards finalist). She publishes a Substack newsletter, Writing to Right the World, co-hosts a vibrant online community for writers, Birth Your Truest Story, and offers purposeful memoir workshops in the US, Canada and Europe, including her popular “Riding & Writing” workshops in Iceland. For information on memoir writing workshops, author coaching and manuscript review visit:  Jenniferbrowdy.com.

  Show details
• An Unchecked Presidency? Trump’s Attack on the Laws and the Constitution

  • When
    Monday, March 10, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom
  • Spaces left
    441

  Register

  An Unchecked Presidency?
  Trump’s Attack on the Laws and the Constitution: A Dialogue Between Constitutional Lawyers Tom Gerety and Peter Shane

  Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. ET

  Online via Zoom
  Free & open to all

  

  Peter Shane is a leading scholar of administrative law and separation of powers. He retired as the Davis Chair at Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law and now serves as Distinguished Scholar in Residence at New York University School of Law. His recent book is Democracy’s Chief Executive: Interpreting the Constitution and Defining the Future of the Presidency. He is a strong critic of originalism and what he calls ‘presidentialism’. Shane earned his degrees at Harvard College and Yale Law School. He also has a podcast, "Democracy's Chief Executive" on the American presidency.

  
  Tom Gerety taught constitutional law through most of his career. He retired as Collegiate Professor of Law and Humanities at NYU.  He led the Brennan Center for Justice and was president of both Trinity and Amherst Colleges. Tom earned law and philosophy degrees from Yale. 
  

  
  

  
  

  This event will be recorded and posted to our YouTube channel: OLLI: The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College

  Show details
• Jazz Diplomacy: America's Conversation with the World

  • When
    Tuesday, March 11, 2025
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • Location
    In-person at Berkshire Community College

  Register

  The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
  Jazz Diplomacy: America's Conversation with the World

  with James Ketterer
  

  Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. ET

  In-person at BCC
  

  This talk explores the use of one of America’s great cultural creations - jazz - as a diplomatic tool. Starting in the 1950s, jazz was used as a way to counter Soviet propaganda, highlighting the contribution of great musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. But how did those musicians reconcile their status as global ambassadors of American culture with the challenges of the Civil Rights movement at home? The answer is manifested in the music they played, the compositions they created in response to encountering new cultures, and the musicians they inspired around the world. The course also looks at cultural diplomacy today and the continued effectiveness of American “soft power.”

  James Ketterer is Senior Fellow at the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard College in New York state. At Bard, he previously served as Dean of International Studies and Director of the Bard Globalization and International Studies program in New York City. Ketterer also served as Dean of the School of Continuing Education at the American University in Cairo and as Egypt Country Director for AMIDEAST, a large educational NGO represented across the Middle East and North Africa. While in Egypt he worked on several public diplomacy projects with the US Embassy, including cultural exchange programs and jazz diplomacy. He was at the State University of New York for several years, serving as Vice Chancellor for Policy and Planning, Deputy Provost, and Director of the Center for International Development, where he implemented large capacity building projects supported by the US Agency for International Development USAID). These projects worked with parliaments and other institutions in many countries across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe. He has also worked in government, including at the National Security Council, the New York Senate, and the New York Commission on Higher Education.

  _________

  Ticket information:
  

  Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC and Berkshire Museum members, and $15 for the general public.
  

  Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, Simon's Rock, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.

  Pre-registration is required. Register safely and securely online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9am-4pm) to register by phone with a credit card.

  In Partnership with the Berkshire Museum

  
  

  Show details
• Get Organized - Get it Done! Workshop

  • Start
    Wednesday, March 12, 2025
  •  
  • End
    Wednesday, March 19, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  Get Organized - Get it Done!
  with Jane Kavanau
  

  Two sessions:
  Wednesdays March 12 and 19
  10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
  

  In-person only.

  This course will introduce seven techniques and strategies for getting organized.

  Jane Kavanau approaches the subjects of organizing and de-cluttering from a somewhat different point of view than those of most organizers and self-help books. She believes that each person and situation is different, requiring that organizing strategies be flexible and simple – definitely NOT “one size fits all.”

  As a former teacher, Jane Kavanau understands that people have different learning styles. As a former real estate agent, she has seen the pitfalls of having a disorganized home and mind.

  Jane has taught courses and given talks, both here in the Berkshires and in Greenwich, CT, on the subject called “Getting Organized.” Jane also coaches her clients either on the phone or on Zoom. They say “Believe it or not, it really works.”

  Cost: $15 for OLLI at BCC members
             $20 for non-members

  Sign up today!
  

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  
  

  Show details
• Is Democracy Doomed?

  • When
    Tuesday, March 18, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
  Is Democracy Doomed?
  

  with Dr. Austin Sarat
  

  Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. ET

  Online via Zoom
  

  Join Dr. Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College for a lecture and conversation on the future of democracy.

  Austin Sarat is William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College where he has also been Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty. Professor Sarat founded Amherst College’s Department of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought and The Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities. He also has been president of the Consortium of Undergraduate Law and Justice Programs. He is author or editor of more than ninety books including The Death Penalty on the Ballot: American Democracy and the Fate of Capital Punishment, and Something to Believe in: Politics, Professionalism, and Cause Lawyers (with Stuart Scheingold). His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, NBC.com, The New Republic, The Guardian, The Hill, State, and USA Today.

  _________

  Ticket information:
  

  Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC and Berkshire Museum members, and $15 for the general public.
  

  Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, Simon's Rock, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.

  Pre-registration is required. Register safely and securely online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9am-4pm) to register by phone with a credit card.

  In Partnership with the Berkshire Museum

  
  

  Show details
• Mass MoCA Building Tour

  • When
    Thursday, March 20, 2025
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Mass MoCA, North Adams
  • Spaces left
    4

  Register

  Mass MoCA Building Tour
  with Nancy Seasholes

  
  

  Thursday March 20
  2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
  

  In-person only

  Here's a chance to find out about the MASS MoCA buildings themselves -- when were they built? by whom? why? who has occupied them? how have these occupants used the buildings?  This walking tour will address these and other questions in an exploration of present MASS MoCA buildings. 

  The tour is on one level, but participants will need to walk and stand for the 90 minute tour. Small stools are available to borrow from the museum.

  Nancy S. Seasholes is an historian of Boston whose books include Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston, Walking Tours of Boston's Made Land, and The Atlas of Boston History.  She has taught at Harvard Extension and conducted numerous walking tours of Boston.  She moved to Williamstown in 2018 and has since researched and developed this tour about the history of the MASS MoCA buildings.

  Cost: $10 for OLLI at BCC members with a Mass MOCA membership*, $32 for OLLI at BCC members who need an entrance ticket.
  

  Sign up today!

  *Don't forget your membership card!
  

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  
  

  Show details
• Make Someone Happy: Singing from the Great American Songbook

  • When
    Saturday, March 22, 2025
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    In-person in Lenox at Kimball Farms
  • Spaces left
    1

  Register

  Make Someone Happy:
  Singing from the Great American Songbook

  A workshop led by Chelsea Beatty

  Saturday, March 22
  1:30 - 3:30 p.m. ET
  In-person in Lenox, MA
  

  Workshop Cost:
  OLLI at BCC Members: $15
  Kimball Farms Residents: $15
  Non-members: $20
  

  This workshop will take participants through an interactive song preparation process using the song “Make Someone Happy” by Jule Style. Participants will examine the lyrics, melody, rhythm, and stylistic choices, and apply what they learn to their own singing.

  This workshop will be good for choral singers or those who love to sing along to their favorite records, and want to stretch themselves (and their voices) into solo repertoire.

  No solo singing will be required, but volunteers will be invited to share with the group in the course of the workshop. Music will be provided.

  Chelsea Beatty trained as a classical soprano, with degrees in vocal performance from The Boston Conservatory and University of Colorado Boulder. Over the past two decades, she has performed on opera and concert stages around Boston and beyond, and was a two-time district finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. From 2014 to 2018, Chelsea served as an Instructor of Voice at The Boston Conservatory, and very recently joined the voice faculty of Berkshire Music School.

  Show details
• Osher Online Spring 2025

  • Start
    Monday, March 31, 2025
  • End
    Friday, May 23, 2025
  • Location
    Online

  Register

  
  

  Osher Online is a program from the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University.  These classes are delivered by the Osher NRC via Zoom, with participants from all over the country. All times listed are Eastern time.

  OLLI at BCC is excited to be a part of this program. Space is limited! Register early.

  Osher Online classes are $60 each, and available to OLLI at BCC members only. 

  Each class has a limit of 13 students from each participating OLLI. Register by March 17.
  

  Osher Online classes are not recorded.

  After you register for Osher Online classes, you will receive a welcome email from the Osher NRC. This email will include an Osher Online username and password as well as a link to the Osher Online Website, through which you will access your classes.
  

  You will also have access to a pre-class orientation, where you'll get helpful information for accessing your class. There you'll find the class Zoom link, syllabus, discussion board and Customer Care contact information.

  Available Courses:
  

  Bonsia, An Ancient Art in Modern Times
  

  Mondays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern time

  March 31 - May 5
  

  Instructor: Chris Baker

  
  

  Car Crazy: 1950s Onward

  Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30 pm Eastern time

  April 9 - May 14

  Instructor: Pandora Paúl

  
  

  Russia Beyond Russians

  Thursdays 1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern time

  April 3 - May 8
  

  Instructor: Asya Pereltsvaig

  Neurology in a Nutshell: The Brain Explained
  Thursdays 3:00 - 4:30 pm Eastern time
  April 3 - May 8
  Instructor: Paul Schanfield
  

  Class details and videos from instructors can be found here.

  Show details
• Spring 2025 OLLI Term

  • Start
    Monday, March 31, 2025
  • End
    Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Location
    Online and In-Person

  OLLI at Berkshire Community College
  

  Spring 2025 Term

  
  

  March 31 - May 12
  

  Our winter term runs March 31 - May 12, 2025, and includes a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid (online and in-person) courses. All classes take place in Eastern Time.

  Spring 2025 course descriptions can be found here.

  Course cost:
  $50 for one class
  $95 for 2-3 classes
  $125 for 4 or more classes

  Registration opens March 4 at 11:00 a.m.
  

  Call the OLLI at BCC Office at 413.236.2190 (Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Eastern) to register by phone with a credit card, or with any questions you may have.
  

  To sign up for courses, you need to be an OLLI at BCC member. (Not a member yet? Join here.) Not sure which classes you want to take? Sign up for one or more Flexpasses, which allow you to attend six individual class sessions of your choice within a semester, as long as the class is not full. Click here to learn more about Flexpasses.

  Note that our online courses are recorded, unless otherwise noted. If you cannot attend live, or if you miss a session or two, you can access that course's Padlet for the recording link and watch it at your convenience.

  Questions? Contact us at olli@berkshirecc.edu or 413.236.2190. We look forward to hearing from you!

  Show details
• Sarah Vowell on her book Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

  • When
    Tuesday, April 08, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  Sarah Vowell on her book Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
  

  
  Photo credit: Owen Brooker
  

  Tuesday, April 8 at 7 p.m. ET

  Online via Zoom
  Free & open to all

  The recording for this lecture will only be available for 7 days.
  

  Marking the 200th anniversary of the Marquise de Lafayette’s visit to the Berkshires, New York Times-bestselling author Sarah Vowell joins us for a conversation on April 8. Vowell’s book, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, explores the patriot founders' alliance with France as personified by the teenage volunteer in George Washington's army, the Marquis de Lafayette. This talk is co-sponsored by OLLI, the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, and the Berkshire County Historical Society. This talk is part of the Berkshires250 and Lafayette200 programming for OLLI and Berkshire County. Learn more about other Rev250 programs here.

  Sarah Vowell is the New York Times bestselling author of seven nonfiction books on American history and culture.  By examining the connections between the American past and present, she offers personal, often humorous accounts of American history as well as current events and politics.  Her book, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, explores both the ideas and the battles of the American Revolution, especially the patriot founders' alliance with France as personified by the teenage volunteer in George Washington's army, the Marquis de Lafayette.

  Vowell’s previous book, Unfamiliar Fishes is the intriguing history of our 50^th state, Hawaii, annexed in 1898.  Replete with a cast of beguiling and often tragic characters, including an overthrown Hawaiian queen, whalers, missionaries, sugar barons, Teddy Roosevelt and assorted con men, Unfamiliar Fishes is another history lesson in Americana as only Vowell can tell it – with brainy wit and droll humor.

  The Wordy Shipmates examines the New England Puritans and their journey to and impact on America. She studies John Winthrop’s 1630 sermon “A Model of Christian Charity” and the bloody story that resulted from American exceptionalism. And she also traces the relationship of Winthrop, Massachusetts’ first governor, and Roger Williams, the Calvinist minister who founded Rhode Island – an unlikely friendship that was emblematic of the polar extremes of the American foundation. Throughout she reveals how American history can show up in the most unexpected places in our modern culture, often in poignant ways.

  Her book Assassination Vacation is a haunting and surprisingly hilarious road trip to tourist sites devoted to the murders of presidents Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. Vowell examines what these acts of political violence reveal about our national character and our contemporary society.

  She is also the author of two essay collections, The Partly Cloudy Patriot and Take the Cannoli.  Her first book, Radio On, is her year-long diary of listening to the radio in 1995. She was guest editor for The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2017.  

  Vowell’s thirty years as a journalist and columnist began in the freewheeling atmosphere of the weekly newspapers of the 1990s, including The Village Voice, the Twin Cities’ City Pages and San Francisco Weekly, where she was the pop music columnist.  An original contributor to McSweeney’s, she has worked as a columnist for Salon and Time, a reviewer for Spin, a reporter for GQ, and a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, where she covered politics, history, education and life in Montana.  She was a contributing editor for the public radio show This American Life from 1996-2008, where she produced numerous commentaries and documentaries and toured the country in many of the program’s live shows. 

  Her notable side projects have included a decade as the founding president of 826NYC, a nonprofit tutoring and writing center for students aged 6-18 in Brooklyn; producing a filmed oral history series commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Montana Constitutional Convention of 1972; and occasional voice acting, including her role as teen superhero Violet Parr in Brad Bird’s Academy Award-winning The Incredibles, and its sequel, Incredibles 2, from Pixar Animation Studios.
  

  This event will be recorded and available to registrants for seven days after the event.

  Thank you to Housatonic Heritage and the Berkshire County Historical Society for your support for and co-sponsorship of this program.
  

  

  
  

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• The Art and History of the Louvre

  • When
    Thursday, April 10, 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    Hybrid - Zoom and In-person in Housatonic

  Register

  The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
  The Art and History of the Louvre

  with Elaine Sciolino

  Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET

  Hybrid - Zoom and In-person at the UU Meeting of South Berkshire, 1089 Main St. Housatonic, MA
  

  The Louvre attracts millions of visitors every year to masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and other magnificent works of human achievement.  The museum — once a forbidding fortress built to house and protect French Kings — has many tales to tell.

  In Adventures in the Louvre, author Elaine Sciolino shares stories about the royals and rulers who renovated the structure more than twenty times, the artists whose paintings, sculptures, and artifacts were bought or plundered, and the people who are the museum’s lifeblood: the curators selecting and arranging the works, the artisans producing frames and engravings, the builders overseeing restorations, the firefighters protecting the aging structure, and even those who keep I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid gleaming.
  

  Sciolino will guide us on a visit to this magical place, making it her mission to show us how anyone can forge an intimate connection with the museum. She demystifies the Louvre, introducing us to her favorite artworks, both legendary and overlooked, and takes us beyond the Louvre’s imposing walls to uncover a world of unexpected mysteries and delights in a stunning visual presentation.

  Elaine Sciolino, author of the New York Times bestseller The Only Street in Paris, as well as The Seine, La Seduction, and the new book Adventures in the Louvre, is a contributing writer and former Paris bureau chief for The New York Times, based in Paris.  In 2010 she was decorated chevalier of the Legion of Honor, the highest honor of the French state, for her “special contribution” to the friendship between France and the United States.

  _________

  Ticket information:
  

  Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC and Berkshire Museum members, and $15 for the general public.
  

  Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, Simon's Rock, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.

  Pre-registration is required. Register safely and securely online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9am-4pm) to register by phone with a credit card.

  Please note: This building is accessible, but does not have push buttons for doors.  They will be staffed for entry/exit.
  

  In Partnership with the Berkshire Museum

  
  

  Show details
• The Generous Exchange: How Appreciation of Beauty, Goodness and Excellence Restores Us and Our World

  • When
    Wednesday, May 07, 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • Location
    in-person at BCC

  Register

  The Generous Exchange:  How Appreciation of Beauty, Goodness and Excellence Restores Us and Our World

  with Maria Sirois
  

  Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET

  In-person at Berkshire Community College
  Free & open to all
  

  Can we afford to ignore that which is good, even when the world swirls with suffering? Join Dr. Maria Sirois in a lively conversation and book reading in response to this question. Maria presents her latest work, The Generous Exchange:  How Appreciation of Beauty, Goodness and Excellence Restores Us and Our World, offering practices and perspectives that enliven our spirits, increase awe, happiness and kindness, while inspiring acts of goodness. Recent research from the fields of positive psychology and eco-psychology affirm our deep connectedness to our world and to each other, and the importance of bringing our attention with appreciation to that which is good within and around us. Maria will share story, data, and suggestions for practices, offering a grounded hope for ourselves and those yet to come.

  Maria Sirois, Psy.D.,  has spent more than three decades in the boardrooms of business, bedsides of the dying and everywhere in between to do one thing: offer the data, stories, tools and perspectives that enable us to cultivate resilience, health, wisdom and a greater capacity to lead ourselves and others well, no matter the strain or suffering of the moment. As a resilience expert, positive psychologist and international consultant, she is known for her authenticity, wisdom and compassion. She is the author of three books: The Generous Exchange (released in Spring 2025), A Short Course in Happiness After Loss (And Other Dark, Difficult Times) and Every Day Counts.  www.mariasirois.com

  This event will not be recorded.
  

  Show details
• Hudson River School of Art Workshop

  • Start
    Friday, May 09, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    Friday, May 16, 2025
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • Location
    Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield and Olana
  • Spaces left
    5

  Register

  Hudson River School of Art
  with Skip Doyle

  Two sessions:
  Fridays May 9 and 16
  10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  

  In-person only.
  
  

  Thomas Cole, 1825                   Thomas Locker, 2005           Skip Doyle, 2005
  Falls of the Kaaterskills         Kaaterskill Falls                    Kaaterskill Falls

  Session 1
  Friday May 9 at 10:00 a.m.
  Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA: 
  Painters of the Hudson River School brought to the public a uniquely American style of art with their realistic yet romanticized landscapes of a new nation.  They portray places that through their influence we now preserve, recreate, and honor as national landmarks.  As a primer on this American art movement, Skip Doyle will discuss the works and styles of the Hudson River School painters and their historical and geographical context with special reference to the Hudson River valley where the school’s earliest subjects were found.

  Session 2
  Friday May 16 at 10:00 a.m.
  Olana State Historical Site, Hudson, NY
  Field trip to Olana – home of Frederick Church. 
  

  • House tour and art review     1 hour
  • Garden and landscape tour   1 hour

  Cost: $40 for OLLI at BCC members
             $45 for non-members
  Cost includes entrance ticket to Olana.  BYO lunch and drinks.

  Attendees must provide their own transportation to Olana State Historical Site.

  Sign up today!
  

  Register online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) to register by phone with a credit card.  
  

  Show details
• OLLI Annual Meeting and Ice Cream Social

  • When
    Thursday, May 15, 2025
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • Location
    in-person at BCC and via Zoom

  Register

  OLLI at BCC Annual Meeting
  and Ice Cream Social

  
  

  Wednesday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. ET

  In-person at Berkshire Community College

  and Online via Zoom

  Free & open to all

  The OLLI Annual Meeting is a great opportunity to learn more about how OLLI works, plans for the next year, and to meet the OLLI board.  

  • Hybrid with an in-person meeting at BCC, and online via Zoom. (approx. 30 min.)
  • Elections online in advance of the meeting. All members will receive a link to vote.  
  • Stay for a fun and festive celebration with an ice cream sundae bar featuring Highlawn Farm ice cream!  

  Come, have a treat, and visit with some OLLI friends!
  

  The party is free, but please RSVP so we know how many people to plan for.

  Show details
• 2025 OLLI Faculty Appreciation Party

  • When
    Tuesday, June 03, 2025
  •  
    4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
  • Location
    Pittsfield Country Club, 639 South St, Pittsfield
  • Spaces left
    163

  Register

  
  

  You are invited to our
  

  OLLI at BCC
  Faculty Appreciation Party

  Join us as we celebrate and thank our extraordinary volunteer instructors and speakers from this academic year!
  

  Tuesday, June 3
  4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

  Pittsfield Country Club
  639 South St, Pittsfield MA 01201

  Enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and great company at the Pittsfield Country Club.

  $60 per person. 
  Complimentary for OLLI at BCC speakers & instructors from June 2024 through Spring 2025 and a guest.
  

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• Jacob's Pillow with OLLI at BCC

  • When
    Friday, July 18, 2025
  •  
    11:45 AM
  • Location
    Jacob's Pillow, 358 George Carter Road Becket, Massachusetts 01223
  • Spaces left
    70

  The OLLI at BCC Special Events Committee presents an afternoon at
  

  Jacob's Pillow
  Friday, July 18, 2025

  Norton Owen, Preservation Director,

  will talk at Blake’s Barn at 11:45 a.m.
  Bring a Bag Lunch – OLLI Chefs provide desserts and drinks
  

  
  

  Tickets go on sale soon - Save the Date!

  The Sarasota Ballet
  

  Schedule:

  11:45 a.m. Talk with Norton Owen, Preservation Director, at Blake’s Barn

  12:30 p.m. Lunch (bring a bag lunch with you, our OLLI chefs will provide dessert and drinks) 

  1:00 p.m. Dessert

  2:00 p.m. Performance

  Beloved among ballet fans the world over, The Sarasota Ballet returns to Jacob’s Pillow for the first time in ten years. Pushed to new heights under the leadership of director Iain Webb, assistant director Margaret Barbieri (both formerly of The Royal Ballet), and Joseph Volpe executive director (formerly of the Metropolitan Opera), the company has garnered a reputation for its truly diverse repertoire of works.

  This summer, the company returns to the Ted Shawn Theatre with a mixed program including a piece by Sir Frederick Ashton and a world premiere work by American choreographer Jessica Lang, the Virginia B. Toulmin & Muriel O’Neil Artist in Residence at Sarasota Ballet, who has presented three previous world premieres at Jacob’s Pillow with her own company.

  The Sarasota Ballet is recognized for its unparalleled active repertoire of the choreography of Sir Frederick Ashton, and is known worldwide as the main exponent of his ballets outside of the United Kingdom.
  

  
  

  Only 50 tickets, registration will open soon! Seating will be in order received. 
  Handicapped seating is available, be sure to note that when you register.
  

  No refunds unless space is filled from a waiting list!
  This program is in-person at Jacob's Pillow
  358 George Carter Rd., Becket, MA

  Thank you to OLLI at BCC's Special Events Committee for organizing this and so many other great OLLI events!

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