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  • Don’t Stop Believin’: Race and Class in Rock Music

    Class Schedule: Tuesdays – February 20 & 27 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

    Since exploding on the scene in the late 1970s, Journey has inspired generations of fans with hit after hit. This two-session virtual course taught by David Hamilton Golland dispels rehashed myths and also shows how race and class in popular music contributed to their breakout success. As the economy collapsed and as people abandoned the spirit of Woodstock in the late 70s, Journey used the rhythm of soul and Motown to inspire hope in primarily white teenagers’ lives. Decades later, the band and their signature song remain classics, and now, with singer Arnel Pineda, they are again a fixture in major stadiums worldwide.

    David Hamilton Golland is a historian, professor, and writer with a wide background in twentieth-century social and cultural history. He is dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University and founder of The Journey Zone (journey-zone.com), the leading source for all things Journey over two decades.

    Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

  • PleinAir Oil Painting Course

    Gina Torello, a professor in the Art and Design Department at Monmouth University for 20 years, will guide you in this NEW one-of-a-kind workshop. She will be teaching a step-by-step guided oil painting course the neo-classical in Erlanger Gardens on the campus of Monmouth University. The class will cover compositional structure perspective, color theory, diverse application of materials and most of all the process of “capturing the LIGHT in the open air like the Impressionists.” New Wave Pochade Easels will be provided to all participants for use during your exclusive lesson, along with a comfortable pleinair chair to relax and paint at during the class.

    All levels of experience in oil painting are welcome. A detailed supply list will be provided prior to the course.

    About the Instructor:
    Gina Torello is an accomplished, professional artist with more than 30 years of teaching experience in fine arts higher education. She earned her M.F.A. with a concentration in painting in Florence, Italy, from the Dominican University where she trained with renowned international instructors. Gina specializes in oil painting and pastels, focusing on a blend of impressionism and realism. Her subject matter is primarily nature-based with a heavy concentration in landscapes and seascapes. Gina’s work has been prominently featured in galleries, exhibitions, and art shows in the U.S. and abroad.

  • PleinAir ChiaroScuro Drawing Course

    Gina Torello, a professor in the Art and Design Department at Monmouth University for 20 years, will guide you in this NEW one-of-a-kind workshop. She will be teaching a step-by-step guided Academic Drawing Course in the neo-classical Erlanger Gardens on the campus of Monmouth University. The class will cover compositional structure perspective, diverse application of materials and most of all the process of “capturing the LIGHT in Black and White in the ChiaroScuro Technique in the open air like the Impressionists.” New Wave Pochade Easels will be provided to all participants for use during your exclusive lesson, along with a comfortable pleinair chair to relax and draw during the class.

    All levels of experience in Drawing are welcome. A detailed supply list will be provided prior to the course.

    About the Instructor:
    Gina Torello is an accomplished, professional artist with more than 30 years of teaching experience in fine arts higher education. She earned her M.F.A. with a concentration in painting in Florence, Italy, from the Dominican University where she trained with renowned international instructors. Gina specializes in oil painting and pastels, focusing on a blend of impressionism and realism. Her subject matter is primarily nature-based with a heavy concentration in landscapes and seascapes. Gina’s work has been prominently featured in galleries, exhibitions, and art shows in the U.S. and abroad.

  • British Invasion, Part 4: The Fourth Wave

    Class Schedule: Thursdays – May 9 & 16 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

    This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole will survey some of the major artists of the Third Wave period, from the late 1970s through the 1980s and beyond. It will cover genres from punk through new wave, synth pop, rock, and much more. How does the Third Wave of the British Invasion continue to influence today’s music? The course will explore artists such as Duran Duran, Elvis Costello, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Dire Straits, Eurythmics, Psychedelic Furs, Human League, Nick Lowe, Madness, Joy Division, Howard Jones, Joe Jackson, New Order, Gary Numan, Pretenders, Style Council, and George Michael/Wham, and their impact on both British and American music. The role of MTV on the Third Wave of the British Invasion will also be discussed.

    Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

  • British Invasion, Part 4: The Fourth Wave

    Class Schedule: Thursdays – May 9 & 16 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

    This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole will survey some of the major artists of the Third Wave period, from the late 1970s through the 1980s and beyond. It will cover genres from punk through new wave, synth pop, rock, and much more. How does the Third Wave of the British Invasion continue to influence today’s music? The course will explore artists such as Duran Duran, Elvis Costello, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Dire Straits, Eurythmics, Psychedelic Furs, Human League, Nick Lowe, Madness, Joy Division, Howard Jones, Joe Jackson, New Order, Gary Numan, Pretenders, Style Council, and George Michael/Wham, and their impact on both British and American music. The role of MTV on the Third Wave of the British Invasion will also be discussed.

    Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

  • SOLD OUT – Learn the Art of Ukrainian Egg Decorating

    Come celebrate the spring at Monmouth University with this unique opportunity to learn the seasonal ancient art known as Pysanky. Pysanky, also known as Ukrainian eggs, is an ancient folk tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years. This meditative and communal experience is unlike any other art process and for many this workshop marks the beginning of a spring time family tradition that can be passed on and enjoyed for years to come. This tutorial will cover the history and traditions surrounding Pysanky, a demonstration, and independent practice session. The instructor will provide a variety of eggs, dyes, and tools. Participants will turn real eggs into works of art using a wax resist method similar to batik. A great deal of patience and concentration is required to complete a single egg, but it is very rewarding to reveal your hard work when the wax layers are taken off. In-person attendance will be extremely limited.

    No prerequisite skills are required. Please bring a container or old egg carton to take home your creation. ages 18+

  • Writing Memoir (Advanced)

    Class Schedule: Tuesdays – March 19 and 26 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

    This two-session virtual course taught by Mike Farragher (88), author of 4 books. The course builds on the wildly popular Intro to Memoir Writing workshops with an emphasis on character development, dialogue, and scene setting that will make any story a page turner. Practical lessons are interspersed with writing prompts to get the creativity going during this 2 week course. No prior writing experience needed and all levels welcome!

    Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

  • Writing Memoir (Advanced)

    Class Schedule: Tuesdays – March 19 and 26 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

    This two-session virtual course taught by Mike Farragher (88), author of 4 books. The course builds on the wildly popular Intro to Memoir Writing workshops with an emphasis on character development, dialogue, and scene setting that will make any story a page turner. Practical lessons are interspersed with writing prompts to get the creativity going during this 2 week course. No prior writing experience needed and all levels welcome!

    Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

  • British Invasion, Part 3: The Third Wave

    Class Schedule: Thursdays – Jan. 25 & Feb. 1 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

    This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole will survey some of the major artists of the Second Wave period, from 1967 through the 1970s. It will cover genres from psychedelia through blues rock, progressive rock, glam rock, and much more. How did the First Wave of the British Invasion lead to the different sights and sounds of the late 1960s? The course will explore artists such as Led Zeppelin, Cream, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd , Fleetwood Mac, the Bee Gees, Van Morrison, Elton John, David Bowie, and Yes, and their impact on both British and American music. Finally, how did the Second Wave set the stage for the new wave, punk, and pop sound of the Third Wave?

    Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

  • Hernan Diaz

    Hernan Diaz is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of two novels translated into thirty-four languages. He is the recipient of the John Updike award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, given to “a writer whose contributions to American literature have demonstrated consistent excellence.”

    His first novel, In the Distance, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and it was the winner of the Saroyan International Prize, the Cabell Award, the Prix Page America, and the New American Voices Award, among other distinctions. It was also a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Book of the Year and one of Lit Hub’s 20 Best Novels of the Decade.

    Trust, his second novel, received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was a New York Times bestseller, the winner of the Kirkus Prize, and longlisted for the Booker Prize, among other nominations. It was listed as a best book of the year by over thirty publications and named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and Time magazine, and it was one of The New Yorker’s 12 Essential Reads of the Year. One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022, Trust is currently being developed as a limited series for HBO.

    Hernan Diaz’s stories and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Harper’s, The Atlantic, Granta, The Yale Review, Playboy, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, and fellowships from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, and The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center.

    Diaz holds a PhD from NYU, edits an academic journal at Columbia University, and is also the author of Borges, between History and Eternity.