Registration Now Open for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

December 2, 2024 | Sarasota

Registration is open for the 2025 winter semester at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Ringling College, which offers noncredit educational opportunities for adults to pursue new interests, expand intellectual horizons, and enrich their lives. The semester, which runs Jan. 13-March 7, 2025, features more than 90courses, lectures, workshops, and special presentations covering a wide variety of topics, including arts and entertainment, history, music appreciation, health, literature, philosophy, religion, and science. Semester highlights include The Florida Highwaymen: Pioneers of Art and Enterprise; Law Enforcement, Public Safety, and the Constitution;Leontyne Price: Queen of the Met; How to Successfully Self-Publish Your Book;Introduction to Biotech Drugs: From Insulin to Gene Therapy; Listening to Women; and an interactive magic show featuring Star Newman. Classes are offered at Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; and online via Zoom. To register, or for information about becoming an OLLI member, visit www.OLLIatRinglingCollege.org or call 941-309-5111.

Highlights of the 2025 winter semester include:

The Florida Highwaymen: Pioneers of Art and Enterprise – In 2004, 26 Florida Highwaymen artists were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. Self-taught artists who began painting in the mid-1950s, the Highwaymen overcame the social conditions of the Jim Crow South and thrived as painters and entrepreneurs by selling their paintings from the trunks of their cars along Highway A1A. Join Stephenie Frasher for an in-depth look at six of the 26 Highwaymen artists.

Law Enforcement, Public Safety, and the Constitution – This class will survey how the Constitution affects law enforcement and public safety. Study how the Exclusionary Rule evolved to limit the use of evidence seized unlawfully by law enforcement officers under the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution and how those limitations have expanded and contracted periodically during the 20th and 21^st centuries. 

Leontyne Price: Queen of the Met – When Leontyne Price opened the “new” Metropolitan Opera House in 1966, her status as America’s reigning soprano and resident Met diva was confirmed. From her sensational Met debut in 1961 to her farewell in 1985, Price’s voice remained luxuriantly beautiful and fresh. Price was also a role model for Black opera singers breaking down the barriers Black artists faced in 1950s America.   

How to Successfully Self-Publish Your Book – Do you have a book idea that you’re eager to share with the world? Self-publishing is now an accepted and increasingly popular way for anyone to publish a book; the key is having a book that is as professional as a traditionally published one. This workshop will provide a step-by-step guide to the self-publishing process including editing, cover design, back cover copy, choosing the right Amazon categories, marketing, and more.

Introduction to Biotech Drugs: From Insulin to Gene Therapy – There is a lot in the news about the newest drugs for cancer, obesity, diabetes, and genetic disorders that all fall under the category of biotechnology. What is “biotech” and how does it differ from traditional drug development? This course will explore the history of biotechnology in drug development, from insulin to gene therapy. 

On Jan. 10, 1-2 pm, OLLI presents Magic and Other Wonders featuring Star Newman. Newman is a magician/mentalist who defies physics, manipulates minds, and delights with worldly wit. The audience plays a crucial role in this unique and engaging performance. General admission is $15. 

OLLI presents its sixth annual Listening to Women, a seven-session series that recognizes women whose brilliance and fortitude have reshaped industries and who are making a difference in today’s communities. The series takes place on Thursdays, 2-3:30 pm, from Jan. 23 to March 7. General admission registration for the complete series is $90. 

CONNECTIONS, the documentary film series, returns, featuring a screening of Resistance — They Fought Back with a special guest appearance by Paula Apsell, Emmy winner and writer and co-director of the film, Feb.11, 2:30-5 pm. We’ve all heard of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, but most people have no idea how widespread and prevalent Jewish resistance to Nazi barbarism was. There were uprisings in ghettos, large and small; rebellions in death camps; and thousands of Jews fought Nazis in the forests. Filmed in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Israel, and the U.S., Resistance — They Fought Backprovides a much-needed corrective to the myth of Jewish passivity as told by survivors, their children, and expert witnesses. This film will be shown at the Ringling College Museum Campus; general admission is $15.

Additionally, OLLI at Ringling College offers two lectures and a special program during the winter semester. Lectures include How the Supreme Court Is Re-Making America on Feb. 7, 2:30-3:30 pm; and Black Hollywood: African Americans in Film: The Early Years on Feb. 26, 2-3:30 pm. General admission for lectures is $15 each. On Feb. 28, 2-4 pm, OLLI presents Tennessee Williams’ one-act play “Auto Da Fe,” in partnership with NoName Repertory. A psychological study of the self-destructive effects of paranoia and intolerance, “Auto De Fe” follows the uncanny descent of a family into madness. General admission is $20.

To register, or for more information about becoming an OLLI member, visit www.OLLIatRinglingCollege.org or call 941-309-5111.