Arts & Humanities   

Robert Redford, who passed away in 2025, left an enduring mark on Hollywood across a seven-decade career as actor, director, activist, and founder of the Sundance Film Institute. This course celebrates his early star-making work and the fascinating complexity beneath his "golden boy" persona — the smug, self-assured skier in Downhill Racer (1969), the idealistic gubernatorial scion running for a California Senate seat in The Candidate (1972), and the carefree apolitical foil to Barbra Streisand's passionate political idealist in The Way We Were (1973).

Using only strings and a harpsichord, Vivaldi painted vivid scenes, from birdsong and thunderstorms to frozen winter landscapes. The result is one of the most enduring works in all of classical music. We explore the origins, content, and longevity of this sparkling collection of four Baroque masterpieces. No musical background needed: just bring your curiosity and your ears. Mozart trip participants will have a chance to hear this work performed live in Prague. 
 

Join Western Spirit Museum’s Chief Curator, Andrew Patrick Nelson, for an insider’s look at the museum’s newest blockbuster exhibition, Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western. This special class combines a curator’s talk with a guided tour of the exhibition. Dr. Nelson will discuss the origins and development of the exhibition, introduce its key themes and arguments, and explore how Western films of the 1960s to 1990s reflected changing ideas about heroism, violence, nostalgia, American identity, and the mythology of the West. He'll then lead participants through the galleries, offering behind-the-scenes insights into selected objects, images, and interpretive choices. Part film history, part museum tour, this class offers a deeper look at one of Hollywood’s most iconic genres during one of its most fascinating and misunderstood periods.

When the Swing Era swept America, it also sparked a passionate revival of interest in the early jazz and ragtime that came before it, a musical reclamation movement that lasted until rock 'n' roll took over American culture. This course profiles the musicians and bands who led that revival: Bob Crosby's Bobcats, Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band, Bunk Johnson, Kid Ory, George Lewis, Louis Armstrong's All-Stars, Turk Murphy, Bob Scobey, and more.

In this class, ASU Jazz Studies Professor Dr. Jeffrey Libman discusses the life and music of trumpeter and composer Miles Davis. Davis emerged professionally during the heyday of bebop, but then became a legendary bandleader who restlessly pushed jazz into the future, helping to develop cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, post bop, and jazz/rock fusion. This class is intended for jazz aficionados and those who would like to learn more about jazz. Instruments not required! The class will consist primarily of active listening to exemplary recordings with interspersed guided discussion.

 

Dr. Clark Gibson will be giving a course on the history of the saxophone dating from the invention of the saxophone in the mid 1800s through the mid 1900s. The course will focus primarily on the development of the saxophone through the lens of jazz history as we discuss many of the pioneers of jazz saxophone such as Rudy Wiedoft, Sidney Bechet, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and more

In this two-session course, we'll explore the tools and techniques of two closely related, deeply expressive genres: micro-memoir and prose poetry. In the first session, we'll read and discuss representative works in each genre. In the second session, you'll share your own original writing, in one or both genres, in a supportive, collegial setting. No prior writing experience required.

Since the 1890s, American composers have wrestled with a fascinating question: what does American music actually sound like? We'll explore how classical musicians, alongside Broadway and Hollywood composers, many of them Jewish, followed parallel paths in creating sounds that evoke the landscapes and people of this nation. Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, William Grant Still, Florence Price, Alex North, Elmer Bernstein, and others take center stage in this multimedia lecture, enriched with audiovisuals and stories.

Phoenix's first Poet Laureate, Dr. Rosemarie Dombrowski, and MIM's Dr. Mike Silvers, Curator of Education, lead this immersive two-part course. We'll read and discuss poems that engage with music and musical instruments, a style known as ekphrastic writing, meaning creative work that responds to another art form. You'll take a guided tour of the Musical Instrument Museum, interact with instruments from across the globe, and explore the beautiful relationship between poetry and music. In our second session, we'll compose original poems inspired by an instrument or musical sound and share them in a celebratory reading at MIM. No prior writing experience necessary.

Explore the beauty, drama, and timeless passion of Romeo and Juliet through the lens of ballet. This lecture dives into Sergei Prokofiev's powerful, emotionally rich score — examining how his music brings Shakespeare's tragic love story to life. We'll also explore Ib Andersen's choreographic vision for Ballet Arizona, highlighting how movement, storytelling, and artistic imagination shape this beloved production. Join us for an engaging look at the music, choreography, and creative choices that make Romeo and Juliet one of ballet's most captivating works. Please note: tickets for the performance will be distributed during the lecture and will not be available at another time.

Born in Sinuiju, Korea, in 1937, Kim Chong Hak began as an abstract painter before boldly charting his own course. Rejecting the Western-style abstraction he saw as a response to national melancholy, he settled in Gangwon Province in the late 1970s, home of Mount Seorak, the highest peak in the Taebaek mountain range, and developed a vivid, unabashedly expressive style all his own. Kim Chong Hak: Painter of Seoraksan presents works spanning his long career, offering a rare look at an aspect of Korean art from the late 20th century that is little known outside South Korea. Led by Phoenix Art Museum Docents, join us for a lecture-style presentation and in-gallery exploration of this remarkable artist's world.

Cole Porter wrote the music and lyrics for over 30 musicals, and his wit, melodic genius, and rich harmonies have made his songs a perennial favorite among jazz performers. Join Dr. Jeffrey Libman for an exploration of how jazz masters have interpreted classics like "So in Love," "Night and Day," and "I Get a Kick Out of You." Whether you're a lifelong jazz aficionado or simply curious about the music, this class offers an engaging mix of active listening to exemplary recordings and guided discussion. No instruments required, just open ears and an open mind!

In this combined lecture and studio experience, Legacy Instructor Allen Reamer guides you through Georgia O’Keeffe’s life year by year, exploring how her distinctive style developed: when, where, and why it changed. You’ll gain insight into the influences that shaped her work, including periods of illness and the key individuals who supported her career. Beyond learning about her art, you’ll create your own original works inspired by O’Keeffe’s techniques and compositions, without copying her paintings. Working with large-scale forms and expressive design, you’ll explore a variety of media and complete one or two pieces each session. Please bring your materials from the supply list to the first class. For questions regarding the class, contact areamerart@mindspring.com.

Nature journaling blends observation, curiosity, reflection, and creativity to deepen your connection with the natural world, and the research is clear: time in nature supports both physical and psychological well-being. In this class, a short indoor lecture is followed by time outdoors in the beautiful desert landscape surrounding ASU’s Health Futures Center. You’ll explore a variety of observational techniques like drawing, labeling, mapping, and descriptive writing, and discover which approaches resonate most with your own style. You’ll also reflect on your personal experiences in nature, deepening your awareness and appreciation of the world around you. The goal isn’t to become an expert artist or naturalist, but to cultivate a lasting practice of curiosity, wonder, and building a mindful connection to nature.

Alfred Hitchcock was a master at weaving together intimate personal drama and sweeping geopolitical tension — often in the very same scene. In this two-week online course, the third installment of our popular "Best of Hitchcock" series, we'll explore four films from the early 1940s that showcase his uncanny ability to capture both domestic life and international intrigue. Watch the films on your own before class (all four are available to rent inexpensively online), then join us to examine key clips and dig into the themes and motifs that make Hitchcock endlessly fascinating. Another lively trip into the suspenseful, unsettling world only Hitchcock could create.

Week 1 films: Domestic Drama Rebecca and Suspicion
Week 2 films: International Intrigue Foreign Correspondent and Saboteu

If you loved The Sheep Detectives in theaters, don't miss the book that started it all: Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. Originally written in German and translated into thirty languages, this utterly charming mystery follows a flock of sheep as they conduct spirited debates about the borders between life and death, good and evil, with surprising philosophical depth. Class is a blend of lecture and discussion, with reading questions distributed in advance. Use whatever book format you prefer; Dr. Pacheco will reference the paperback edition (Soho Crime, ISBN-10: 1641296828) during class.

Design, bind, and personalize your very own sketchbook in this hands-on makerspace workshop at the Arizona Science Center. Learn the basics of bookbinding and cover design as you craft a one-of-a-kind space for your ideas, doodles, or journaling. All materials and tools are provided, just bring your creativity!

Few authors are as quotable, or as consistently underestimated, as Dorothy Parker. Her caustic wit and succinct wisdom have secured her status as a literary powerhouse who moved seamlessly between essays and poetry, fiction and observation, sharp social commentary and deep personal feeling. Yet Parker herself worried that audiences were too dazzled by her "calisthenics with words" to grasp the deeper truths behind her cultural observations. This class gives Parker's life and literature the thoughtful, close reading they deserve. We'll sketch her character and intentions through her own words, then discuss a selection of her most notable work. All readings provided.

This class, led by Kathe Anderson, community scientist and conservation educator, combines an indoor presentation with an outdoor birding experience. We'll explore the surprising story of turkeys, from what's really behind the familiar Butterball label to how Wild Turkeys came back from the brink of extinction. Along the way, we'll cover their distinctive features (the wattle, snood, and beard), plus habitat, diet, and breeding behavior. Then we'll head outside to see what shows up in the area, possibly a turkey cousin, the Gambel's Quail. Bring your binoculars!

Every life is a story worth telling and yours is no exception. Autobiography transforms lived experience into a written self-portrait, and this class will guide you every step of the way. You'll learn what makes autobiography distinct from other forms of creative writing, how to tap into the memorable events that have shaped you, and how to deepen your understanding of the person you've become. Drawing on years of teaching and research in autobiography and adult learning, Irene Karpiak, Emerita Professor at the University of Oklahoma, will introduce a clear framework for life writing that is both enjoyable and deeply rewarding.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds one of the world's greatest collections of medieval art and much of it tells a story that may surprise you. These objects traveled from across the globe, revealing the international trade and cultural networks that shaped beliefs, artistic practices, and daily life far beyond Europe. We'll explore some of the most spectacular examples of this global contact: a seventh-century Chinese vase shaped like a Greco-Roman amphora, Chinese lions carved into a 12th-century capital in a Catalonian monastery, and a Chinese sword on the 13th-century tomb of a French knight. Through these and other works, we will explore the long-distance contacts of the Middle Ages, and how they shaped art and history.

2026 is "The Year of Craft" at Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum and this class takes you behind the curatorial curtain. Hear insights from the team whose vision shaped this landmark year, then explore the galleries firsthand with a guided walk-through and a hands-on art activity. Developed in partnership with Craft in America's Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, the museum's spring and fall exhibitions featured contemporary artists experimenting with, challenging, and reinventing traditional American craft techniques and materials. Discover how the curatorial team brought it all to life and what's still in store before the year is out.

For ninety fast-paced minutes, this acclaimed actor-director-producer transforms into the legendary comedian, delivering a performance that CBS News called the work of “the legendary comedian, writer and star of vaudeville, film, radio and television.” Following the performance, Ferrante will hold a one-hour class on the creation and evolution of his celebrated one-person show which began as a senior thesis at USC, caught the attention of Arthur Marx (Groucho’s son), and has since taken him to stages in New York, London, and around the world. In London, he received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award. A Q&A session follows the class.

Johnny Guitar (1954) bursts at the seams with sexual tension and expressionist frenzy, two feuding female leads (Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge), the men they love (Sterling Hayden and Scott Brady), and a story that defies every convention of the Western genre. Director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause, In a Lonely Place) shreds the genre's rulebook through operatic close-ups, tilted angles, flamboyant performances, a lush score, and eye-popping color. And threaded through every frame: the paranoia, suspicion, and betrayal of the McCarthy era, bleeding through like few films of its time. Coffee Pot Rock, the Two Nuns, and Oak Creek Canyon form the backdrop as ASU's Dr. Kevin Sandler guides us through the film's themes and its equally wild production history at Republic Pictures' permanent Western set in Sedona.