Recap of Fall 2018 Courses
The Cinematic Innovations of Gene Kelly with Marc Strauss
Energetic and athletic dancer, film/stage/television actor, singer, director, producer, and choreographer Eugene “Gene” Curran Kelly (1912 – 1996) brought his artistry to dozens of movies, Broadway and television shows, including nearly thirty film musicals. He became popular for his good looks, dancing skills, and the generally likable characters that he played on screen—although, as is not commonly known, he also played villains and dark characters—as well as his unique contributions to the art of film, of which he was given an honorary Academy Award in 1952. This course will involve a close examination of numerous Kelly innovations onscreen through the showing and analysis of five of his famous, and not as well-known, movies between 1944 and 1955, as well as the occasional short clip from other films both popular and unknown. Through historically contextualized introductions and post-film discussions, Marc Strauss will lead the student to a richer understanding of Kelly’s contributions to film from both a choreographic and directorial perspective.
The National Seashore Revealed: 25 Outstanding Places, People, Facts, Oddities and Stories You Need to Know. With Bill Burke
This is a fast moving survey of the stories and places that define Cape National Seashore, our backyard treasure..Tucked away in the corners of Wellfleet and beyond within the National Seashore are both famous and obscure historic sites, evocative landscapes and vistas, old houses, archeology sites and stories of triumphs failures and controversies that collectively define this superb unit of the National Park Service family. Each week will feature suggested readings focusing on five distinct topics. First, we will review the birth pangs and development of the national seashore from the 1930s to present, including a rundown of how internally the park lives and breathes today. Then we'll have a look at ancient, old and new houses within the national seashore and visit a few nearby, Next, we will dive into the delightfully complex lore of the Dune Shacks pf Provincetown and Truro and what the latest plan is for their use and preservation The fourth session will cover a list a Bill favorite historical oddities, and a look at the archeological surveys conducted over the years, including the massive McManamon survey of the late 1970s's and the most recent survey at the Great Island Tavern site this past summer by a crew from UMASS Boston. The finale will be a behind the scenes field trip to a park facility, perhaps our museum collection warehouse in Truro.
Contemporary Artists of Cape Cod: Guest Lecture Series (Part 2) Curated by Robert RindlerThis series is designed to introduce participants to extraordinarily fine artists working among us on the Cape today, and to engage with them in a spirited, intelligent and illuminating dialogue. For each of the five weeks, we will meet, experience and explore the work of artists who have achieved significant success and acclaim in recent years. These transformational leaders in the arts, deeply involved in creative inquiry, continue to expand our perspectives of how art is being redefined within our current cultural, social and political environment. We will hear from nine local and noteworthy art makers from different media disciplines who are now or have recently been exhibiting their work in local galleries and museums where we can see their art first-hand.
Modern Architecture: Origins & Key Players in Europe & America with Julie Mockabee
This course will discuss the origins of Modern Architecture during the Industrial Revolution in Europe and America. We will look at the architects that started the shift away from the Beaux-Arts Style and how the men they mentored would become the pioneers of this Modernist movement. These pioneers will eventually teach an entire new crop of architects in America thus expanding this modernism across the country throughout the 20th Century. Our main players will be Walter Gropius, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies Van Der Rohe and Le Corbusier. These 4 men will change architecture throughout the world.Through the teachings of Gropius, Mies and Wright many architects also adopted their modernist style and have continued the ideas started at the end of the 19th Century through to today. We will look at examples of this modernist style in areas such as Germany, Chicago, New York, Connecticut and even Cape Cod. Classes will include slide lectures, hand-outs to take home, hands-on experiments and discussions. We will also try to schedule a field trip to visit a modern home nearby in the area and also have the possibility of guest speakers. Participants will be encouraged to bring their imaginations and also be ready for discussion.
James Joyce’s Dubliners, with Rhoda Flaxman
This semester we explore the short fiction of James Joyce. Often avoided by readers due to his reputation of being difficult to understand, his short stories are neither impenetrable and humorless, nor experimental. His short story collection offers us an accessible introduction to this iconic modernist, and a chance to dig into the riches of Irish history, myth, religion, and human relationships. Together, the stories trace a trajectory of life, starting with childhood. Many critics consider “The Dead,“ the last story in the collection, to be the greatest short story ever written. We will want to decide whether we agree.