OLLI Outlook
The Monthly Newsletter of OLLI @Berkeley
January 2012
Contents
Exciting News from the Bernard Osher Foundation
Upcoming Events
OLLI Outreach
Faculty Interview: Joni Spigler
Call for Class Assistants
Fourth Age Salons
Winter Lecture
Notices about Email
The Lunch Bunch
Member Benefits and Partner News
2011-12 Academic Calendar
Gift Certificates
Join Our Mailing List!
Links
Donate to OLLI

Find OLLI on Facebook


OLLI @Berkeley Staff
Director
Susan Hoffman
 
Program Coordinator
Aileen Kim
 
Communications Coordinator
Satya Levine
 
Classroom Coordinator
Rosina "RJ" Bruno
 
Research Assistant
Sandra von Doetinchem
 
Student Staff
Nika Allahverdi, Camille Enriquez, Justin Jackson, Tamar Lee, Katherine Van Zalen, Suna Wilkerson
 
OLLI @Berkeley
University of California
1925 Walnut St #1570
Berkeley, CA 94720-1570
tel. 510.642.9934
fax. 510.642.2202

REGISTER FOR WINTER 2012

Exciting News from the Bernard Osher Foundation
We are thrilled to announce that the Bernard Osher Foundation awarded OLLI @Berkeley with a second $1 million endowment in recognition of our program, growing membership, and robustness of our Annual Fund campaign. Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Vice Provost Cathy Koshland joined the OLLI holiday party on December 7 to announce the gift. The Foundation has been impressed with the University and member-donor support to OLLI. This second endowment award offers OLLI the necessary fiscal stability to have a permanent position devoted to managing the OLLI classrooms and the instructional technology and accessibility needs of the OLLI membership. We all played a role in making this happen--kudos to all!

UPDATE: Phone Registrations
The new national standards for secure credit card processing has greatly increased the administrative burden of processing credit card payments in the office. The regulatory changes have impacted many units on campus and the University is continuing to investigate options for easing the process of accepting credit card payments.

In the meantime, we are strongly encouraging everyone to 1) register online or 2) register by mail with check payment.

We are available to guide you through the online registration process if you desire assistance. And we are always happy to answer your questions about our programming or policies. Call 510.642.9934.

NOTE: If you self-register online, we are able to process additions or updates to your schedule more easily, in accordance with our change policies.

 

Upcoming Events

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WINTER 2012 OPEN HOUSE ~ Jan 17 

January 17, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Doors open at 9:30 am
Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse
2020 Addison St, Berkeley
Free | Reserve a place 

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FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW ~ Jan 19

San Francisco film critic Michael Fox will discuss his picks for upcoming Bay Area film festivals. OLLI staff will be present to talk about the winter offerings and the Lafayette program. 

 

Thursday, January 19, 1:00-3:00 pm
Lafayette Library and Learning Center
3491 Mount Diablo Blvd, Lafayette
Free | Reserve a place   

 

OLLI Outreach

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BROCHURES 

Is there a place in your neighborhood or elsewhere that should have OLLI brochures? Pick up some brochures at the OLLI office to give to friends and family, or to distribute at clubs, groups, and organizations you belong to. Call 510.642.9934 or email [email protected] to arrange pick-up.

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OLLI ADVERTISING

Look for our ads in California magazine, the programs of the Berkeley Rep, Cal Performances, and the Aurora Theatre, and listen for us on KQED from January 9-15.  

 

While you're at it, bring a friend or three to the Open House on January 17. OLLI members are our best ambassadors. Word of mouth is how most members heard about OLLI. 

 

Faculty Interview: Joni Spigler

By Satya Levine 

 

Q: How did you discover your interest in your subject and what course of education did you pursue that led you to this point?

A: I have been interested in art all my life, but my arrival in the field of art history occurred fairly late, after majoring (and minoring) in painting, geology, philosophy, Latin, and women's studies. I settled on the history of art because I found the discipline to be endlessly expansive, capable of accommodating all my various interests. I specialize in nineteenth-century European art. I feel a strong affinity with the century in its European form, a century that gave us Courbet, Manet, and C�zanne, as well as Darwin, Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, Marx, and Freud. A century caught up in the vortices of desire, between the classical or agrarian past and a series of possible utopian and dystopian futures, infused with a hopeful melancholy, looking for meaning in form.

 

Q: What are your current projects and areas of interest?

A: Currently I am completing a PhD dissertation in the History of Art at the University of California, Berkeley which focuses on nineteenth-century French Animaliers (artists who paint and sculpt works with animal subjects). I am interested in how these artists' practices intersected with those of scientists at mid-century: how they went about selecting and representing their subjects, their techniques of observation, their ideas of animal psychology and behavior. My primary focus is on the animal paintings of Rosa Bonheur, whom you may know by her famous painting The Horse Fair (1853-55), which is now in the Met.

 

Q: What is your vision for your OLLI course and what do you hope to have as the high point?

A: My hopes for the class are manifold. I hope to provide the students with the historical context and critical tools they will need to better appreciate the upcoming exhibition on which the class is based: The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860-1900 at the Legion of Honor from February 18-June 17, 2012. We will have the pleasure of viewing an astonishing collection of late-nineteenth century British works: paintings, furniture, wallpapers, stained glass, printed fabrics, and book illustrations, all painstakingly crafted. We will discuss the materials, techniques, and processes the artists employed in making their objects as well as the symbolism and myths to which they were drawn. Beyond art appreciation, I hope that we can all engage in some lively discussions about ideas of "beauty" and "art for art's sake," craftsmanship and industrial production, and how works by artists involved in the Aesthetic Movement differed from the art being produced during the same period in France. I hope the entire course is a high point!

 

Joni Spigler will be teaching The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde 1860-1900, on Wednesdays from 1:00-3:00 pm beginning February 1, 2012. For more information, visit olli.berkeley.edu

 

Call for Class Assistants
Class Assistants are an important part of the OLLI program and are needed every term to help with check in and closing up classrooms. If you would like to help out by volunteering or would like to know more about what a Class Assistant (CA) does, please contact CA Recruiter Cheryl Brewster at [email protected]. You'll be contacted based on your class selections.

Fourth Age Salon ~ Jan 23

Fourth Age Salons are an opportunity for OLLI to learn more about the learning needs and interests of members over 80. Upcoming Fourth Age Salons are scheduled to take place on the following Mondays in Room 41C University Hall (2199 Addison St, Berkeley):

  • January 23rd, 3:00-4:30 pm
  • February 27th, 3:00-4:30 pm
  • March 19th, 3:00-4:30 pm
  • April 16th, 3:00-4:30 pm

Each salon will have a specific topic with a guest speaker. Please contact research assistant Sandra von Doetinchem at [email protected] for more information. 

Winter Lecture ~ Feb 29
Wednesday, February 29, 12:00-1:10 pm
Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse (2020 Addison St, Berkeley)
$10 general admission at the door, Free for OLLI  members with ID
Reserve a place

The Crisis of the Euro
Barry Eichengreen

 

Barry Eichengreen is a Professor of Economics and Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (London, England). His most recent book is Exorbitant Privilege: The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System (January 2011) which was shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award in 2011.

 

Notices about Email
EMAIL DELIVERY TO COMCAST.NET ADDRESSES
We have noticed that Comcast often classifies emails sent from RegOnline, OLLI's course registration system, as spam and blocks delivery. This means that if you have a "comcast.net" email address, you may not receive your confirmation email or important announcements about your courses, such as reading material, classroom changes, and other course-specific updates.

If you have a comcast.net address, here's what you can do to help ensure you receive these updates:
  • Add "[email protected]" to your email address book or "white list"  
  • If you have an alternate, non-comcast.net email (i.e., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.), contact the OLLI office at 510.642.9934 or [email protected] to update your address
The Lunch Bunch

by Lucille Poskanzer

 

Anh Hong Restaurant

2067 University Ave, between Shattuck Ave and Milvia St 

Berkeley CA 94704

510.981.1789

www.anhhong.com 

 

This Vietnamese restaurant is located very close to University Hall and is a fine place for lunch, if you order carefully. It is also good for large groups. The d�cor is modern and clean, although it does have the atmosphere of a sports bar. Stick to the dry noodle dishes, and the salads and appetizers. Prices are moderate, but a little more expensive than other Vietnamese places nearby.

 

Member Benefits and Partner News

50% Discount at Berkeley Arts and Letters  

Berkeley Arts and Letters offers a 50% student discount to OLLI members. Visit http://berkeleyarts.org for more information.
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Jazz Cafe: 10% Discount for OLLI members
Ongoing through the Spring term, show your OLLI student card and get 10% off on food and non-alcoholic beverages. The Jazz Cafe is located at 2087 Addison Street, just across the street from Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse.

 

2011-12 Academic Calendar
WINTER 2012
Open House: Tuesday, January 17
Term dates: January 30-March 12
Holiday (no classes): February 20

SPRING 2012
Open House: Tuesday, March 20
Term dates: April 2-May 11

SUMMER 2012
Term dates: June 5-29

Gift Certificates Available
This Valentine's Day, share the sweetness of lifelong learning with a loved one. Take a course together, or explore different interests and discuss what you've learned over lunch after class. Gift certificates are available for OLLI memberships, courses, and workshops. Download an order form or contact the OLLI office (510.642.9934) to purchase a gift certificate.