ArtSmart is a series of arts education classes, workshops and lectures that takes arts lovers like you behind the curtain. Whether you’d like to improve your skill on the dance floor or learn more about classical music, creative writing or film, there’s an ArtSmart course – taught by nationally and locally recognized artists and instructors – that will intrigue and involve you.

Woody Allen Film Celebration
SEX, DEATH AND ALL THAT JAZZ
Instructor: Lee Wolf 

Participants in this seminar will view and analyze three of Woody Allen's films starting with Stardust Memories. Through this early Allen film we will gain insight into the mind, psyche and artistry of this ingenious filmmaker. Stardust Memories will serve as a springboard toward better understanding the pervasive themes and sources of the Allen canon. All participants will be expected to view the film under discussion before attending the class. Significant clips from the film will be shown in class to underscore theme and intention. 

STARDUST MEMORIES (1980) Thursday, January 14 at 1:30 pm
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986) Wednesday, January 20 at 1:30 pm
MATCH POINT (2005) Thursday, January 28 at 1:30 pm

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $25 per Lecture

African-American Film Festival
Host: AnEta Sewell
Thursdays, March 11, 18, 25 at 7 pm

This represents the fifth season for the African-American Film Festival. James Drayton, its founder and producer, teams up with the Kravis Center to bring another series of films to audiences this spring. For the second season, we will expand our viewing audience to include a segment for the high school student population.

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $10 per night or $25 for the entire festival

Click here to download the Student Admission Guidelines.
Click here to download the Student Application.

The Journey of Russia: from Presidents Yeltsin to Medvedev
Lecturer: Stephen De Angelis
Thursday, January 7 at 1:30 pm

What is the state of Russian industry and its military nature? The future of Russia to be discussed: third world or first world. De Angelis will explore and survey Russia’s transition from Totalitarianism to unleashed Capitalism. The Gorbachev/Yeltsin years, which produced a system collapse, coup d’etat, and primitive new beginnings, will be examined. In addition, the emergence from military putsch and ruble collapse to an era of state control and national stability under Putin and Medvedev will be documented.

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $30

Unique Flower of Fashion:
Iris Barrel Apfel on the Art of Looking Fabulous
Lecturer: Iris Apfel
Interviewed by Steven Caras
A Kravis Center Cultural Society Event
Monday, January 18 at 11:30 am

Known for her eclectic melding of haute couture with thrift shop finds, this quintessential style icon has inspired bold developments in the worlds of fashion, textiles and interior design through her spirited irreverence and pitch-perfect panache. In this totally effervescent interview with Steven Caras, Apfel shares behind the scenes stories about her career, family, clientele (including Greta Garbo, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Estee Lauder), personal style tips and more. Come and take an intimate peek at a true American original. 
 

The Weiner Banquet Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $75

Sponsored by  Ms. Beverly Sommer

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Lecturer: Lee Wolf
A Kravis Center Cultural Society Event
Monday, February 22 at 11:30 am

Scoundrel. Even the word has a scowl-like ring to it. In fact, it’s the very word Dickens used to describe Mr. Merdle, the unscrupulous banker in Little Dorrit, probably the darkest of Dickens’ novels, who eerily foreshadowed another financial pariah: Bernie Madoff. History abounds with stories of sociopaths, rogues, cads and wretches – just about every label in the Victorian moral menagerie – who violated, denigrated and willfully destroyed their fellow man. In this presentation we will examine the psyches and personalities of these evil perpetrators of hoax, fraud, murder and mayhem. What did these plunders have in common? What peculiar traits did they share? Join Lee Wolf on a journey into the minds and lives of Caligula, Lucrezia Borgia, Charles Manson, Leona Helmsley, Bernie Madoff, and others whose very names bear the indelible mark of infamy.

The Weiner Banquet Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $75

Let’s Dance!
The Making of a PBS Documentary
Lecturer: Steven Caras
A Kravis Center Cultural Society Event
Monday, March 22 at 11:30 am

Emmy award winning PBS filmmakers Witek & Novak have singled out Steven Caras as the subject for their next documentary film entitled Steven Caras: See Them Dance. He will share compelling tales from his days as a dancer with the New York City Ballet under the legendary George Balanchine as well as stories from his luminous career as a dance photographer, which will be reflected throughout the hour-long film in addition to poignant interviews with Caras and dance icons such as Jacques d’Amboise, Patricia McBride, Mia Michaels and Rasta Thomas. Sneak-preview footage of the film along with a collection of Caras’ arresting dance images will accompany this colorful lecture.

The Weiner Banquet Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $75

Lunch & Learn
with New York University- Full Day Workshop
Thursday, February 4, 11 am - 3 pm
11 am- 12 pm
Dr. Robert N. Butler
The Longevity Revolution: The Benefits and Challenges of Living a Long Life    

Robert N. Butler, M.D. is the President and CEO of the International Longevity Center- USA and author of The Longevity Revolution: The Benefits and Challenges of Living a Long Life. A physician, gerontologist, psychiatrist, public servant and Pulitzer-Prize winning author, he is perhaps best known for his advocacy of the medical and social needs and rights of the elderly and his research on healthy aging and the dementias. In 1976, Dr. Butler won the Pulitzer Prize for his book Why Survive? Being Old in America. He is co-author (with Dr. Myrna I. Lewis) of the books Aging and Mental Health and Love and Sex After 60.

12:15 pm- 1:00 pm   Lunch
1:00 pm- 1:45 pm     Naomi Levine
Leadership and Board Governance in Nonprofit Organizations in the Shadow of Madoff

Naomi Levine is Special Advisor to the President of New York University; Chair and Executive Director of the George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising; and Chair of the Boards of the Edgar M. Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life and the Taub Center for Israel Studies. She is a lawyer, a graduate of Columbia Law School (1948), where she was an editor of its Law Review. She is an expert in constitutional law as it relates to civil rights, civil liberties, church-state separation, discrimination and the rights of minorities.

1:45 pm- 2 pm         Break 
2 pm- 3 pm              Steven Emerson
Terrorism and the Stealth Jihad in the United States

Steven Emerson is considered one of the leading authorities on Islamic extremist networks, financing and operations. He has authored or co-authored six books on terrorism and national security and his documentary, Jihad in America has been broadcast on public television. Emerson serves as the Executive Director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, one of the world's largest storehouses of archival data and intelligence on Islamic and Middle Eastern terrorist groups. 

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center and The Weiner Banquet Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $150

Sponsored by Leona F. Chanin

Writers’ Circle
Instructor: Julie Gilbert
Mondays, January 4, 18, February 1, 15, March 8, 22 and April 5 at 10:30 am-12:30 pm Saturdays, February 13 and April 10 at 9 am-1 pm

Writers’ Circle has been created as a haven for serious writers of all ages. It is a safe environment in which to explore expression, expand and hone craft, share results with oral readings and respectfully critique fellow writers. The requisite to work within this group is to be a dedicated writer. There will be a 2-hour workshop twice a month accompanied by a Saturday retreat. The course will include one 15-minute private session with Ms. Gilbert. Once a piece of work has been sufficiently developed, it may result in a public reading by professional actors at the Kravis Center and/or on WXEL-90.7 FM. New writers who are advanced in their craft may apply through submitting a five-page work sample. There are no genre or style restrictions.

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $700 (extended payment plan is available)

 Click here to view entire story of The Flower Girl's Tale

Showcase the Writing
Host: Julie Gilbert
Fridays, February 26 and March 26 at 7 pm

Showcase the Writing consists of two events, which introduce talented new writers to the public. All genres of work are presented by professional actors who create the form of “story-theater.” Showcase the Writing is open to the public.

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $10 per Showcase

Writers’ Launch
Instructor: Julie Gilbert
Tuesdays, January 5, 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23 at 1:30 pm-3 pm

Writers’ Launch is just that – a pad from which to raise written expression. Within every human being there are unspoken thoughts and memories; there is buried treasure. This course is designed to alchemize the unexpressed bounty into a discipline of form, content, technique and style, which will result in story. The focus and goal is toward the fictional short story. Weekly written assignments are requested, as is weekly attendance. A full eight-week commitment will render results.

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $300

Writers’ Launch II
Instructor: Julie Gilbert
Tuesdays, March 9, 16, 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20, 27 at 1:30 pm-3 pm

Additional eight-week session of the Writers’ Launch.

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $300

Playwriting’s the Thing
Saturdays, March 13 and 20 at 9 am-1 pm

 Playwriting’s the Thing is a hands-on exploration of the most durable form of entertainment. Two writing workshops concentrate on the fundamentals of monologues and how to create them. The craft will be examined and then written and performed by professional actors. The course requirement is for theatre-lovers with a curiosity about their own dramatic abilities. Please bring a personal photo to the opening session.

The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $160