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.

LUNCH & LEARN
Chair:  Lee Wolf
Lunch & Learn includes lunch prepared by Special Impressions at the Kravis Center, catering by The Breakers
Sponsored by  Leona F. Chanin

What Makes Us Laugh - And Why?
Featuring the films
Blazing Saddles, Dr. Strangelove and Anne Hall
Lecturer:  Lee Wolf
A Kravis Center Cultural Society Event
Monday, January 31 at 11:30 am

Discussing the world of comedy in general and three classic films in particular, Woddy Allen's Annie Hall, Stanley Kubrick's Doctor Strangelove and Mel Brook's Blazing Saddles, Le Wolf will explore the currents of American comedy and the talents who created and performed it throughout a century of social and political change.  Melding biographical portraits, rare archival materials and cultural overviews, Lee will tackle every genre of comedy to illustrate the appeal and catharsis of laughing both at and with ourselves.  The lecture will be accompanied by a video presentation.

The Weiner Banquet Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $75

About Face:
Adrien Arpel
On Why Beauty Is Ageless
Lecturer:  Adrien Arpel
Interviewed by Steven Caras
A Kravis Center Cultural Event
Monday, March 28 at 11:30 am

The founder of one of the most recognized and respected cosmetic and skin care lines in the world, Adrien Arpel has remained at the top of the highly competitive beauty field for over 30 years.  She is the creator, Chief Executive Officer, and on air spokesperson for the Home Shopping Network's sales sensation Signature Club A which she positions as "The World's Largest TV Beauty Classroom."  Originator of the Beauty Makeover concept and best selling author of "How to Look 10 Years Younger," she is both an icon in the cosmetic industry and a highly successful role model for women.  In this insightful interview with Steven Caras, Arpel shares behind the scenes stories about her career, family, clientele, personal makeup tips and more.

The Weiner Banquet Center in the Cohen Pavilion / $75

LECTURES

A Salute to the Greatest Russian
Folklore Dance and Music
Lecturer: Dr. Roni Stein
Tuesday, February 15 at 1:30 pm

Take a musical journey through Old World Russia. Listen to and view exciting folkloric dance and song presentations performed by Russia’s most revered cultural institutions, including the Alexandrov Ensemble, The Red Army Choir and the Moiseyev Dance Company, among others.

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

Theatre of the Absurd
Lecturer: Lee Wolf
Thursday, February 17 at 1:30 pm

Lee Wolf discusses and revisits the popular and innovative theatrical form that evolved from the influence of the Post World War II French Existentialist Movement. Dramatists like Albee, Beckett, Ionesco, and Pinter seized the banner of this movement and engaged in an artistic revolt against traditional modes of theatre. In form and language they underscored what they saw as the absurdity of our existence, its vanities and vacuity. They parodied language and human endeavors in often plotless, abstract plays that were, however, ripe with humor. These plays left audiences puzzled, perplexed and challenged. 

 In this program Lee will review the plays of these dramatists and will discuss and analyze both the intriguing works and lives of these dramatists with particular emphasis on Samuel Beckett's masterpiece, Waiting for Godot.

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

FILM OFFERING

African-American Film Festival
Host: AnEta Sewell
Tuesdays at 7 pm

March 29   Amos ‘n’ Andy Show,
                  Selected Episodes (1951-1953)
April 5        Open the Door, Richard,
                  starring Stepin Fetchit (1945)

April 12      Brewster’s Millions,
                 starring Eddie “Rochester” Anderson (1945)

This represents the sixth season for the African-American Film Festival.  Producer, James Drayton, teams up with the Kravis Center to bring another series of films to audiences this spring.

Helen K. Persson Hall
$10 per night or $25 for the entire festival

The Writers’ Academy at the Kravis Center

Writers’ Circle
Instructor: Julie Gilbert
Mondays, January 3, 17, 31,
February 14, 28, March 14, 28
Writers’ Circle A, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm or
Writers’ Circle B, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Saturdays, March 5 and April 9 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 (writer will attend either 10:30 am or 1:30 pm workshop), accompanied by a Saturday retreat.  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.

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

Showcase the Writing
Host: Julie Gilbert
Fridays, January 14 and March 11 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 breathe life into the written work.  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 4, 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15, 22,
March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12, 19 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 a story.  The focus and goal is toward the fictional short story.

 The Picower Foundation Arts Education Center in the
Cohen Pavilion / $600 (extended payment plan is available)
 

Playwriting’s the Thing
Instructor: Julie Gilbert
Saturdays, March 12 and 19 at 9 am - 1 pm

Playwriting’s the Thing is a hands-on exploration of the most durable form of entertainment.  The two writing workshops concentrate on the fundamentals of monologue 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 sessions.

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