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Artists use color to create an array of symbolism, emotions, and socio-political meanings within the context of the time period in which they created their works of art. Additionally, artists utilize their knowledge of color to portray mood, light, depth, and point of view in a work of art. In this course, we discuss a variety of paintings throughout art history to understand the artists’ intention and the stories behind the paintings. We will also discuss the various histories of color, their meanings in various societies and cultural contexts, and materials and processes used to make colors.

Eleanor Schrader (M.A.) is an award-winning educator, lecturer, and author. She lectures worldwide on art and architectural history, and leads art and architecture tours throughout the world. She has been named a Distinguished Instructor at UCLA Extension, where she teaches history of architecture, interior design, furniture, and decorative arts. She is also Professor Emeritus of Art and Architectural History at Santa Monica College. She has done graduate work in fine and decorative arts at Sotheby's Institute in London and New York. She has served as a Design Review Commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the John Lautner Foundation.

The collecting obsessions of the Third Reich and others devastated the prolific art collections of Europe. The families of Rothschild, Ephrussi, Camondo and countless others suffered the results of heinous actions during WWII. These four lectures will examine generations of leading collectors, their families and the art they held. Additionally, each lecture will be a deep dive as we track specific art losses, the surrounding stories, the actions taken to locate and identify artworks, and the seemingly endless process of restitution. We will discuss the publicized cases and the quiet cases; those that have been settled and the current legal cases seeking restitution. Get your legal pad and your opinions ready!

Christine Maasdam (M.A.) holds a Master in Humanities and a B.A. in Cultural Geography. Her art studies include The Courtauld Institute of Art in London, The Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center in D.C. and Post Graduate studies in Antiquities Trafficking and Art Crime at the University of Glasgow. She is a graduate of the Art Crime Investigation Seminar led by Robert Wittman, founder of the FBI's National Art Crime Team. Christine is a member of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection and holds a certificate from Trident Manor on Protection of Cultural Venues. Christine received Sotheby’s certification on Determining Value: An Appraiser’s Perspective. She has spent over a decade as a LACMA docent and is an active volunteer at the City of David archaeological dig in Israel.

Free public performance!

The Los Angeles-based modern trio romántico Tres Souls are known for reviving the nostalgic boleros of the 1940s-1960s, stylized during the Golden Era of Mexican cinema. With expert musicianship and expert vocals, Rocio Mendoza, Roberto Carlos, and Jesus Martinez are “capturing the hearts of Angelenos, one ballad at a time” (ABC7).

Longtime friends Armen Guzelimian and Gilles Apap are performing together for the first time ever at Studio Channel Islands.

Armen Guzelimian is celebrated for his versatility as a top-notch collaborative artist, a brilliant soloist and first-rate chamber musician not only in Southern California, but all over the world. He has received national and international critical acclaim for his appearances in many of the major concert halls in the U.S.A and Europe.

He has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, California Chamber Symphony, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, American Youth Symphony, the Pasadena Symphony/Pops Orchestra among others, with such conductors as Neville Marriner, Stuart Challenger, Mehli Mehta, Bruce Ferden and Michael Feinstein.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Guzelimian's has appeared with the Rossetti String Quartet, the Los Angeles String Quartet, Camerata Pacifica, the Dilijan Chamber Music Series, Chamber Music in Historic Sites, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and the Aspen Festival. He made his Disney Hall debut in March of 2014 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Society and returned to the delight of audiences in November 2016.
Gilles Apap

Described by Yehudi Menuhin as ’’A true violinist of the 21st century’’, Gilles is known for his virtuosity, unique approach to music and the skill to bring joy to every concert hall. He delivers distinctive performances of the standard classical repertoire combined with genres such as jazz and folk from around the world and the result is unique programming merging the borderlines between musical styles.

As a soloist Gilles has performed with orchestras such as Leipzig Gewandhaus, San Francisco and Vancouver Symphony, Hamburg Philharmonic, Boston Philharmonic, Berliner Symphoniker, Russian National Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, often play directing as well as performing an extensive list of violin concertos.

With his quartet ‘The Colors of Invention’ (violin, accordion, double bass and cimbalom), Gilles presents chamber music with fusion of classical pieces from Vivaldi, Ravel and Bartok with traditional folk tunes. The Ethno Jazz band ‘Meduoteran’ (violin, accordion and saz) is one of the most recent projects in which Gilles is involved, performing in various Jazz and folk festivals around Europe. ‘The Transylvanian Mountain Boys’ is another highly successful crossover band formed by Gilles, together they perform across the globe and have released 3 CDs for Sony Classical. Gilles was taking the artistic leadership position at the Nordic Chamber Orchestra until the 2017/2018 season.

When Rock & Roll arrived in 1953-1954, it changed American Pop music forever. Big Bands, singers, songwriters and music publishers were in a real quandary: "What do we do now with this teenage phenomenon? Our careers are finished!” But were they?

In this class, you will discover that many "old school" performers and songwriters remained popular during this great music transition. Their careers continued on despite this "disruptive" force. Join us for a compelling look at how musical success can be found in many forms, and find out who survived the emergence of Rock & Roll.

Tony Moon has spent 60 successful years in the music business. Beginning in 1960, he joined the L.A. group Dante and The Evergreens, which was managed and produced by Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. He later moved to Nashville, becoming the guitarist and conductor for Brenda Lee. Tony also began playing on recording sessions and was Nashville's first rock independent music producer, working with five major labels. He scored several big hits for The Vogues, including "5 O' Clock World." Tony has won several awards as a songwriter and music publisher. His songs have been released by artists as diverse as Porter Wagoner, Willie Nelson, Vickie Carr, Pearl Jam, and The Beatles.

He currently administers several music publishing companies and a New York entertainment company.

Becoming one of the first public art collections following the French Revolution and one of the most visited art museums in the world, the Louvre has both a storied history and an incredible art collection. This course provides an overview of the history of the museum and how it came to be. We will explore the history of the French Academy and focus on some of the Louvre’s most renowned works of art, including the Nike of Samothrace and Venus de Milo, the Oath of the Horatii and the Raft of the Medusa, and, of course, the Mona Lisa.

Katherine E. Zoraster (M.A) is an Art Historian and a Professor of Art History at several local colleges specializing in Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. She graduated with a double major in English Literature and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her undergraduate degree, she received a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Art History from the California State University at Northridge.

In addition to the courses Katherine teaches for other lifelong learning programs, she also works as an Adjunct Professor of Art History at Moorpark College and an Art History Instructor for the full-time program at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. Katherine also serves as a commissioner for the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission and volunteers at the Burbank Animal Shelter. In her free time, Katherine is an avid runner and travels extensively.

It is well known that history is written by those who are in power – meaning, there are a myriad of histories and experiences that sit at the margins of normative U.S. histories. For example: Did you know that before Dodger Stadium was built, the area housed 3 thriving Latino/a immigrant communities? Are you aware of the reasons why Latino/a families in Texas claimed to be legally racially White before the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision? Did you learn about how U.S. border policies informed Nazi Germany’s use of Zyklon B in concentration camps? Or what happened in the 1920s to the Black community known as Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma? Each session in this course explores an invisible history of marginalized communities in the United States through research, storytelling, and visuals.

Lorena Muñoz (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor and Director of Ethnic and Race studies and Associate Dean for Equity, Inclusion & Engagement for the College of Arts and Sciences at California Lutheran University.

Dr. Muñoz is an urban/cultural geographer whose research focuses on the intersections of place, space, gender, sexuality, and race. Dr. Munoz’s research agenda has been focused on Latinx/e in the global south, particularly in the areas of the (in)formal economy, sexuality and race. Some of her research has focused on immigrant street vendors’ lives across Latin America. Dr. Munoz was raised in a mix-status transnational migrant family between Ensenada, Baja California and San Diego, California. She loves to knit and crochet, loves the beach and spending time with her family.

Learn all about the ancient plants garden design of the ancient Romans. Explore the mythology behind plants used by the ancients and learn how to turn your own backyard or patio into a modern-day Roman garden. As a bonus, there will be an opportunity to tour the Roman Gardens at the Getty Villa, space will be limited.

Scott Jones is a retired naval officer and businessman with broad experience in national security, foreign relations, and politics. Scott is also a docent at the J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Villa) where he leads tours in the Greek and Roman Galleries, special exhibitions, Roman architecture, and Roan gardens. He teaches for a few lifelong learning programs in the area.

This course explores the relationships between genocide and religion in both its institutional and theological frameworks. It begins by introducing the literature on religion and political violence and American slavery, before then turning to Biblical sources and scriptural passages with relevance to genocide studies. Next, it highlights a key theme in Holocaust and genocide studies, namely the role of churches in facilitating rescue efforts. Finally, the latter portion of the course considers historical and contemporary examples to ascertain whether there are religious components to their genocide.

Jason Hensley (Ph.D.) teaches religious studies at a private school in Los Angeles. He is a fellow of the Michael LaPrade Holocaust Education Institute of the Anti-Defamation League, a member of Civic Spirit's teacher education cohort, and the award-winning author of 10 books. His work has been featured in The Huffington Post as well as the BBC, and he has served as the historical advisor for a Holocaust documentary.

By many accounts, the American Catholic Church is dying – from the sexual abuse scandal, to lack of priests, and a massive loss of members -- the future of the Church can seem tenuous at best. Except for one thing – the Latino Catholic population has grown and is the source of numerous, vibrant church communities. In this context, one would think that Church leaders would be eager to cement Latinos’ place in the Church, if for no other reason than survival. Instead, there is a consistent pattern of neglect and disregard that is beginning to drive Latinos away from the Church. Why is this happening? This two-part lecture will cover how the history, organization, and culture of American Catholicism complicate the acceptance and integration of Latinos as equal members and leaders within the Church.

Kiku Huckle (Ph.D.) is an assistant professor of Political Science at California Lutheran University. Her research addresses how culture, values, and identity intersect and ultimately affect political beliefs and patterns of engagement, with an emphasis on race, racial resentment, and religious affiliation. Her book project, “Reluctant Evolution: Latino Communities and the American Catholic Church” examines the institutional barriers to the full inclusion of Latinos within the American Catholic Church. Other projects examine the relationship between race, racial resentment, and policy issues such as gun control and immigration, as well as vote choice.