2020 Workshops
Art at Home: Glass Plate Monoprints
Rachael Kane
Glass plate monoprints are a quick and easy form of printmaking that can be done at home without any specialized equipment. Washable markers, printer paper, and the glass from a small picture frame (don't worry, it gets washed and put back!) are all you need to create simple prints. If there's time, we can also discuss other easy at-home methods for making trace monotypes and relief prints.
Whimsical Watercolors
Abby Alexanian
Wash away the stress of quarantine with an easy and relaxing watercolor workshop! All are welcome (no prior art experience required!). In this session we'll take a whimsical and meditative approach to watercolor painting, leaving you with a calmer mind and several beautiful works of art to add to your Friends' End Day memorabilia!
Collaborative Storytelling Through Tabletop RPGs
Sylvia Harrington and Dave Dutilley
You know the deal: Tabletop Role Playing Games (or TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons and the like are the new hotness. Once previously hidden away as a niche thing played empty classrooms, now played unabashedly in hobby shops, on massively popular podcasts, and by celebrities. Is it due to a less judgmental population of young people? Is it a more creatively in-tune society? Is it a bunch of really bored adults? Who knows! Whatever the case, TTRPGs are a fun group activity and an improv-heavy way to tell stories.
If you are interesting in participating, please set up an account on Roll20 beforehand. It's free and easy! Due to the potentially large group size and limited session time, we will likely be using premade characters from the superhero-themed Sentinel Comics RPG, splitting the group in half and "passing the baton" halfway through to ensure everyone gets a chance to play in a more "standard" RPG setting (usual party sizes are around 4-6 players).
Music Recording and Production In Ableton Live
Brendan Tompkins
Attendees will learn the basics of Ableton Live. What is Ableton Live? Ableton Live is fast, fluid and flexible software for music creation and performance.
The workshop will be geared towards anyone interested in recording or producing music I'll review the performance features too). While I will use Ableton Live to conduct the workshop - everything I will go over can be applied to other music recording and production softwares.
And if you are more interested in basic audio recording (podcast recording or dialogue for video) you will learn some useful stuff too.
Also - Ableton Live is currently free for 90 days. The Intro version is currently $69. The software is available for both Mac and PC. Download it and check if out if you want before the workshop.
Drawing What You See*Drawing How You Feel
Kara Tyson
In this session, we will practice expressing our repressed emotions through art. We will do this by, first, exploring some elementary drawing and composition techniques. We will build on those techniques in order to draw/paint an animal that demonstrates how we feel, and finally, add some text (if desired).
Homemade Pasta: A virtual culinary trip to Italy!
Sarah Cormier
I will be showing you how to make your very own pasta - it's not as hard as you may think. Plus, we will be making a simple tomato sauce to accompany your pasta.
2020 Lectures
Weaving out Stress
Lisa Riley
I'll be discussing how, at the age of 62, I found a passion that I have been curious about since I was a child. I'll share a bit about my search for places to learn and the community that I have been able to join. I'll also share the relaxation, creative outlet, and sense of accomplishment of producing something beautiful from mere thread.
Ooo-koo-lay-lay and Me
Angela Steinkamp
The ukulele is a popular instrument because it's easy to pick up and play. If you want to learn more about it, I'll be sharing a brief history of the instrument and playing a few dittys that I've written. Come check it out and you might walk away with a new instrument to take on!
Guilty Pleasure Artist Roundtable
Anthony Martino
A roundtable discussion of musicians we love that others may not and why they mean so much to us.
Silly, Rabbit! Picture Books Aren't Just for Kids.
Elizabeth Printup
​Children's literature gets a bad rap. Picture books in particular are frequently dismissed by the average adult because of their brevity, visual components, and young target audience. In this lecture we will discuss the balance of simplicity and sophistication at work in picture books as well as the knowledge and pleasure to be gleaned by reading them - no matter your age!
Here Come the Waterworks
Ethan Grosso
Constructed by a society at the height of its golden age, the steam engines of Boston's Metropolitan Waterworks Museum are products of both industry and artistry. You won't need to be an engineer to appreciate the detail and pride that was bestowed on these towering machines. These carefully crafted "sculptures" were, in their own time, technological innovations with the critical task of supplying extraordinary amounts of water to the public. The grandeur of their design reflected the grandeur of their purpose; their beauty highlighted the egalitarian ideals of the emerging democracy they supported. We'll be considering the artistic elements of the machinery and their space, both on their own and in a vacuum, and why people care about sharing and preserving this sculptural approach to engineering.
The Art of Learning and Performing a Foreign Language Art Song
Brianna Smith
Have you ever thought about how those fancy schmancy singers are able to perform beautiful operatic songs in a foreign language and yet the audience understands what is happening? (Yes, there are translations on screens at an opera, blah blah blah... but what about those concerts at places like Carnegie Hall?) Well, there's an art to it, and I'd love to break down the process of approaching a song in a foreign language and performing it! Join me as I do a deep dive into Tchaikovsky's art song, "Nur Wer die Sehnsucht Kennt". There's more to it than meets the eye... or ear!
We are the Crystal Gems: An Intro to Steven Universe
Mary Beth Lursen
Steven Universe (2013 - 2020) is an animated children's television series that follows Steven Universe, a boy who lives with three Gems—magical, humanoid aliens. Steven himself is also half Gem, and the cartoon follows him as he grows up and finds himself in the world and the galaxy beyond. The original series was later followed by Steven Universe: The Movie and a limited series Steven Universe Future.
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Although critically acclaimed for its art, music, storytelling, and voice acting, both children and adults (myself included) have found themselves drawn to the show for more reasons than aesthetics or storytelling.
In this lecture, I'll be discussing a little bit about the overall plot of the show and the characters before diving deeper into what makes this show so comforting to me with emphasis on LGBT+ characters and depictions of mental illnesses.
Why I've Dedicated My Life to Looking at Poop 💩
Kellyanne Duncan
What is the gut microbiome? How does my gut microbiome influence my health and well-being? These questions and more will be addressed in this lecture discussing the contribution of the gut microbiome in western diseases and what you can do to keep your gut microbes happy and healthy.
Inside A Beehive
Chris Steinkamp
See how apis mellifera (western honeybees) build and maintain a beehive. Learn about how to keep bees and the importance of other pollinating insects. If the weather and bees are agreeable, we can go into an active beehive. If not, it'll be show and tell inside.
