Schedule time for learning in the months ahead. Join our growing community of lifelong learners as you expand your understanding of a favorite topic or try something new. Enjoy a lecture and a gourmet lunch in our popular Food for Thought series, sample the local jazz scene, or explore art history.
For more information on our programs, email: info@thelearningcurvetucson.com or call us at 520-777-5817.
The Learning Curve Team
Now in our 22nd year of connecting those who love to teach with those who love to learn…
Spring 2024
Check back soon for new courses.

Let’s Face the Music and Dance!
Celebrate the movie musicals that starred the greatest dancers of the 20th Century. We’ll explore the rich history of dance in movie musicals and toast the directors, choreographers, and stars who created dance works of art on film. Put on your dancin’ shoes! It’s lights, camera, action for an all singing, all dancing spectacular!
Tuesdays, Jan 9 – Feb 27
10:00 am - noon
Instructor: Richard T. Hanson

Britain and the Middle East
Britain has had a long-standing connection to the Middle East in the modern era. The Ottoman Empire was long supported by Britain in the 19th century and the 1917 Balfour Declaration marked British interest in the politics and oil of the Middle East. The current conflict between Hamas and Israel is just the most recent event that has forced Britain’s choices in foreign policy.
Tuesdays, Feb 13 - Mar 5
1:30 – 3:30 pm
Instructor: Richard A. Cosgrove

Capturing Color and Light: Impressionism in Art and Music
Monet and Debussy, Renoir and Ravel.
Taken from the title of a Monet painting, the term was first used for the visual arts, but soon included the musical arts as well. Examine the use of the term Impressionism with a focus on painters, Monet and Renoir along with composers, Debussy and Ravel, all contemporaries of one another. Enjoy both visual and musical masterpieces as you learn about the social and political environment that influenced these cultural giants.
Wednesdays, Feb 21 – March 13
10:00 am - noon
Instructor: Kevin Justus

Soundtrack of the Seventies
Delve into the stories and sounds of lyric legends such as Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Paul Simon, Carole King, Jim Croce, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and more with musician Khris Dodge and friends. Blending lecture and performance, these three sessions will focus on the music that defined a decade.
Khris Dodge, Executive Director of the Tucson Jazz Festival and conductor and Music Director for the Tucson Pops Orchestra.
Thursdays, March 7 – 21
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Instructor: Khris Dodge

The Great Soliloquies of Shakespeare
Listen in on the innermost thoughts of Shakespeare’s larger-than-life characters. Read beyond the famous first lines and take a closer look at the passages that continue to inspire us more than four hundred years after they were written.
Tuesdays, March 12 – Apr 2
1:30 – 3:30 pm
Instructor: Cynthia Meier
Food For Thought: a lunch lecture series
Nourish your intellect while you enjoy the delicious northern Italian dishes offered by Vivace Restaurant in this series featuring presenters from a variety of disciplines.

Food for Thought – A Child’s Christmas in Wales – Dec 11
Enjoy the memories of Christmas from the view of a young child and discover more about a nostalgic and simpler time through this beloved work by Dylan Thomas
Monday, Dec 11
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Instructor: Cynthia Meier and Joseph McGrath

Food For Thought – Brave the Wild River – Jan 8
Marvel at the riveting tale of two pioneering women who mapped the botany of the Grand Canyon on their historic boat trip down the Colorado River in the summer of 1938.
Monday, Jan 8
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Instructor: Melissa Sevigny

Food For Thought – Brave the Wild River – Jan 9
Marvel at the riveting tale of two pioneering women who mapped the botany of the Grand Canyon on their historic boat trip down the Colorado River in the summer of 1938.
Tuesday, Jan 9
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Instructor: Melissa Sevigny

In the Arms of Saguaros
Discover the intriguing history of saguaro cactus imagery that followed the railroad’s progress through the Sonoran Desert in the early 1880s —resulting in transplanted displays from Southern Pacific depots to world’s fairs that acquainted Americans with the plants firsthand. The use of highly imaginative images by the tourism industry after WWII continues to the present day, making the saguaro an icon of the American West.
Monday, Jan 29
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Instructor: William L Bird Jr

Food For Thought – Food in Art and the Art of Food – Feb 19
From the tombs of Egypt and the walls of Pompei to Leonardo, the still life painters of the North, the Realists and Impressionists and beyond, food has always played an important role in representing elements of culture.
Monday, Feb 19
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Instructor: Kevin Justus

Food For Thought – From Olympia to the Olympics – March 18
Let the games begin. Hear the stories of Greek gods and explore their connection to tradition of athletic competition that led to the modern Olympic Games.
Monday, March 18
11:30 – 1:30 pm
Instructor: Alison Futrell

Food For Thought – Remarkable Arizona Women – Apr 8
Hear the stories of some of the state’s most fascinating figures—women from across Arizona, from many different backgrounds, and from various walks of life. These remarkable women broke through social, cultural, or political barriers to make contributions to society that still have an impact today.
Monday, April 8
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Instructor: Wynne Brown