Classes

Experience POP writing which grew from a collaboration of expressive arts and anthropology. In these four workshops, you’ll experience a variety of prompts including observational writing and devising questions you’ll work to answer. You’ll revisit your writing to better understand what you’ve been telling yourself all along. The POP springboards will produce writing that will build confidence in your ideas, serve as ammunition to act, and you’ll generate pages which can provide material for more polished work. There will be homework and opportunities to share.

The Russian revolution of 1917 was a cataclysmic event that completely changed the course of the history in this country and had a profound influence all around the world. The Russian Silver Age is a time period in art history before and after the revolution, around 1880 to 1925. The Russian Golden age was the first true blossoming of arts during the first half of the 19th century, Pushkin and Gogol in literature and Glinka in music. In the end of the 19th century Russian poets and writers began experimenting with symbolism which initially developed in France. In music, symbolism found expression in mystical compositions of Alexander Scriabin and early works of Sergei Prokofiev. Gradually, in spite of the very popular following of the late Romantic Russian composers Sergei Rachmaninoff, Anton Arensky and Alexander Glazounov, a new generation of modernists developed it before and after the revolution. Modernism was strongly expressed in Stravinsky’s ballets Petroushka and even more so in The Rite of Spring which initially caused an immense scandal. Sergei Prokofiev’s operas The Fiery Angel and The Love of Three Oranges and his first three piano concertos were seen as extremely modernistic and cutting edge works at the time. After the death of Vladimir Lenin, the Communist Party clamped down creativity and persecuted modernism which they associated with the capitalistic values and lifestyle. The Silver Age ended around 1925 and a new era, often called “social realism” was officially pronounced in 1929. Hear the works of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Scriabin, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovitch and many others performed by pianist Alexander Tentser.

Culinary & Cultural Tour

Enjoy a culinary and cultural tour that will awaken your senses to the sights, sounds and culinary delights of downtown Tucson. The tour begins at the Mercado San Agustin where you will learn about the history surrounding the area and enjoy the first delicious tasting at Agustin Kitchen. From the Mercado we hop on the streetcar (ticket included in the price) to Broadway and Church where we walk through the historic sights of downtown, stopping for pre-selected tastings at four additional locally owned restaurants. At each restaurant stop you will meet either the chef or owner who will speak about the inspiration behind their cuisine and answer questions. This is a fun, informative and tasty way to learn about our city’s history, the local restaurants and experience the newly launched modern streetcar.

The itinerary includes approximately 2 miles of walking. Tasting menus are preselected by the chefs and cannot be customized to meet special dietary needs.