Acadia Senior College

Mellon Room, Northeast Harbor Library, 1 Joy Road, Northeast Harbor.

The 2018-midterm elections did not resolve whether Trump and Trumpism are epiphenomenal or an enduring force in American politics. Citizens now seek perspective on our national politics and possible futures. This course will present a seasoned activist’s views on what has happened, what is to be done, and what we may achieve or must endure in the next decade. It will be a dialogue in which participants engage contemporary American politics.

St. Saviour's Episcopal Church, 41 Mount Desert Street, Bar Harbor

Avant Garde French Impressionist paintings of the 19th century provided the basis for all contemporary color theory, and subject matter. Today the painters are world famous, their work is treasured by museums and patrons alike and commands prices in the millions of dollars for collectors. Students who are looking to strengthen their understanding of art history and color theory will be interested in this course.

Birch Bay Village Inn Library, Village Inn Rd (off Crooked Road), Hulls Cove.

After the Romans left Britannia in AD 410, what became England suffered through the Anglo-Saxon invasions which drove the British into Wales and South-Western England. The national area was divided into six smaller kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Middlesex, Kent and Wessex. These kingdoms fought violently amongst one another until Wessex emerged as the most powerful under King Alfred. This course will begin with the Roman departure and explore the wars among the kingdoms, the arrival of the Vikings, the rise of Anglo-Saxon control, and the eventual invasion by William, Duke of Normandy in AD 1066.

Mellon Room, Northeast Harbor Library, 1 Joy Road, Northeast Harbor.

This course will continue the discussion from the Fall 2018 class and explore other civil rights incidents not at all or not fully covered in prior courses (March on Washington, Birmingham Church bombing, James Meredith). The “Now” portion of the course will include Somalis in Maine, separation of children from parents in Native American families as late as 1978, and outspoken sports figures from Muhammad Ali to Colin Kaepernick.

Lisa Stewart Women’s Health Center, 2nd floor, 330 Main Street, Bar Harbor.

Learning from last year’s course “Genetic Engineering”, this new course will concentrate more on understanding the stuff of life – focusing first on the genetic code, used by all living creatures on this planet and how this encodes genes. After we understand these basics, we will move on to natural selection, artificial selection and then to the basics of genetic engineering, including “CRISPR.” The aim is to understand what genetic selection has done, what genetic engineering has and is doing using the new powerful tools which we now have. A key goal is for participants to be able to look at media reports and begin to distinguish science from pseudoscience. The course will be taught in an open, dynamic manner responding to the individual students’ questions, needs and levels.

~~ NOTE NEW LOCATION: Birch Bay Village Inn Library, Village Inn Road (off Crooked Road), Hulls Cove

This is a course for beginners in rug hooking. Class members will make their own hooked rug or mat, learn about the history of rug hooking and the various styles that have emerged over the years. Many men and women have found that this form of self-expression gives them a sense of accomplishment and pleasure in making something that others also enjoy and value.

Birch Bay Village Inn Library, Village Inn Road (off Crooked Road), Hulls Cove

We will continue our excursion through the history of opera beginning where we left off in the mid-19th century. We will again use a combination of DVDs and CDs. Some of the operas we'll explore in depth will include Puccini's "La Boheme" and "Il Tabarro", Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci", Tchaikovsky's "Pique Dame", Massenet's "Thais", Stavinsky's "Rakes Progress", Mussorgsky's "Boris Gudunov" and Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier."

Wendell Gilley Museum, 4 Herrick Rd, Southwest Harbor.

Chat with coastal and ocean sailor Ben Emory about intriguing boats he has owned and enjoyed -- from rowboats to a Hinckley, from Nathanael Herreshoff to current designers and builders. Provided readings will include some of Ben's published writings about his boats. Nat Fenton will join in discussing navigating sailboats across oceans, and Dianna Emory will add perspective on couples cruising. Four classes, one of which will be a field trip to Brooklin Boat Yard and a visit to the WoodenBoat campus culminating with refreshments at the Emorys' cottage overlooking Eggemoggin Reach.

Neighborhood House, 1 Kimball Road, Northeast Harbor.

This course will introduce selected statewide political leaders and examine the movements that they embraced while in office. Leaders will include Percival Baxter, Owen Brewster, Louis Brann, Edmund Muskie, Margaret Chase Smith, Jim Longley and Angus King. Political movements will include: conservationism, nativism, the New Deal and environmentalism. One class session will focus on the rise of independent voters in Maine politics.

Common Room, St. John Episcopal Church, 315 Main Street, Southwest Harbor.

The O'Brian novels follow the career of Captain Aubrey of the British Royal Navy during the period of the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 with the United States. The course will cover "The Surgeons Mate" and "The Ionian Mission." The novels are fictional but the political and cultural events are carefully researched. The naval battles in the novels are accurately portrayed based on British Admiralty official records.

ArtWaves Studio, 1345 State Highway 102 (next to Town Hill Market), Town Hill.

This Introduction to Open Studio class at ArtWaves will focus on gelatin plate mono printing techniques. The course will offer alternating weeks of instructor-lead sessions with weeks of student practice and experimentation. Students will learn how to use a gelatin plate printing process to create decorative papers that can then be employed through various techniques [weave, fold, glue, embellish] to fabricate finished works such as cards, booklets, baskets, banners, masks, and beads. There will be a lot of “what happens ifs,” “hmms,” and “oooooo’s” as we delve into color, surface design, and creating shapes. No experience necessary, all materials included. (Who knows, shared studio space may be your thing!)

Destination Health, Bayside Plaza (Second floor), 53 Main Street, Bar Harbor.

Tai Chi embraces the mind, body, and spirit. We will learn Tai Chi Sun style. Our movements are slow and fluid allowing us to gradually strengthen our muscles. Tai Chi for Health is designed for those with arthritis, balance problems, and other chronic conditions. It is suitable for all participants and ages. Tai Chi may be performed standing or seated.