On March 27, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) held its inaugural Arts Fest to highlight its work in visual arts and fundraise for its planned building expansion. The public festival consisted of an art show, art demonstrations, live music, food trucks and a silent auction as attendees explored the South College Street campus.
Starting at 11:30 a.m., the event kicked off with a floral arranging and gel pad printing demonstration. At 12:30 p.m. Dr. Meirav Goldhour, professor of interior design in Auburn's College of Architecture, Design and Construction, led a demonstration for architectural sketching and watercolor. Gary Wagoner, associate professor emeritus of art, led the final demonstration at 1:15 p.m., when he showed onlookers the basics of wheel-thrown pottery.
Art created by course instructors and students were displayed across the campus. Inside the main building called Sunny Slope, the displayed art was exclusively made by course instructors, while at the Annex, students' works were displayed. The spanned a variety of arts taught at OLLI, although painting, photography and mixed media were the most common.
Inside Sunny Slope, a silent auction to directly benefit the OLLI building fund was held as attendees bid on prizes from local artists and businesses. The local businesses that supplied items for the silent auction included J&M Bookstore, Well Red AU, the Gogue Performing Arts Center and The Depot.
On one side of the Sunny Slope front porch, a volunteer provided information on OLLI membership and spring courses. On the other side of the porch, local bluegrass band Town Creek Ramblers serenaded guests with the help of guitarist and singer Ken Autrey. Holy Bread, the butcher paper BBQ food truck and local baker, was stationed to feed attendees.
OLLI is a national organization with over 120 chapters committed to providing a wide variety of engaging opportunities for continued education. OLLI chapters that meet national membership requirements partner with local universities to promote high quality educational experiences. Auburn has its own OLLI chapter tied to the Auburn University Outreach office with an extension in Montgomery. The Auburn OLLI chapter has gained over 600 members in its sixteens years operating in the area.
Involvement with OLLI is not limited to just education: members have opportunities for physical activity, volunteering and social interaction. While the non-credit courses are geared towards retired or semi-retired individuals above fifty years old, all ages are welcomed and encouraged to join. The Auburn OLLI chapter has even started intergenerational courses to inspire students to get involved with the program.
Festival committee chair Cindy McGehee spoke about how variety is prioritized with course curriculum and how that attention to detail promotes fellowship at OLLI.
"Whether you want to do nature, history, art, whatever you want to do, there's a class for you," McGehee said. "How many chances would you have to work with somebody that teaches interior design or somebody who has researched in a particular topic? You can learn first hand about their research."
McGehee also spoke about the importance and gratification that comes from general lifelong learning.
"It pulls everybody together from all walks of life. We do have people that were professors, which, of course, probably really do have a deep love of learning, but I think everybody really loves to learn something," she said. "I think most people don't really want to quit learning, growing and making friends."
Caroline Gebhard, co-chair of the curriculum committee, also spoke about the importance of programs promoting access to continued education.
"You don't have to have a college degree to be a member of a lifelong learning community. We have a range of students here," Gebhard said. "One thing we are working on is to try to give the sense that we are a very inclusive community, and we welcome everybody who's interested in lifelong learning."
Auburn is one of three OLLI chapters in Alabama, with chapters at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and in Huntsville. The close proximity makes it possible to collaborate on courses, as chapters implement digital learning options to make their classes more accessible and spotlight experts from across the state.
Auburn OLLI Director Scott Bishop spoke about why she believes the digital collaborations are necessary and beneficial.
"Every OLLI, kind of, has its own identity. A lot of it depends on who's volunteering at the time, who the director is and the sort of culture of the school," she said. "We have a lot of natural sciences, engineering and the arts, but Huntsville is very much a STEM school, so their OLLI provides that kind of programming more than we do. It's really nice to be able to tap into their digital programming."
Bishop further described how OLLI volunteers serve to provide opportunities outside of a traditional classroom to connect and learn.
"We have a varied, wide and deep curriculum, and not everything is art. Not everything is egghead intellectual," she said. "There's hiking. There's something here for everybody, and the fact that we are so run by volunteer energy, it's that energy that runs the whole place."
OLLI courses are run on a quarter system, and some classes have proven to be more popular have repeated over the years. However, classes usually change based on season, interest and volunteer availability to teach the courses.
OLLI at Auburn will begin its spring courses on Monday, March 30, at its learning institute next to the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Dr. Ann Pearson, former president of the Auburn Heritage Foundation and namesake of Ann Pearson Park, donated the property and historic buildings, but as the membership has grown, more space is necessary.
To build another classroom space on property, OLLI has been working to raise enough funds, and through fundraising efforts and the help of an anonymous donor, OLLI has raised close to two million dollars, exceeding its initial fundraising goal.
Cheri Lumpkin, OLLI communications marketing specialist, spoke more about what Auburn and Opelika residents gain from having OLLI and its public outreach events, including the Arts Fest.
"This is an opportunity for people to come together in a space that's very welcoming and to explore new ideas with other people who are also curious about the world, to get to know other people, to make new friends, to explore new topics, to keep their mind active and keep their bodies active and engaged," Lumpkin said. "We try to make sure that not only do we let the public know about the classes that we offer, but we also make sure that there are some things that are open to the public, so they can try it out. They can come to one of our public lectures. They can come to an event like this, and they can see what we're about."
Lumpkin also talked about the organization's goals and what the future of OLLI in Auburn looks like to her.
"Our short term goal is to get to 1,000 members. Right now, because we are space-limited, that's a big challenge. That's one of the reasons that the new building has become important: to make sure that growth was possible," she said. "Our real goal is just to be open to the community, and as the community grows, I feel like our membership is going to grow along with it."
Those looking to get involved with OLLI, whether through learning, teaching, volunteering or donating, can find more information on its website.
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