Ready to learn? Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College (OLLI at Ringling College)’s winter semester begins January 10 and runs through March 4, 2022. The semester features dozens of classes and programs covering a wide variety of topics, including art and music appreciation, health and well-being, global issues, ecology, philosophy, religion, culture and travel, and science. Classes are offered in-person on the Ringling College Museum Campus and online via the Zoom platform; the Ringling College Museum Campus is at 1001 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Masks and physical distancing are required. To register for classes and lectures, visit OLLIRinglingCollege.org or call 941-309-5111.

Highlights of the fall semester include:

Taste of OLLI. Culinary expert John Dangaran offers a broad overview of wine and beer. Students will sample beers and wines paired with light bites prepared by Chef Kaytlin Dangaran at the Sarasota Art Museum’s Bistro. These in-person sessions take place on the Ringling College Museum Campus, Monday, January 10, 5–6 p.m. (beer); and Monday, January 24, 5–6 p.m. (wine). General admission is $55 per lecture.

Cultural Tuesdays. A series of six lectures exploring the customs, languages, art, music, religion, and other aspects of culture in African, American, Asian, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern societies:

• January 11: The Unknown Side of Mexico with Sarah Hernandez.
• January 18: Translatable and Untranslatable: Chinese Medicine in East Africa with Yidong Gong.
• January 25: Foreign in a Domestic Sense: Puerto Rico’s History During the American Century with Hugo Viera-Vargas.
• February 1: Experiencing Authentic Italy with Anne Gelbmann.
• February 8: A Journey Through India – The Land That Gave Us Om, Bollywood, and Butter Chicken with Megha Vaid.
• February 15: Explore the Roof of the World – Tibet with Judith Levine.

These in-person lectures take place on the Ringling College Museum Campus, Tuesdays, 11 a.m.–12:20 p.m. General admission is $90 for the series.

Listening to Women. A seven-session series featuring women whose innovations and accomplishments are having an impact and influencing lives locally and globally.

• January 20: Pushing Stained Glass Ceilings and Other High Wire Acts with Reverend Liz Walker and interviewer Francine Achbar.
• January 27: Full Fashion Spectrum – A Conversation on History and Vision with Marie Johnson Colbert, Sigrid Olsen, and moderator Michelle Carter.

• February 3: We Persevered: Successful Women in Science, Technology, and Healthcare with Marion Black-Ruffin, Felecia Jett, Kathie Westpheling, and moderator Victoria Kasdan.
• February 10: Musicians at Work with Lena Cambis, Natalie Helm, Cheeko Matsusaka, and moderator Betsy Traba.
• February 17: From Slippers to Steel-Toed Boots with Alma Grocki, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (ret.).

• February 24: The Origins of Our Artistic Paths with Leslie Butterfield, Judy Levine, Sheila McKoy, and Dasha Reich.
• March 3: Code Red with Jada Wing Hang Poon, Vivian Owen, Zifeng Zhuo, and Katerina Mullen.

The series takes place on Thursdays at 1 p.m., January 20–March 3, at the Ringling College Museum Campus. Registration is $90 for the entire series.

The Fire of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was a visionary—a prophet who could see a better future that lay just beyond reach. His talents were nothing short of extraordinary, and he put his exceptional gifts to use in the service of freedom, driving American slavery into the grave. Dr. Richard Bell explores Douglass’ life, family, and career and considers his impact upon our modern struggle to advance the cause of Black freedom in the United States. This online lecture is Friday, January 21, 2:30–3:30 p.m. General admission is $15.

90 Days in an RV: A Journey Across the U.S. With no prior experience, Christine Klein and Greg Smith purchased an RV and spent nine months traveling the country. In this educational and sometimes amusing presentation, students see the highlights (and lowlights) of the 62 different places they stayed and learn about the basics of RV living. This in-person lecture takes place on the Ringling College Museum Campus, Friday, January 28, 1–2:30 p.m. General admission is $15.

The Holocaust Through the Eyes of a Survivor Lecture. Before she passed away in 1974, Felicia Bornstein Lubliner wrote about her internment in Polish ghettos and two Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz and Gross-Rosen. Her powerful stories have recently been published by her son, Irving Lubliner, in Only Hope: A Survivor’s Stories of the Holocaust. Lubliner, an emeritus professor at Southern Oregon University and an OLLI instructor, has been sharing his mother’s stories in classrooms for more than 25 years. This online lecture is Thursday, January 27, 3–4:30 p.m. General admission is $15.

Einstein’s Circle: The Supreme Court at Work: A Behind-The-Scenes Tour. Judithanne McLauchlan, a U.S. Constitutional law professor, draws on her research and experience working at the U.S. Supreme Court to take participants on a behind-the-scenes tour. Along the way, she will discuss the history and operation of the Court, architectural features of the building, and elements of judicial strategy, decision-making, and constitutional interpretation. This online Einstein’s Circle is Wednesday, February 16, 3–4:30 p.m. General admission is $15.

Florida Listening Tour. Since 2007, Art Levy’s primary job at Florida Trend magazine has been traveling the state, interviewing prominent Floridians for the magazine’s “Icon” feature. The more than 130 interviews reveal a different side of Florida than the “Weird Florida” and “Florida Man” versions that have become so widespread in popular culture today. This online lecture is Thursday, February 24, 3–4:30 p.m. General admission is $15.

State, Local, and National Campaigns: The Civil Rights Movement in Florida. The idea that Florida did not experience the tumult of other Deep South states during the Civil Rights Movement is a popular misconception. Florida’s exceptionalism in relationship to the Black freedom struggle is placed in its proper regional and national perspective in this enlightening lecture with Dr. J. Michael Butler, a Kenan Distinguished Professor of History at Flagler College. This online lecture is Wednesday, March 2, 2:30–3:45 p.m. General admission is $15.

Celebrating Florida’s Wild Wonders. An all-day event inspired by the book The Wilder Heart of Florida and featuring eight celebrated writers, poets, educators, environmentalists, architects, and artists. This in-person event is Friday, March 11, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. at the Ringling College Museum Campus. General admission is $125, which includes lunch and a complimentary reception.