The Dorchester Center for the Arts (DCA) invites the community to participate in upcoming classes and programs. Enroll in one of the many affordable offerings. Supply lists for classes are available from DCA. • Celebrate DCA Anniversary and National Coffee Day! Sept. 29, 10 am Join artist, coffee lover, and DCA co-founder Bob Tolley as he shares his love of coffee along with a demo of his approach to underpainting in burnt umber, as taught to him by Jacques Maroger, restoration artist for The Louvre and expert on Rubens’ hidden medium. Coffee provided! Bob holds an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an EdD from Nova Southeastern University. He studied under Jacques Maroger, former chief conservator, Le Louvre, Paris, France and Ann Didusch Schuler, co-founder, Schuler School of Fine Arts. Bob worked as an art instructor in the Dorchester County School System. Now retired, Bob devotes his complete attention to painting, combining a very deep personal experiential knowledge of his subject matter with years of experimentation creating realistic, quietly elegant paintings. As an active member of the arts community in 1970 he, along with Shirley Brannock and John Bannon, founded the Dorchester Center for the Arts, which was housed for decades in an old historic building on High Street until the move to the current location. The program is free, but reservations are requested and can be made by calling 410-228-7782. • Night Paint: Nature Studies in Watercolor - Instructor: Kurt Plinke This class will concentrate on a ‘natural’ theme in which students will learn basic techniques as they paint several watercolors based upon wildlife and nature. Texture, color, and composition will be the focus for these paintings. There will be something for any watercolorist, beginner to advanced, to learn. Kurt guides students towards developing their own style by introducing a variety of methods. Paper provided. One session: Friday evenings, six weeks, beginning Oct. 16, 6 – 8 pm. Fees are: $95 members, $135 non-members. • Oil Painting for Beginners and Intermediates - Instructor: Tom Ryan This class utilizes the grid method, and supports both beginners and more experienced students continuing to perfect their skills. Beginners learn the fundamentals of still life painting including color, composition, form, and materials, while intermediate students improve existing skills and explore increasingly complex challenges. More advanced students will complete finished, professional quality work. The six-week session will begin Oct. 12 and the class is 9 a.m. to noon. Fees are: $95 members, $135 non-members. • Still Life in Charcoal and Pastel - Instructor: Jacquelyn Pfaff-Pratt Learn the basics of pastel and charcoal drawing in this 6-week course. Students will explore these versatile mediums, while deepening their drawing skills, learning about composition, and understanding color theory. Classes will include informative demonstrations and critique. Some drawing experience is essential. Materials provided. The six week session begins Oct. 5 and meets from 6 – 8 p.m. Fees are: $75 members, $115 non-members. • A New Cup for Joe - Instructor: Ann Geiger Use slab and hand building techniques to create a custom new mug for your morning joe. Included in the class will be colored underglaze application. Pieces will be clear glazed, fired, and ready for pickup within two weeks. Participants will also sample some of the special brews from Cambridge’s Night Kitchen Coffee! One session: Two-part class, Saturdays 10 am – 12:30 pm. Fees are: $45 members, $75 non-members and materials are included. • Fiber Art for Youth - Instructor: Windy Karpavage Come learn the basics of knitting and hand sewing in this four-week session. This class is for ages 9 and up. There will be one session: Saturdays, 10:30 am – noon, Oct. 3-24. Fees are: $25 members, $40 non-members. • Decoy Carving for All - Instructor: Warren Saunders Students will carve a decoy using a knife or more advanced students will power carve in the Ward-style. All decoys are completed with paint. A $50 supply fee is payable to the instructor at the first class for the wood, paint, and eyes for the project. A list of additional supplies and power tools is available. Saunders is a master decoy carver who was born and raised in Dorchester County. Early on, he studied waterfowl by spending time in their natural habitat, spending long hours at the zoo and wildlife sanctuaries and sitting in duck blinds in five-degree weather to capture the realism of the beautiful migrating species of birds, ducks, and geese of the area. He studied with noted carvers over the years, and has been described as an old hand at this art. He participates in exhibitions and shows throughout the eastern United States, including the Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition in Ocean City and the Waterfowl Festival in Easton. The 10-week session begins Oct. 8 and the class meets from 6– 9 p.m. Fees are: $125 members; $165 non-members and a $50 supply fee is payable to instructor • Beginning Piano and Clarinet for Adults and Young People - Instructor: Ginny Mattes Sears DCA is offering weekly piano and clarinet lessons for beginners of all ages. Sessions are monthly with days and time to be determined with the instruction. Classes are 30 minutes in length and held in the afternoon. The fee is $20 per lesson. • Afterschool Art Adventure Support children’s natural creativity with this series of visual arts enrichment classes. Each week will feature a new hands-on art project. Class is suitable for Ages 6-10. The fee is $5 per child per week. A DCA membership encouraged, but not required. Space is limited — weeklyregistration advised. The session will run beginning Oct. 5 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. • The LITERARY LUNCHBOX Stop by during lunch hour for a monthly bite of culture along with lunch. Local authors will read from and/or discuss their books. A question and answer period is provided, and participants should bring a lunch; a beverage provided. These sessions take place on the first Friday of each month at noon from October-December. The event is free; all are welcome, and a DCA membership is encouraged, but not required. On Oct. 2 the featured author will be Veronica Li. Ms. Li will present her new book “Confucius Says,” a novel about caring for aging parents in a Chinese American family. The book explores Confucius’ philosophy on parental care, discovering universal truths about caregiving that are still relevant today. Veronica Li grew up mostly in HongKong and immigrated to the U.S. at 15. She holds a B.A. in English from University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University. She was a journalist for the Asian Wall Street Journal and other news organizations prior to joining the World Bank. Confucius Says is her third book. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, a former colleague of the World Bank, and also maintains a home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. • Dorchester Drama Guild welcomes the Hugh Gregory Gallagher Theatre for The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon. The Dorchester Center for the Arts and Hugh Gregory Gallagher Theatre partner for comedy, presenting Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys” on Oct. 9 at 7 pm and Oct. 11 at 2 pm. Simon’s comedic play features aging Al Lewis and Willie Clark, a one-time vaudevillian team known as “Lewis and Clark” who not only grew to hate each other but never spoke to each other off-stage their final year together. The obstinate Clark, who was not ready for retirement, resented the shrewder Lewis for breaking up the act when he opted to leave show business. Hilarity ensues when there is an effort to reunite the two for a TV special on the history of comedy. This reluctant reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. Neil Simon authored Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Biloxi Blues, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Chapter Two, and numerous other plays and film adaptations. Simon received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play for The Sunshine Boys. Director Ed Langrell provides a talented cast to perform the hysterics. Craig Brittingham is Al Lewis and Brian McGunigle is Willie Clark. Erik Murray is Willie Clark’s nephew, Ben Silverman. John Norton portrays Eddie, the TV assistant. Sharon Gilroy and Nicole Millette appear as the nurses. Call 410-228-7782 to order tickets. There will be two shows: Oct. 9, 7 pm; and Oct. 11, 2 pm matinee. This is a Gallery Stage performance. Tickets are: $10 DCA members; $12 non-members. • Dorchester Drama Guild presents: Spinechillers & Literary Scaries ... Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart: A Reader’s Theatre Presentation. This will take place on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. DCA members are free; nonmembers the cost is $10. A cash bar will be available. • “Making Metaphor Work”- Oct. 28: 6 – 8 pm The use of imagery — simile and metaphor — is one of the distinguishing characteristics of poetry. In this workshop, we will examine how metaphors are made and how contemporary poets have used them to bring their poems to life. We will discuss how to choose between simile and metaphor, how to control and extend an image, and how to avoid making comparisons that are sentimental or clichéd. The workshop fee is $50 and space is limited. Known for her elegant control of form, Sue Ellen Thompson’s poetry has been praised for its metaphorical heft and sinuous syntax. Her poems have been read on National Public Radio by Garrison Keillor, featured in U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser’s nationally syndicated newspaper column, and received numerous awards, including the 1986 Samuel French Morse Prize, the 2003 Pablo Neruda Prize, and two Individual Artist’s Grants from the State of Connecticut. She is the author of five books, including most recently They (Turning Point Books, 2014). Previous books The Golden Hour (Autumn House, 2006) and The Leaving: New & Selected Poems (2001) were both nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. She is also the editor of The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry (2005), a selection of work from 94 American poets that is now being used in college classrooms across the country. To learn more, visit www.dorchesterarts.org or call 410-228-7782. Editor’s note: Spectrum is the weekly column of the Dorchester Arts Center. It is written by Mickey Love, executive director.