Lifelong Learning

Arizona is a special place with a very humble beginning and an interesting journey to become the last of the 48 contiguous United States.  We will examine how pre-Columbian Native Americas built the most elaborate irrigation system in the Western Hemisphere.  How the Arizona Territory sided with the Confederacy with the tiny village of Tucson its hub.  We will examine how mining would become Arizona’s catalyst to growth and how [...]

  Please join us in attending a new women's group that has just formed.  We have already had two sessions and, due to popular demand, we are going to do another, including past students and new students. We all have stories worth sharing, and this is the perfect opportunity.  We use stories to make sense of our world and to share that understanding with others. We continue to learn that [...]

Are you a woman who would like to feel more empowered in your relationships?  Would you like to be more confident in your encounters with others?  We are starting two new 4 week classes that will make such a difference in your life. Kelley Bird, your instructor, is offering an hour-long class that will explain to you what this class is all about.  This free introduction, is on Feb. 22 [...]

  As the saying goes, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever," and the desire to adorn one's self with beautiful things is as old as humankind. A magnificent jewel provides the perfect complement to the fashion of the day, but more importantly, reflects its owner's taste, lifestyle, wealth and status. This lecture will examine some of the great jewelry collections belonging to royals, aristocrats, divas, socialites and Hollywood [...]

Each month, the Holland Center offers an afternoon Open Studio in our art room.  Art instructor, Larry Charles, will be on hand to provide helpful advice about art materials and techniques as you work on a project of your own choice.  Feel free to create with your oil paint, acrylics, colored pencils, watercolor, gouache or drawing pencils. Ask for helpful tips or color combinations while the Open Studio instructor is [...]

Spend a splendid afternoon with a wonderful local artist!  Learn how to use Coffee Dye papers and make Marks with with Gesso, Watercolors & Metallic Paints. These gorgeous, one of a kind papers can be used in your journaling, scrapbooking, notecards & other artistic projects! Mimi Damrauer will fill you with new and inventive ideas for creating wonderful things out of paper! All supplies included. Wed., March 1 - 10:00am [...]

The number one cause of Level I Traumas in an ER is injuries resulting from a fall, and these injuries can be very serious, possibly resulting in death.  Our Fall Prevention Awareness program is a one hour class introducing and discussing the causes of falls, the results of falls and methods of the prevention of falls.  Please join us for this informative safety class - for your health! Joe Meier, [...]

STOP THE BLEED This class is all about bleeding control for massive hemorrhage.  It is a national initiative from the American College of Surgeons to help all members of the community be able to help each other in case of a bleeding emergency.  Topics covered will include a short power point presentation and lots of hands on skills practice: Identifying life threatening bleeding Calling 911 Commercial tourniquet Wound packing Makeshift [...]

Are you a woman who would like to feel more empowered in your relationships?  Would you like to be more confident in your encounters with others?  We are starting two new 4 week classes that will make such a difference in your life. Kelley Bird, your instructor, is offering an hour-long class that will explain to you what this class is all about.  This free introduction, is on March 2 [...]

The desert is a beautiful place with so much to see, so much to do. But you must be careful!  Len Marcisz, a Legacy Steward for the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, is going to enlighten and educate you about the unusual ways in which people end up ten toes in the air in the middle of the Sonoran Desert! He will provide information on how to deal with rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, [...]

In four Tuesday morning workshops this March, instructor, Larry Charles, will show the techniques the masters used to paint realistic still lifes. The workshops will feature both oil paints and acrylics. Unique to the Valley, these Holland Center classes include all the necessary art supplies in the class fee. It is a great way to sample both types of paint before purchasing your own studio supplies. The instructor will demonstrate [...]

Where are you?  Are you at Stage 1? Stage 2? Stage 3, 4, or 5?  Regardless of your Stage of Consciousness, there is always the possibility for growth. And we are all exactly where we are supposed to be. The education and societal systems are designed to make you look outside of yourself for the answers.  And yet, quite the opposite is true. The only way to discover the way [...]

Chiles and Chocolate!  Really?  We invite you to come have a taste of the rich and savory history of these food favorites!  Explore how early peoples used them, and how they have evolved and spread to all corners of the world. Food is a portal into culture and can convey a range of cultural meaning including occasion, social status, ethnicity, and wealth depending on the social context.  Discover how chiles [...]

Explore the art of fused glass. In this class the student will create a graceful vase -- no cutting skills are required.  Using a 10 x 10 sheet of clear glass and colored frit (ground glass), pebbles of glass and other forms of glass, you create a beautiful vase. Your piece will be taken to the kiln and fired. The finished piece will be returned to you the next week. [...]

Come and join Mimi for a wonderful and unique artwork experience! You will be making a collage of your own design! Use any of your beautiful papers that you have created or collected to make a 12”x12” collage artwork with your own design. Come with a design sketch or photo  and Mimi will help you develop your idea into an original artwork on a wood panel. All supplies will be [...]

Learn how to use the system to stay well. This session will discuss preventative care, sick care, and proactive care. What do you need for better health? Topics discussed will include: Basic health care practices, basic body knowledge Basic illness care (proactive vs reactive health care) Common surgical care Common prescribed rehab practices (i.e. physical therapy, OT) Alternative treatment modalities Registration below.  

What We Learn From the Hubble – Images & Ideas Karen Knierman a member of the Faculty, ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration, will be speaking to us about the Hubble telescope. This ASU astronomer and astrophysicist studies star formation in colliding galaxies using telescopes in Arizona and in space. Monday, March 20, 2023.  4:00 - 5:30 pm.   Registration below.

  This talk will focus on the era from the 1820's through the 1840's,  a time when Western Expansion was in its full swing. It will focus on the Mountain Men, a unique breed of people, who explored the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.  It will also include an in-depth discussion of the lives, risks and processes that they used to ply their trade and survive.  The Mexican American [...]

  If you have family or friends with a permanent or temporary physical limitation, there's no reason you can't keep your travel plans and have them along! Accessible travel is more popular than ever, and with proper planning and preparation, it can be smooth and enjoyable. Come to this class to explore the tips/tricks and how to's to gain confidence in traveling with physical limitations. Wed., March 22, 2023 - [...]

Art outside the box! Just like this paper cutting of artist Masayo Fukuda's fish, we will look at amazing art from unusual sources. Be ready to be surprised! Some will take your breath away and some art may leaving you saying…hmmmmm? Please pay $5 at the door if you are coming in-person, and register below. Please press the button for Zoom Class Register for Zoom Class Here

Bill Gullwing's sculptures focus on the human form and portraiture.  His presentation will take you behind the scenes to his studio to see how he works with a wide variety of materials in a complex and multi-step process known as "Life Casting". Faces, torsos, and hands are made in exact sculptural images of his models in glass, plaster and fiberglass reinforced gypsum in addition to cast metals which include aluminum, [...]

  Please join us in attending a new women's group.  We have already had 3 sessions and, due to popular demand, we are going to do another. We all have stories worth sharing, and this is the perfect opportunity.  We use stories to make sense of our world and to share that understanding with others. This session is open to anyone who has wanted to come in the past, but [...]

Unfortunately, the presenter must postpone this class until fall.  Please watch our website for new dates!       Approximately one in five older persons experiences problems with dizziness or balance. Given the significant prevalence and negative effect of balance problems on daily activities as we age, balance disorders merit special attention. A Matter of Balance (MOB) is specifically designed to reduce the fear of falling and improve activity levels among [...]

This four-session watercolor workshop in April is designed for beginners and those current watercolorists who want to achieve more realistic techniques. Instructor Larry Charles will teach five techniques for capturing landscapes in fleeting sunlight, quick-sketch plein air pictures, lifelike characters, watercolor postcards, and still lifes. Expect to see at least one instructor demo during each three-hour class and plan to complete at least one watercolor each session. Tuesday, April 4, [...]

This is my FAVORITE TYPE OF ART!  Conceptual Art!  This is the thinking art in my mind. Come join us the FIRST Friday of April, April 7, at  10:00 and THINK!   (Smile)  Should be a great discussion; so much to consider. Last Art and Conversation this year is a May potluck and studio visit. More details to follow. Art and Conversation resumes in October. Friday, April 7 at 10:00 am. [...]

Explore the art of fused glass, and make some stunning cabochons (pendants) for yourself or to give as gifts!  Students will make 5 to 8 cabochons during the class.  Little or no glass cutting is required.  At the end of the class you will have up to 8 finished pieces that will then be fired in a kiln and be ready to pick up the following week. These are perfect [...]

  For many illnesses we need indicators, or tests to determine function.  There are many areas to be looked at: Bloodwork; Basic Metabolic Panel; Comprehensive Metabolic Panel; Lipid (cholesterol) Panel; Tests related to Thyroid Function; Tests related to vitamin B12 levels  And many more. Please join us for this extremely interesting and important subject. Monday, April 17, at 10:00 am.  $10

Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. Specific applications of Artificial Intelligence include expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition and machine vision. Dive into Kirby Plessas' world of technology and let her simplify this complicated topic. This slide talk and video presentation will demystify Artificial Intelligence and explore the development, uses, and controversies in Artificial Intelligence. Kirby's deep technology background includes a [...]

Take your paper printing to the next level!  In this class we go more in depth using Stencils, Rubber Stamps, and Paper Masking & other basic texture tools. This is a major printing session for you to create more complex beautiful papers! Students must have taken Gelli Printing 101. Note:  Wear painting clothes or bring an apron. Tues., April 18 -  1:00-4:00 pm -  Please register below.  $60 (includes materials)