48 Course(s) Found | back to search >>

Art and Antiques Appraisal + Connoisseurship | Architecture + Landscape Design | Art Appreciation + Cultural Studies | Book + Paper Arts | Career Development | Culinary Arts + Entertaining | Decorative Painting | Drawing | Family Workshops | Historic Preservation | Home + Garden Design | Illustration | In Style | Jewelry + Metal Arts | Painting | Photography | Printmaking |

Sylvia Yount

The venerable Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, founded in 1805 in Philadelphia by Charles Willson Peale along with other artists and civic leaders, is the oldest art school and museum in the US. The museum's collection of 18th, 19th and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures and works on paper is internationally renowned. Many leading American artists have been affiliated with the Academy as instructors, students or exhibitors, including Cecilia Beaux, Mary Cassatt, Thomas Eakins, Robert Henri, John Marin, Maxfield Parrish and Alexander Calder. Dr. Sylvia Yount, the Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (and formerly chief curator of the Pennsylvania Academy), explores the importance of the institution in the context of the history of American art.

Applies to the following certificate program (3.5 contact hours): AS-E

Samuel Hough

Gorham silver has a long historical association with Rhode Island, in addition to its acclaimed status among collectors and silver historians for its 19th-century design innovations and quality production. This course focuses on the history of Gorham, its connection to Rhode Island School of Design, and how its craftsmen were trained and the silver crafted. A vintage film produced by Gorham in 1926 is also included. The instructor – a noted expert on multiple flatware patterns as well as the coveted Art Nouveau Martele silver associated with the designs of William Codman – appraised the Gorham historical archives when it was gifted to Brown University in 1986. He discusses important production lines of the company and offers students an opportunity for hands-on experience with various Gorham silver pieces.

Applies to the following certificate program (3.5 contact hours): AS-E

Deborah Child

This daylong workshop acquaints participants with the challenges inherent in assigning fair market and insurance values to American folk art. We begin with a brief overview of market highlights, and then discuss the roles of condition, scholarship, marketing and provenance as they impact value. The benefits of cataloguing paintings as Anonymous/American School versus establishing an artist's identity are also explored. In addition, students learn how artistic identity can be firmly established through genealogical sources, account books, periodicals and diaries. A review of the prices commanded by the portraits of Ammi Phillips, now setting record highs in the marketplace, provides a useful case study for assigning market values. The session concludes with the group assigning values to American folk paintings in a variety of genres including weathervanes, marine and landscape.

Applies to the following certificate program (7 contact hours): AS-E

Louise T. Hall

While successful appraisers have to know all about the art of appraising, they also have to know all about running a business. This intensive, one-day seminar helps prospective career appraisers explore how to establish a professional practice and identity. A career appraiser profiles her practice; an estate attorney lectures on the ways in which appraisers are utilized by the legal profession; and an accountant discusses various business entities and related custom accounting systems suitable for appraisers. Students learn basic marketing strategies, then move on to consider more advanced marketing ideas, such as custom web site development. Participants have ample opportunity to discuss issues relevant to them during question-and-answer sessions with the presenters. Ms. Hall is joined by co-presenters Anita Drew, Evelyn Lamprey and Dan Shoemaker.

Applies to the following certificate program (6 contact hours): AS-E

Michael Veracka

Brick, stone and cobblestone date back centuries and have been used as paving materials everywhere from the Appian Way to the streets of Nantucket. Learn the basic techniques for creating beautiful (and relatively inexpensive) dry-laid patios, terraces, driveways and walkways, using salvaged or "found" brick and stone. Topics covered include project design, preparing and leveling foundations, locating materials, combining them creatively, and building for the long term. For this reason, the class is sure to interest homeowners and do-it-yourselfers, not to mention landscape professionals.

Michael Veracka

Brick, stone and cobblestone date back centuries and have been used as paving materials everywhere from the Appian Way to the streets of Nantucket. Learn the basic techniques for creating beautiful (and relatively inexpensive) dry-laid patios, terraces, driveways and walkways, using salvaged or "found" brick and stone. Topics covered include project design, preparing and leveling foundations, locating materials, combining them creatively, and building for the long term. For this reason, the class is sure to interest homeowners and do-it-yourselfers, not to mention landscape professionals.

Amy Leidtke

Sometimes nature needs a little help to accentuate, accommodate and support the wealth of its bounty. In this course, we take advantage of vertical space by designing and building a beautiful, functional copper garden trellis for climbing, flowering plants and vegetables, including roses, morning glories, clematis, green beans, tomatoes and cucumbers. As plants freely twine and creep up the trellis, weather gently ages the copper, developing a rich, natural patina. We learn basic 2-dimensional planning skills, including basic layout and design, and 3-dimensional building skills, including soldering and tube cutting. Participants take home a one-of-a-kind trellis that can be installed against a wall, fence, or stand alone as a more sculptural garden element. Note: Lab fee includes tool kit and some copper for experimentation. Students must purchase their own copper tubing prior to the second session.

Kevin Baker

"Something there is that doesn't love a wall," said Robert Frost. Once used to mark boundaries, pen animals and put unwanted fieldstones to use, stone walls have experienced a revival as a component in home landscaping. This workshop gives students a solid grounding in the history, planning and construction of New England dry stone walls through slide-illustrated lectures and hands-on participation. Students learn about planning new walls, including the pros and cons of do-it-yourself versus contractor-built walls, pricing, project feasibility and size, and sources for materials, as they develop a greater appreciation for New England's historic landscape.

Michael Veracka

The city is a complex organism characterized by tradition and evolution. This course concentrates on the selection, identification and evaluation of woody plants for urban settings. Using the city of Providence as a field laboratory, we examine plants within the context of public and private urban areas: streetscapes, parks, plazas and residential lots. Particular attention is placed upon observing and evaluating the stressful planting conditions unique to the city. We investigate native alternatives to invasive plants, and the best sustainable landscape practices for designers and urban dwellers alike. Slide lecture and discussion are supplemented by readings, field-based classes and walking site visits. Each student compiles a manual detailing particular plants and maintenance practices as part of the requirements for a project of their choice. Note: Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and outdoor clothing.

Katherine Reaves

Klimt was a rebel who broke with Vienna's conservative art world to lead a group of artists eager to explore new styles and bolder themes. Sensual and sensuous, Klimt combined expert draftsmanship with innate design sensibilities to create glittering and dreamy works that draw the viewer into deeper, often fevered, layers of visual meaning. Inspired by Art Nouveau, Symbolism, English Pre-Raphaelites and Byzantine Mosaics, Klimt blended these diverse approaches into a unique style that continues to dazzle and seduce. Just view The Kiss to feel his impact on even the most jaded personality. Note: Participants are encouraged to visit New York's Neue Galerie, the sole venue for "Gustav Klimt: The Ronald S. Lauder and Serge Sabarsky Collections". The exhibition is on view through June 30.

Applies to the following certificate program (2 contact hours): AS-E

Robin Wiseman

Illustration occupies a fascinating niche in the world of art. Unlike more personal forms of art, it most often is created within a set of topical, aesthetic, technical, and even commercial parameters, and intended to be reproduced in print or electronic media. Used to vivify everything from mercantile to military applications, illustration serves as a reservoir of our social and cultural history. The remarkable collection of the National Museum of American Illustration in Newport, RI has been assembled over 30 years. It contains the finest American illustration works in existence, including originals by Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker, Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth. These works embody our visual history; indeed, they are American civilization illustrated. Join us for this specially arranged tour, hosted by RISD|CE award-winning lecturer, Robin Wiseman. Note: Tuition covers admission to the museum. Class meets at an off-campus location; directions are sent to registered students.

Applies to the following certificate programs (2 contact hours): AS-E, CB-E, NS-E, SA-E

Robin Wiseman

Join Robin Wiseman as he investigates the Golden Age of American Illustration, from the Civil War through the rise of television. The work of Winslow Homer, Charles Dana Gibson and Thomas Nast helped create a sense of common experience and shared identity with their illustrations in periodicals of the mid-19th and early 20th Centuries. The brilliant and imaginative images of book illustrators like Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish had a similarly large influence on American culture. Of course, nothing could compare to the sheer impact of Norman Rockwell's covers for the Saturday Evening Post, which visually defined what it meant to be an American. Note: Participants are invited to register for the related field trip to the National Museum of American Illustration (see Museum of American Illustration, ARTA-3950).

Applies to the following certificate program (2 contact hours): AS-E, CB-E, NS-E, SA-E

Antoinette Matlins

Join expert Antoinette Matlins for a combination lecture/workshop with a focus on what jewelry designers, appraisers and buyers need to know about the gems used in their collections or in pieces to be assessed. Learn about the variety of diamonds and colored gemstones now available, in every color, for any budget. Learn what to look for, and what to look out for, so as to avoid costly mistakes; gain a deeper understanding of the "4Cs" used to judge quality; and learn how to identify gemstones most frequently used in jewelry. Lastly, find out how to separate synthetics, imitations and treated gems from the natural. No scientific or technical background is needed, just an interest in the subject matter.

Applies to the following certificate program (7 contact hours): AS-E

Katherine Reaves

Pure + Surreal is the third lecture in the 3-part series "European Art Between the Great Wars". See also ARTA-3957, Dada and ARTA-3958, De Stijl.

Applies to the following certificate program (2.5 contact hours): AS-E

Louise T. Hall, Brian Tierney

This field trip for appraisers offers a unique guided tour through some of the legendary institutions that are pivotal in the Boston art and architecture scene. The day begins with a tour of the noted North Bennet Street School, which trains students to preserve and advance fine craft traditions. We then move on to the Boston Public Library to survey its architecture, sculpture and print collections; to Trinity Church to study the magnificent structure and LaFarge windows; and to Arlington Street Church to view the Tiffany windows. Later in the day we visit select Newbury Street art galleries and antiques shops, where participants are introduced to the collections, gaining an appreciation for how these venues influence an appraiser's understanding of the market. Note: Lunch and transportation to Boston are not covered by tuition. Limited enrollment.

Applies to the following certificate program (7 contact hours): AS-E

Suzi Cozzens

Japanese Box Making
BOOK-2131 | Suzi Cozzens
Participants construct boxes featuring unique, traditional closures and covers made from beautifully patterned imported Japanese papers. These boxes may be constructed to fit papers and books created in the previous workshops.

Suzi Cozzens

Japanese Bookbinding + Suminagashi
BOOK-2164 | Suzi Cozzens
This workshop begins with an introduction to suminagashi or "ink floating," an ancient Japanese paper marbling technique. After experimenting with various papers and pigments, participants use their papers to make books with Japanese-style bindings. A variety of traditional Japanese stitches is demonstrated, and special attention is paid to the unique proportions of traditional Japanese books. Students leave class with a completed blank book.

Tina DuBosque

In today's world, promoting yourself or your business online is essential for those who want to be competitive in the marketplace. Whether you have a portfolio to display, information to impart, or goods and services to sell, your online presence must be customer-centric from the day it goes public. This program provides an overview of what it takes to successfully launch your e-commerce website, and how to ensure that viewers/buyers have a positive experience when they visit your page. We discuss the pros and cons of do-it-yourself site construction versus hiring a professional designer, review key legal and ethical considerations, and survey the fundamentals of how search engines work. Ultimately, students come to understand how doing business online presents a set of circumstances that requires a focused and unique approach.

Reece Tormos

Your resume presents you with an opportunity to make a positive first impression for prospective employers and clients, while separating you from the pack of other applicants. In part one of this workshop, we concentrate on developing a resume that truly highlights your skills and accomplishments. Find out how others have succeeded in capturing the attention of decision makers and learn to tailor their techniques to your individual circumstances. Once your resume has gotten you in the door, you're ready to focus on strategies to make the interview go well. Preparation, dress, portfolio presentation and follow-up are just some of the topics to be covered in this second part of the workshop. Whatever your career goal, this course is designed to give you an edge over the competition.

Matthew Paknis

This workshop is for those artists and designers who have been thinking about starting up a business or who wish to be self-employed. Whether this is a new idea for you or you just never took the plunge, you are not alone in wanting to be your own boss. But while you may sense that your skills, experience and talent are enough to make you a success, why not be sure? Even when taking the first baby-steps toward self-employment, there are many techniques and tools to help you get started and stay on track. Join Matthew Paknis, an experienced manager, lecturer and entrepreneur, as he takes you through the process of defining your goals and outlining your strategic plan. Through interactive exercises, lecture and discussion, this one-day intensive seminar helps you to maintain your energy and enthusiasm, even as you focus on setting realistic bottom-line objectives.

Lydia Walshin

It takes a village to put on a fete (feast) in Provence, where everyone brings something to the table to celebrate the harvest. Fishermen contribute fish and mussels, farmers add chicken and beautiful vegetables, bakers bring loaves of crusty bread -- and of course there is wine. While the men cook, the women create a fragrant aioli (garlic sauce) that binds the meal together. Join food writer and cooking instructor Lydia Walshin for a morning of hands-on cooking as we recreate Le Grand Aioli. We cook indoors and outdoors (on grills and a fire pit), and learn to make aioli two ways: with mortars and pestles, and in a food processor. The day culminates with a lunch in the Provencal style, and participants receive recipes to take home. Note: Class meets in rural northwest RI; directions are sent to registered participants.

Siobhan Callahan

When extending an invitation to your event, is it best to send an Evite, email, handwritten note, fill-in-the-blank invitation, printed invitation or perhaps make a phone call? And how do you decide whom to invite and not invite? These are just some of the questions answered in this invitation etiquette workshop. Topics addressed include such conundrums as following up with those who don't respond to your RSVP, what to do when non-replying guests show up -- or worse -- bring along other uninvited friends, and how to politely ask invitees not to bring their children. Also covered is how to be a great guest, thus ensuring future invitations from your hosts. Feel free to bring your challenging invitation etiquette questions, or just sit back and listen.

Christopher Phillips, Neil Thompson, Jeremy Houston

Like wine and cheese, the 200+ unique types of North American oysters owe much of their flavor to where they grow. Luckily, the unique geology of nearby ocean bays and ponds yields the nation's second greatest variety of oysters. Join us to learn which offer the most dazzling flavors, how to best prepare them raw and cooked, and to taste them for yourself. The Executive Chef and Managing Partner of Providence's award-winning restaurant Hemenway's team up with the head of Bristol's Windfall Shellfish to demystify oysters. Whether you seek pearls of wisdom or gems of taste, you should emerge from this unforgettable class with a profound appreciation for all that goes into great oysters. Note: Class meets at an off-campus location; directions are sent to registered participants.

Rebecca Wagner, Olga Bravo

Summer months conjure up leisurely weekend picnics featuring freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. And what better way to complement these seasonal delicacies than to incorporate them into both savory and sweet pastries? Olga Bravo and Rebecca Wagner, co-owners of Providence's acclaimed Olga's Cup and Saucer, share their talents as they demonstrate how easy it is to prepare wonderful pastries in your own home kitchen. And as they share recipes and prepared baked goods with you, they speak about the emphasis they place on using fresh ingredients and preparing "pastry from scratch". Join us to learn how to make new favorites as a seasonal awakening for your taste buds. Note: Class meets at an off-campus location; directions are sent to registered participants.

Matt Hewett

What is more intensely flavored and dense in consistency with only a fraction of ice cream's butterfat? Yes, it exists, and it's called gelato. Created in an abundance of scrumptious flavors by Providence's own authentic gelateria, Roba Dolce, each batch is handcrafted from all natural ingredients. Creme Brulee, Rum Raisin, Tiramisu, Nutella, Green Apple and Wild Berry Carbernet are just a few of the gelatos and sorbetto flavors that grace Roba Dolce's menu. Join COO and gelato master Matt Hewett for an evening of gelato and sorbetto creations, a historical overview, a fact-or-fiction account of gelato vs. ice cream and a factory tour. Participants experiment with flavor combinations and become an integral part of the creative process. Of course, class commences with a tasting session. Note: Class meets at an off-campus location; directions are sent to registered participants.

Timothy McFate

From his many years learning about ethnic cuisines from around the world, one of RISD's own top chefs and CE Teacher of Excellence Award winner, Tim McFate, shares his passion for the one cuisine that has most captivated his interest -- Mediterranean. In this three-part series, participants broaden their culinary repertoire by learning to make delicacies from the ancient traditions of Persia, Armenia, Syria, Lebanon and Greece as well as the secrets behind the multi-layered, enticing flavors of more modern entrees from France, Spain, Italy, northern Africa and Turkey. If you've ever dreamed of taking a Mediterranean cruise, join us for this eclectic tasting tour.

Bonny Katzman

Whether planning a gala benefit event or a more intimate gathering of family and friends, the fun begins with creating the invitation, and continues with designing and selecting accessories that give the event its unique style. Bonny Katzman of BK Design leads this combination lecture and hands-on course using as examples her fabulous creative solutions for such clients as Harvard Business School, HBO, Denis Leary, and Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code. Katzman views every project as a challenge and relies on her creative responses to provide the solution. Likewise, students in this course are challenged with their own event assignment and are inspired to think beyond the ordinary as they learn how to entertain in style.

Brent Alan Bachelder

New is not always what it is cracked up to be. Sometimes a painted object, mural, wall treatment or environment is greatly enhanced by the thoughtful application of aging techniques. This workshop examines the methods available to decorative painters for creating such antiqued surfaces. Smoky or faded, crackled or peeling, gently sanded or glazed with an aging patina -- these techniques and more are part and parcel of every professional decorative painter's repertoire. Our workshop begins with the preparation of background samples and a look at a variety of reference examples. Later, aging and distressing techniques are demonstrated, and students apply these to the base samples created earlier in the day. Participants leave class with samples for their portfolio, as well as an array of brand new techniques they can use to turn back time.

Applies to the following certificate program (6 contact hours): DP-E

Amy Wynne Derry

The beautiful landscapes of the New England summer cry out to be captured, yet the prospect of interpreting these complex subjects on paper can be daunting. This course demystifies the process and gives students the skills to approach landscape drawing with confidence. Using Blithewold Mansion as the setting, we experiment with drawing tools to express different parts of the landscape: rocks, foliage, water, trees and a variety of background forms. Students use an assortment of materials (pencil, charcoal, colored pencil and watercolor pencil) as they learn different formats for isolating and simplifying composition and become familiar with a four-value system to suggest form, light, shadow, distance and mood. They also apply the rules of perspective to create intimate drawings that suggest a variety of spatial situations, cloudscapes and interesting atmospheric effects. Note: A materials list is sent to registered students. Class meets at an off-campus location; directions are sent to registered participants.

Applies to the following certificate programs (12 contact hours): CB-E, DS-E, NS-E

Amy Leidtke

"Three, two, one, BLAST-OFF!" Calling all aspiring astronauts and aeronautical engineers, girls and boys, artists and designers -- to build, test, modify and launch rockets of your own design. Using basic tools, participants combine one-liter bottles, a modified tire valve, water, and air pressure to design, prototype, test and launch a series of super-cool water rockets. Each person makes and takes home up to three different working water rockets, plus experiences and the sheer pleasure of learning all about the design process and relevant aspects of physics -- concepts such as air pressure, stability and aerodynamics. Note: Come prepared to get wet! Children must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or older, and adults and children must register separately.

Jean Carroon

Existing buildings in the US present a total energy profile greater than the annual energy production of the rest of the world combined. Achieving the goal of carbon neutrality requires utilizing these extraordinary buildings through creative facility reuse and the application of new technologies that serve to decrease the environmental impact of operations. Important to this process is the fact that historic buildings provide surprising lessons for high performance design. In this workshop, we identify the sustainable characteristics and performance criteria of historic buildings and communities. We then introduce specific strategies for improving the energy efficiency of historic buildings with new technologies and products that reduce resource consumption, while creating healthier buildings and communities. Ultimately, participants learn to prioritize the goals of historic preservation and environmental stewardship that shape sustainable communities and are most responsible to future generations.

Applies to the following certificate program (2 contact hours): HP-E

Katherine Tracey

Would you like to learn how to create an uncommonly beautiful container to accent your front entry or terrace? Katherine Tracey of Avant Gardens leads this hands-on workshop in which participants create a stunning display that gets more beautiful week by week and should become the conversation piece of the neighborhood. Learn which plant materials are suitable for your growing conditions, whether you have full sun or quite a bit of shade. Katherine makes a point of introducing plant choices that are unique, low maintenance and provide color and interest throughout the growing season. Note: Class meets in Dartmouth, MA. Directions are sent to registered participants.

Robyn Griggs Lawrence

Rich Pederson

Do you love the idea of eating homegrown greens and herbs? How about picking them fresh from your own kitchen? With only a small terrace, handkerchief lawn or tiny space in your kitchen, gardening success is just seedlings away. Whether you're a green thumb par excellence or a novice gardener, discover the sheer delight of creating a miniature, portable "salad box" garden in which a medley of mesclun mix and kitchen herbs can flourish. Rich Pederson, farm manager at City Farm, Providence's organic inner city farm, hosts this hands-on workshop, in which we learn about seeding, organic gardening, containers, soil and compost. You return home with a newly planted garden, dreaming only of the perfect vinaigrette! Note: Class meets at an off-campus location; directions are sent to registered participants.

Jan Girouard

Color can transform any room immediately -- changing the harmony, intent and perception of space. Jan Girouard, founder of All About Redecorating, discusses the sources of inspiration for choosing the right colors and guides you to find your "interior well being". From small rooms to open spaces, the complexities of color palettes are explored through examples of successful and unsuccessful color schemes. Why use a dramatic dark chocolate in your dining room and with what colors should you accent it? What is the impact of bright yellow in your child's bedroom? And what are the nuances of "white"? This course trains your eye to recognize subtle differences in color and gives participants a new perspective on the importance of choices that can enhance their environment.

Katherine Field

How do we bring the heart of a gardener, the eye of an artist and the discipline of an architect to landscape design? Katherine Field, principal of Katherine Field and Associates, makes every project a work of art -- from the initial painterly renderings through detailed and exact working plans to final execution -- always with an eye to budget, time and the client's needs. In this course, participants explore Katherine's own garden as a living example of how to integrate basic design principles with plant selection, while discussing the roles of scale, rhythm and color in customizing outdoor spaces. Participants are welcome to bring a photograph of a specific garden situation for group discussion. Note: Course meets in Portsmouth, RI. Directions are sent to registered participants.

Julie Chrissis, Chris Eramo

Are you glued to HGTV? Do you watch home makeover shows and wish your home could be transformed in a weekend? Well, we have the next best thing. This class covers the ins and outs of the latest home decorating phenomenon -- staging. Boston Staging Group's Julie Chrissis and Chris Eramo show you how to redecorate your home using your existing furnishings. You learn how to make your rooms look larger and emphasize their architectural strengths, and how to "go shopping" in other rooms to freshen up your accessories and make the most of every space. The class is excellent for those who want a fresh new look on a budget, as well as those seeking to sell their homes. Note: Class meets at a private home in the Providence area provided by Gordon Dwan and Heidi Farmer Picerelli of Coleman Realtors. Directions are sent to registered participants.

Robyn Griggs Lawrence

Jeanne Sturim

Notable illustrator and pastel artist Jeanne Sturim shares her knowledge, technique and expertise in this two-day intensive workshop on both drawing and the use of pastels. Jeanne helps students to sharpen their observational skills, develop their own approach to design and build a drawing with pastels. Demonstrations are given on how to begin the drawing with charcoal, followed by a watercolor underpainting to establish light and dark values, and finally on ways of applying pastels. Cross-hatching and layering are discussed in terms of color mixing to achieve a desired luminous effect. Students work from still-life set-ups with the complex combination of subject and medium providing a challenging, exciting and ultimately, rewarding experience. All levels of students are welcome, as participants work at their own speed.

Applies to the following certificate programs (12 contact hours): CB-E, DS-E, NS-E

Alison Schroeer

Imagine the pleasure of drawing botanicals in brilliant color, with a technique that has the intuitive ease of drawing and the intensity of wet media (oils/acrylics), without all the mess and complexity. When color is applied on the fine-toothed, semi-translucent surface of drafting film, unparalleled precision and detail are possible. The transparency of the medium allows the artist to work directly from sketches or photos, without the time-consuming task of transferring images. And unlike most color techniques, it permits erasure of mistakes without damage to the drawing surface. Students learn to plan their drawings in stages, from the highlights and contours, to shadows and developing the form's volume. Ultimately, the high-detail illustrations that result seem to literally pop off the page.

Applies to the following certificate programs (12 contact hours): CB-E, NS-E

Julie Foley

Unlock your personal style! There are seven unique style types and one of them is for you. Similar to personality types, each style can be defined in terms of the message it conveys, the strength of the look, the color choices, clothing selections and how the pieces are worn. Most of us actually incorporate elements of many styles, but one type tends to dominate. Along with color and fit, this is a key component of Julie Foley's famous style consultations. Through a simple test, you determine your dominant and secondary tendencies. With this information in hand, you go on to select clothing and accessories that blend with your lifestyle, reflect the real you, make you feel wonderful when you wear them and that flatter you, inside and out.

Susan Mullins

It’s got charm, beauty, original and quirky boutiques, and the "chic-est" fashion trends around. Paris? Well, pretty darn close. Boston's Newbury Street is one fabulous fashion beat where the latest spring fashion trends are plentiful and tempting. Join personal stylist and shopper Susan Mullins for morning coffee and conversation about shopping strategies and the hottest spring trends as we hit Boston's swankiest street. Learn how to put outfits together, accessorize and find the stores that fit your personal style. Take note of Susan's event dressing tips and master the art of being a "style spy." Designed to give you fresh fashion inspiration for your existing wardrobe, this course should put a little "spring" in your step. Note: Class meets in Boston; directions are sent to registered participants.

Susan Mullins

Are you traveling this summer? Packing the essentials doesn't have to be difficult, especially when it's for a summer vacation or weekend getaway. In this class, fashion stylist Susan Mullins helps you pack your suitcase with coordinating outfits that have fresh color, style and zest. First, we conquer bathing suit shopping fears and learn to recognize flattering shorts and capris for all body types. Turn up the heat with savvy summer event dressing tips or cool down with appropriate accessories -- maybe even master the art of looking chic while blending in with different cultures. Lastly, learn to draw fashion inspiration from your travels and discover the new must-haves of easy-going summer fashion. Make this your easiest trip ever! Note: Participants are welcome to bring a weekend bag of their favorites, so we can help retool and redefine for maximum flair.

Kathleen Scully

Are you spending a lot of money on expensive face and body care products made of artificial ingredients? Remarkably, with a small investment of time, you can create luscious, all-natural products, customized to your personal preferences! Join us to create beauty products that actually nourish and care for your skin and hair, while providing an opportunity to enjoy and experiment. Natural beauty care experts will tell you never to use anything on your face that you wouldn't put in your mouth, so we discuss the different options for ingredients, many of which can be found in your own kitchen. These products are a must for personal use, but also make for great gifts. All participants bring home samples of the products made in class, including a fun surprise!

Alec Thibodeau

Buttons, badges and pins: These fashionable accessories go by several names and have a colorful history, dating to the 1800s, when people began wearing celluloid-coated metal disks in support of candidates running for elected office. Subsequent developments in pop culture and political activism converged to give pin-backed buttons a fresh role in the 20th century. From John Lennon to Johnny Rotten to JFK, the button has endured as a way of showing allegiance to a cause, a mark of support for a band or candidate, or simply as a fashion accessory. Students in this course design and hand stamp their own one-inch buttons from original drawings, photocopies or prints. For added inspiration, the class includes an overview of the button's history and some notable button wearers.

Bill Miller

Color is perhaps the most powerful tool at the artist's disposal, but also the most complex. While the basics of color theory may seem obvious, actually working with color is often difficult -- the biggest obstacle being the paint itself. This intensive workshop seeks to bridge the divide between theory and practice, beginning with a brief explanation of exactly how optics and pigmentation differ. In the process, guidelines toward developing a personal palette, and attributes of different supports, grounds and media are discussed, and students come up with workable strategies for controlling paint. A historic overview of how paint and pigment have evolved is also covered. Consider the course a unique opportunity to gain practical knowledge that is essential for anyone interested in perfecting his/her painting craft.

Applies to the following certificate programs (3 contact hours): CB-E, DP-E, DS-E, NS-E

David Ellis

Providence is a city rich in diverse architectural styles, from colorful and elegant residences to time worn mills and classic 19th-century merchant buildings. As such it is a living laboratory for the investigation of photographic techniques, from the technical concerns of exposure and metering to the aesthetic decisions that surround compositional choices. Participants learn to better maximize ambient lighting and develop a new awareness for stray (and perhaps unwanted) light sources and reflections. The result is a more pleasing urban landscape photograph for purposes of display or documentation. Note: Bring a digital camera with zoom or telephoto lens, fresh batteries, SD card, flash drive and a small notebook to class. If rain is expected, participants are contacted to schedule a rain date.

Applies to the following certificate program (6 contact hours): DI-E, HP-E

Christian Kozaki

The Provincetown white-line block print, also known as white-line woodcut, is a technique created by a group of Provincetown Artists in the early 20th century as a way to circumvent the traditional Japanese wood block print that required the creation of multiple blocks and registrations to create one image. The Provincetown form of block printing enables artists to create multi-colored finished pieces while using only one block and one registration. This class covers the basic tools and techniques necessary to successfully create images from a single block of wood, including image transfer, cutting and hand-printing. Students have the opportunity to experiment with these methods to produce their own original artwork utilizing this truly American form of art.

Applies to the following certificate programs (12 contact hours): CB-E, DS-E, NS-E