fbpx

School of the Arts at Rhinelander begins its second half-century

Renowned program re-imagined for today’s aspiring artists and dreamers

James Nunn in class
Pastels are back for 2014!

Photo by Diana Randolph

Every summer for the past 51 years, more than 250 people have gathered in the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods for a week of study, performance, exhibits, and other creative activities at the School of the Arts at Rhinelander (SOA).

A program by University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies, SOA offers a variety of workshops in visual arts, culinary arts and nutrition, writing, mind/body/spirit, and performing arts. This year’s SOA will meet July 19-23 and promises to start the program’s next half-century in style.

What began as a several-weeks-long retreat for writers and would-be writers in 1964 has become a multi-disciplinary creative getaway, with more than 50 classes ranging from one-day to five-days in length.

“Of the 55 classes offered this year, 32 are new,” says Director Lynn Tarnoff. “We are pleased to add such diverse disciplines as Fantastic Color for Painters and Regional Italian Cooking, along with returning favorites like Native Flute and Five Days, Ten Poems.”

Playing in the Dirt

Other new sessions include:

  • Getting the Most out of Your Digital SLR
  • Art as Story: 2D and 3D Assemblage
  • Stop the Noise! Tools for Quieting Mind Chatter
  • Hand Painted Cookies
  • Writing Mini-Memoirs
  • Writing a 10-minute Play

In addition to new offerings, SOA 2014 will continue the practice of offering one, two, three and five-day workshops. “We adopted this option in 2013 as a convenience to our attendees,” Tarnoff said. “And the post-SOA feedback showed that offering the options was overwhelmingly popular. This makes it possible for learners to attend a specific workshop without committing to an entire week, and it can help lower or eliminate the added cost of lodging.”