Keep the Winter Blues Away!

At Osher we are never bored and learning never gets old. Plan ahead now to keep the post-holiday blues away in dreary January weather. With 92 classes, plenty of topics await to keep your mind active and your heart warm this winter. For our remote learners, don’t miss your chance to join Osher Online with Northwestern University. Their registration deadline is December 30. Read below for more highlights…we have everything from the Jordan River, to the Chinese New Year, to Utah Opera and Intuitive Painting. There is simply no reason to hibernate!

Upcoming Classes

In Person Classes

Utah Opera Preview: Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel

With Dr. Carol Anderson & Kevin Nakatani

Humperdinck's enchanting opera follows the adventures of the courageous siblings Hansel and Gretel as they navigate the treacherous forest and confront the powerful forces that threaten to engulf them. As Hansel and Gretel strive to outwit The Witch and find their way home, their bond of sibling love serves as a powerful force against the darkness that surrounds them. Learn about the setting of the Grimm fairy tale with social perspective, creator biographies, musical highlights, and insights into the sophisticated craftmanship of this family favorite. Attendees will have the option to visit a working rehearsal after the class, and will be offered a discount code for ticket purchases.

Tuesday, January 7 at 1:30 pm

Beginning Fused Glass

With Sarinda Jones

Create stunning glass art as you take the first steps on a journey of luminous color. Ideal for beginners, this class will walk you through various glass-fusing techniques to create four projects to add light and beauty to your home: a small striped plate, a night light, a mosaic plate, and a votive tea light. Each session will introduce you to new techniques and increase your knowledge of color theory, glass chemistry, and a plethora of art concepts.



Tuesday & Thursday, January 9-21 at 1:00 pm

Intuitive Painting

With Caro Nilsson

Join this guided journey through the practice of intuitive painting, a method of art creation that centers on connection with the self, memory, sensation, feeling, and embodiment. Class members will explore how feeling can be prioritized over the fact of how something looks, how experimentation can be chosen over control. We will create three to four different pieces while learning tools and process for each. We will learn about the relationship between form, color, and perception. We will also explore concepts of abstract painting that create balance within a finished piece, such as "field painting" and "gestural painting." Within these processes, endless variation and experimentation can happen.

Tuesday, January 21 at 9:30 am

Love Your Jordan River

With Tracy Aviary

More than one million people in Utah live near the Jordan River, but it remains an incredibly underappreciated and underutilized resource for people in the valley. If they think of the river at all, many think of it as dirty and unsafe and certainly not an oasis for wildlife in the middle of the heavily urbanized Salt Lake Valley. In this class, you will learn to love your Jordan River. Over a course of two weeks at the Tracy Aviary's Nature Center at Pia Okwai, the Native American name for the river, you will learn about the river's history and ways to safely enjoy this beautiful and diverse urban habitat.

Thursday, January 30 at 9:30 am

Online Classes

Osher Online with Northwestern University

Run by the National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University, this special program allows members from various Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes to participate in shared online courses, thanks to the generosity of The Bernard Osher Foundation. These courses are not meant to replace our locally offered in-person or online courses but rather to supplement our own local offerings. The very high-quality courses feature popular instructors from some of the 125 Osher Institutes across the country. Osher Online allows Osher members from different states and institutions to learn with and connect to each other while maintaining membership at their own local Institutes. We hope you will enjoy being a part of the fun!

Registration Deadline Monday, December 30

Build Strength and Balance with Vivo for Seniors

Muscle strength and balance are critical to maintaining health and independence as we age. Without additional strength training, most older adults will suffer a loss of muscle mass and strength that can negatively impact their balance and mobility, leading to unfortunate falls and accidents. Vivo, a live, online, interactive strength-building course customized to your fitness level, consists of cognitive, balance, and strength exercises informed by the latest science and research on exercise for older adults. Certified personal trainers, skilled in working with older adults, provide modified exercises to meet each class member's fitness needs. Read our fall "report card" to see how much fellow Osher members improved after just one term!





Your Choice of Day Monday through Fridays!



Registration Deadline Monday, January 6

Special Events

Water Pilgrimage: Where the Rivers End - Gallery Art Exhibition

Informative Gallery exhibition dealing with Great Salt Lake and the tributaries that flow into our lake. Enjoy a small group explanation of what local photographer Linda Dalton Walker experienced as she tried to find where our rivers meet GSL, and why we need to take action to help our lake now. Participants will have opportunity to join Linda on Antelope Island on a future date to see firsthand what is happening to our lake.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: January 8

Monday, January 13 at 10:00 am

Utah Food Bank Tour

Founded in 1904, Utah Food Bank remains true to its mission of Fighting Hunger Statewide by providing food to a statewide network of partner agencies located in each county of the state. Utah Food Bank distributes tens of millions of meals annually to families and individuals facing hunger throughout the state, free-of-charge. Touring Utah Food Bank's 143,000 square foot primary distribution center and headquarters, located in South Salt Lake, will provide insight into the complex operations required to feed Utahns facing hunger.

Wednesday, January 15 at 11:00 am

Tour of The Sharing Place

One in 14 children in Utah will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they are 18. Come tour The Sharing Place, a grief support program for children and their families, and learn more about children's grief and how the program operates. We will meet at the site where The Sharing Place started over 30 years ago to explore various ways that grieving children and their caretakers can explore their grief and share with other families who are on the same journey.

Friday, January 31 at 1:00 pm

Cool Things to Do with Your Phone, Tablet & Laptop

Our devices can be cool tools with many uses. Taught by Osher member and instructor Mark Rothacher, this one-day class will provide some ideas about these uses, such as Google Sheets & Maps for note taking or checklists, and finding entertainment on YouTube. Mark will welcome your suggestions as well. You will need some basic knowledge of your cell phone (iPhone or Android), your tablet, and laptop.

Friday, February 21 at 1:30 pm

Lunch & Learn - Wednesdays at Noon

Announcing Our New Winter Term Series!

Thanks to dedicated Osher volunteer Sandy Clark, we have another excellent set of six FREE Lunch & Learn lectures for winter term. Please tell a friend! Plan to join us on Zoom or at our watch party at 540 Arapeen Drive in Room 238 for all six sessions.

Topaz, Utah: Lessons Learned and Unlearned

January 22, 2025, 12:00-1:00 pm

By Scott Bassett, Topaz Museum Board Member and Docent

Migraine: A Neurogenetic Disorder, Not Just a Headache           

January 29, 2025, 12:00-1:00 pm

By Dr. Dan Henry, Founder and President, Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation, and Elizabeth Henry Weyher

Keeping Busy After Retirement

February 5, 2025, 12:00-1:00 pm

By Jeanine Wilson, Society for Human Resource Management & Service Corps of Retired Executives

Social Isolation and Loneliness: The Significance of Friendship in Later Years

February 12, 2025, 12:00-1:00 pm

By Dr. Michael Chang, PhD, Associate Professor in Human Development & Family Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Note: THIS SESSION WILL NOT BE RECORDED

Virtual Tour of the New Utah State Historical Museum

February 19, 2025, 12:00-1:00 pm

By Tim Glenn, Inaugural Director of the Museum of Utah

Downtown Salt Lake City

February 26, 2025, 12:00-1:00 pm

By Dee Brewer, Executive Director of the Downtown Alliance, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce

Our Osher Community

New Shared Interest Group – Just for Osher Men!

Interested in connecting with fellow men at Osher? Join us for an informal gathering where we’ll explore the idea of starting a regular men’s group. Whether you’re looking to make new friends, discuss shared interests, or simply enjoy good conversation, this is a great opportunity to connect, get to know each other, discuss issues and news of the day, and learn from each other.

Wednesday, December 20 at 10:00 am

Where: Meet at Graystone Condominiums, 1130 East 2700 South in Sugarhouse

Our Campus Community

HELP: The U of U Hospital Elder Life Program—Seeks Volunteers!

The Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) works with patients 70 years and older at the University of Utah Hospital. The patients they serve are at risk for developing delirium and experiencing functional decline. They help patients stay as mentally clear and physically strong as possible throughout their hospital stay. Their volunteers spend time with the patients 1:1, get to know them, and provide meaningful ways for patients to engage, reduce stress, and heal. Many of the HELP volunteers say that their weekly hospital volunteer shift is the best part of their week. Volunteering with HELP is meaningful, fun, and volunteers learn a lot. HELP trains volunteers, and they ask for a commitment of a four-hour shift every week. Interested? Email Lauren Chamberlain at lauren.chamberlain@hsc.utah.edu

Travel with Go Learn

Find your inner peace in the red cliffs of Moab while learning to capture it with your camera. One part nature photography workshop, one part Zen meditation retreat, and one part exploration of Moab, equals an unforgettable experience that will change your life. This trip takes learning on the road for an immersive and transformative adventure; it's led by Jonathan Duncan, (Osher’s acclaimed instructor) with over 20 years of professional adventure photography experience. Do yourself a favor and book your spot today! Learn more here.

Check out Jonathan Duncan's upcoming Osher course about wilderness prevention through the lens of literature and photography: The Idea of Wilderness.

The Moon over Balanced Rock Trail - Arches National Park

(Photo credit: Jonathan Duncan)