
January 7, 3-5 p.m.
Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design; Janna Overstreet, director of OLLI at Ringling College; and Steve Thaxton, executive director of the National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, will welcome guests to the new home of OLLI at Ringling College. The event includes light refreshments and guided tours of the OLLI space.
(Sarasota/Manatee) Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Ringling College welcomes guests to visit its new home at the Ringling College Museum Campus, located at what was the historic Sarasota High School at 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. The free event on Tuesday, January 7, 3-5 p.m. will feature brief remarks by Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design; Janna Overstreet, director of OLLI at Ringling College; and Steve Thaxton, executive director of the National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes. The event also includes guided tours of the new space and light refreshments. To attend, please RSVP via email to specialevents@ringling.edu or phone to 941-309-0108.
“Ringling College is so pleased and proud to be officially welcoming OLLI and its community of lifelong learners to its new home at the Ringling College Museum Campus,” said Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design. “This community-serving campus enables us to serve learners of all interests while extending the creative energy and vibrancy of Ringling College even more fully into the greater Sarasota community.”
“We are thrilled to welcome the community to visit our new home,” says Janna Overstreet, OLLI’s director. “It’s a supremely beautiful and expansive space for learning. We are so grateful to all the people who invested time, talent, and treasure to make this happen. Their vision resulted in a community space that is both historical and contemporary, combining art and innovative classroom space that will be the gold standard for lifelong learning communities.”
OLLI at Ringling College is a program under Ringling’s Continuing Studies umbrella, along with Studio and Digital Arts. The program received distinction as an OLLI in 2018, becoming one of the 124 lifelong learning programs supported by the Bernard Osher Foundation. OLLI is a national organization, with programs in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to its 150 classes on diverse topics, OLLI at Ringing College lectures, discussion groups, travel opportunities, and a documentary film series. Classes, workshops, and events are held at the following locations: The Ringling College Museum Campus (1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota); The Center of Anna Maria Island (407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria); OLLI East (State College of Florida, Lakewood Ranch, 7131 Professional Parkway E.); and Westminster Point Pleasant (1533 4th Ave. W., Bradenton). For more information about OLLI at Ringling College, visit www.OlliatRinglingCollege.org or call 941-309-5111.
About Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Ringling College offers non-credit educational opportunities for adults looking to pursue new interests, expand intellectual horizons, and enrich their lives. Courses cover a wide range of stimulating topics and are taught by scholars, retired faculty members, and professional practitioners in an engaging, collaborative manner. Visit www.olliatringlingcollege.org for more information.
About Ringling College of Art and Design
Since 1931, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit, fully-accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in eleven disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College’s rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers. www.ringling.edu