The North East Community Learning Center was full of music, art and fun on April 25 during the annual Academy of Learning in Retirement (ALIR) Arts & Performing Arts Show. Student work from the 11 spring art classes were on display. Spring classes included Basic Watercolor, Mixed Media and Zen Painting as well as Ukulele Band, Juggling and Basic Jewelry Making and more.
Through volunteerism, the Academy of Learning in Retirement (ALIR), believing in lifelong learning, recognizes and utilizes its members' wealth of experience and abilities to achieve educational stimulation in the arts, history, literature, languages, and sciences.
Françoise Rich was a talented watercolorist who taught classes with The Academy of Learning in Retirement (ALIR), a program of NEISD Adult & Community Education. She passed away on March 28th and today, at the ALIR art show, they paid tribute to her talent. Fellow ALIRian Susan Susser (pictured) asked Françoise if she would paint a portrait of a photograph Susan had taken while traveling in NYC. Françoise was hesitant but finally agreed. Susan said, “This is who I want to be when I’m 80; a plucky woman not afraid to travel to travel the streets of NYC on my own!”
A longtime student of the “Basic Watercolor” class, Connie Saenz produced numerous paintings over the years. As part of the event, her daughter Melissa and son-in-law Bassam displayed some of Connie’s works as a tribute to her life and her hobbies.
The Academy of Learning in Retirement (ALIR) was established in 1989 as an extension of the University of Texas at San Antonio. Happily, North East Independent School District (NEISD) welcomed ALIR to its Community Education department in the spring of 2006, offering comfortable classrooms, administrative services in support of ALIR’s volunteer instructors, and the opportunity for ALIR to be included in its widely distributed continuing education catalog. Today, more than 600 intellectually curious, over – 50, San Antonians are members of ALIR. Classes are held three times per year at the North East Community Learning Center located at 8750 Tesoro Dr. For additional information, contact ALIR Facilitator Rhonda Roberts (210) 407-0167 or visit https://www.neisd.net/Page/875.
ALIRian Helen Baker poses with ALIR Facilitator Rhonda Roberts. Helen is modeling the jewelry pieces she made in the “Basic Bead/Jewelry Making” class this spring.
“Zen Painting” with ALIR instructor Mary Bowman is always a popular course. Displayed are notecards painted in class by ALIRian Pat Schmitz.
“Mixed Media” instructor Stan Unser poses with an oil painting he produced entitled “Past Contemplations.”
