Spring 2011 Learning Legacy Inside this issue: Meet Bruce Crawford Home/Garden Instructor Bruce Crawford is a recent and The South Orange- While Crawford’s favorite Bruce Crawford 1 addition to our roster, and this Maplewood Adult School is ornamental grass varies spring he will be teaching two happy to have him doing so depending on the needs of a Culinary Arts Instructor classes in our Home & Garden with our classes! particular site, we did manage Nicole Friday 1 section: Designing with to get three recommendations Ornamental Grasses from him. Crawford suggests Celebrity Readings 2 (Tuesday, March 15th from Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’ 7:15-8:45pm for $35) and for shade and average Active Mind Instructor Container Gardening moisture, Carex stricta for wet Loughran O’Connor 3 (Thursday, May 12th from 7:15- sites in sun or shade and 8:45pm for $35). Panicum ‘Dallas Blues’ for Chef Jesse Jones 3 After studying Horticulture height in hot dry locations. and Landscape Architecture, When we asked him about the About The Adult School 4 Crawford spent the next current popularity of container twenty-three years running a gardening, Crawford explained small garden design firm. He that the recent surge in interest became the Director of is due to a number of things, Rutgers Gardens six years ago including: because he wanted to share his • the lack of open planting knowledge of gardening and space and free soil; get your the advantages of plants and tickets for design with a wider audience, Bruce Crawford (continued on page 4) Celebrity Meet Nicole Friday Nicole Friday is a new Cupcake Craze, all your The cupcake is experiencing a Readings instructor at The Adult School. favorite deserts are cupcakes. renaissance, and Friday She will be teaching two Nicole Friday started this believes it is because few things Monday, April 4 Culinary Arts courses this gourmet cupcake catering in life are as satisfying. It’s like spring: Cupcakes and Kids company last year, and she has the cupcake said, “Step aside, 7:30pm (Thursday, nostalgia--I’m all grown th April 14 It’s like the cupcake said, “Step up!” With sophisticated Woman’s Club of from 7-9pm fanfare and flavors for $60 for aside, nostalgia--I’m all grown up.” aplenty, Friday says, Maplewood one adult cupcakes are outright wine & dessert and one child) and Gourmet been going non-stop since irresistible. th Cupcakes (Thursday, May 5 then. She has a fan base, she Friday won Macy’s Battle of reception from 7-9pm for $35). writes a weekly column for the Cupcakes last summer, and Lemon Meringue. Sweet Essence.com and she has been she regularly showcases her $40 in advance, $45 a featured baking expert on Potato. Coconut Cream. (continued on page 4) at the door Chocolate Soufflé. At The Brides.com. 2 Spring 2011 Learning Legacy Celebrity Readings with Revelry! Celebrity Readings, an evening stage and screen. Our very own National Public Radio’s Tickets are $40 in advance; $45 of short stories, will return to Emily Zacharias, trustee and “Selected Shorts” program, at the door. They can currently Maplewood on Monday, April professional actor, will once features readings of classic and be reserved by phone 4th at 7:30 pm. Presented by again host the evening. This new short fiction chosen by (973-378-7620) or online at The South Orange-Maplewood year the show features Robert the artists. The Woman’s Club www.somadultschool.org. This Adult School, the annual Cuccioli, Laila Robins and of Maplewood will serve as the event benefits the educational literary series features readings Isaiah Sheffer. stage for this pairing of authors classes and lectures offered by by accomplished actors of The program, modeled after and actors. The Adult School. Celebrity Readings with Revelry! (wine & dessert reception following performances) Monday, April 4th at 7:30pm at the Woman’s Club of Maplewood Isaiah Sheffer Robert Cuccioli Laila Robins Isaiah Sheffer started Symphony Robert Cuccioli’s most recent Laila Robbins is currently Space with conductor Allan Miller project, as Norman Rhodes in Paola Franco in “Dangerous over thirty years ago; it has since Bruce Hornsby’s new musical, Beauty,” which is making its become an Upper West Side “SCKBSTD,” wrapped up in early premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse institution, a complex performing February. His Broadway credits this February. She was seen on arts center with increasingly diverse include “Les Miserables” and Broadway in “Heartbreak House,” programming. Sheffer is also the “Jekyll & Hyde” (1997 Tony the Tony-nominated play host of “Selected Shorts: A nomination, Drama Desk, Outer “Frozen” (Lucille Lortel Celebration of the Short Story,” Critics Circle Awards and Chicago's Nomination), “The Herbal Bed” National Public Radio's award- Joseph Jefferson Award) and his and “The Real Thing.” Robins’ winning series of short fiction read off-Broadway credits include credits also include off-Broadway by actors and recorded live at “Temporary Help,” “Enter The and regional productions, as well as Symphony Space. Inspiration for Guardsman” and “And The World film and television appearances “Selected Shorts” came from Goes ‘Round” (1991 Outer Critics that include the series lead in Bloomsday, an annual celebration Circle Award). Cuccioli has also “Gabriel’s Fire” opposite James of the life of James Joyce that made television and film Earl Jones. Robins trained at the includes “Ulysses” readings. appearances. Yale School of Drama. Learning Legacy Spring 2011 3 Meet Loughran O’Connor Loughran O’Connor will be artists she will be focusing on sculpture and heroic preserve her genius as a instructing two of our Active during the spring semester, and architecture? His original painter. She loved the fashion Mind courses this spring: this was her reply: commission for the Sistine and architecture of Paris. Leonardo and Chapel frescoes was modest, When she wanted a chateau, Michelangelo: but he gave us visions of she simply bought one from Giants of the heaven and hell, surrounded by her sales! She reinvented the Renaissance creation, biblical prophets and use of French paste—finely (Tuesday, March 15th the underworld… unlike any ground pigmented chalks that and Tuesday, March made before or since. she used in luminous portraits. nd 22 from 7-9pm for Each painting is built upon $47) and Mary LEONARDO DA VINCI solid design; together they Cassatt and form a serious narrative about Georgia O’Keefe: Leonardo's career as a designer family relations. and engineer was secondary to Iconic American his commissions for portraits Painters (Tuesday, GEORGIA O'KEEFE April 5th and of nobility. He was called the Tuesday, April 12th greatest draughtsman of his Georgia O'Keefe became from 7-9pm for $47). time and has been an famous almost despite herself. inspiration for artists ever Unlike Cassatt, she shunned O’Connor earned her since. He was also an inventor family and society and became MA in Creative Arts and musician. Most fascinating more reclusive as she aged. from San Francisco to me is his "Sfumato" (veiled) After finishing a series of State University and technique in painting, which revolutionary paintings based studied art history has never met its equal in almost purely upon design in through a mysterious subtlety. We are New York, she moved to the scholarship at the still decoding many of the American western plains. Her University of Loughran O'Connor symbols that he placed within paintings—created in a London. She has photo by Sue Zwick his paintings. They are secret renovated pueblo monastery— been exhibiting paint- gifts for generations to come. show us the magnificence of ings for the last the desert country, mountains forty years and teaching art MICHELANGELO MARY CASSATT and life forms. history for the last thirty. How could one man from an Mary Cassatt was the ultimate We asked O’Connor what illiterate family of stonecutters career woman who managed to fascinates her most about the create such massive marble Chef Jesse Jones Chef Jesse Jones has taught his North Carolina. His family is showcasing his gifts on the cooking classes at The Adult full of great southern cooks; cooking stage. His students School for the last four before he began his formal enjoy his passion, which semesters, and we’re thrilled to training, he built his skills by manifests itself in numerous have him back for two more watching his mother. ways during a class, from Culinary Arts classes this Customers of his restaurant, singing to the telling of spring. If you weren’t able to Heart and Soul, encouraged entertaining stories. sign up for his classes this Jones to share his talent with Sign up to take one of Chef spring, you can catch him on others by teaching at The Jesse’s classes and get Fox 5’s “Good Day Café” on Adult School. He enjoys his caught up in the heart and March 8th at 8:30am. students and the look on their soul of his cooking style! Jones was born in Newark but faces when they are excited was partly raised in Snow Hill, about his food, and he enjoys Chef Jesse Jones 4 Spring 2011 Learning Legacy Meet Bruce Crawford (continued) Meet Nicole Friday (continued) • the ease of introducing containers themselves, which culinary talents Foods Market, Architectural vertical height into a space can add additional color, at Williams- Digest Home Design Show, when using containers; texture and imagination. Sonoma, the Bloomingdales and Neiman New York Marcus. • the ease of re-arranging Bruce Crawford enjoys Botanical Despite the love she has for and moving containers; spending his days helping improve people’s lives through Garden, cupcakes, Friday doesn’t Whole • the ability to create a gardening; sign up for one or actually indulge in the bite- variety of micro-climates, both of his classes and get sized treat.