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THE BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK ADULT EDUCATION COUNCIL 366 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY JOHN H. FINLEY President WINIFRED FISHER Executive Secretary [[line]] VOL. I DECEMBER 15, 1934 No. 7 [[line]] [[2 columns]] [[column 1]] [[image: flourish of vines and leaves]] MERRY CHRISTMAS [[drop-cap]] T [[/drop-cap]] HE COUNCIL sends Christmas greetings to its members and friends, and hopes that readers of the Bulletin may find in the Calendar some news of events which will make the holiday season livelier and merrier for them. A year ago the Council sent members and cooperating organizations a mimeographed list of doings of the holiday season, recitals, exhibitions, out-of-door sports, and so on. The enthusiasm with which it was received and the requests for additional copies had much to do with the inauguration of the Bulletin as a regular service. At this season all of us are a little less restricted by routine activities, and it is a part of the holiday spirit to treat ourselves to some "extras." There is a special appeal in Christmas music and pageantry for people of all sorts, and New York offers much in this field. Everyone should make himself a holiday present of some special Christmas program of music. Regular classes, club meetings, and activities usually pause for two or three weeks, and this gives a chance to visit some exhibitions, hear some lectures, and listen to some special radio programs. What this Calendar offers the reader is "the candy and nuts" of the educational season. As usual, the aim is to present a variety of interests for a variety of tastes, pocketbooks, times and residences. Remember, however, this is only a selection from the many excitements of New York during the last half of December. Watch the newspapers for additional announcements. Finally, may the weather cooperate with the hopes of those who long for winter sports, and with the consciences of those who are growing in the middle.* ----- *Reference is to Mr. Arthur Bestor's anecdote of the child who defined an adult as a person who had stopped growing at both ends, but was still growing in the middle. [[/column 1]] [[column 2] VISIT TO THE ART WORKSHOP [[drop-cap]] O [[/drop-cap]] N Monday, November 26, the Art Workshop at 309 East 34 St. was host to members of the Council and their friends. This meeting was the first of the series in the Council's program of visits to cooperating organizations conducting adult classes or activities. After a brief talk about the general aims of the Workshop and a description of the methods employed in the painting class the guests visited the studio. Each student selects her own theme and devotes one evening to the planning and execution of it, thus maintaining a fresh interest in the subject matter and interpretation rather than the technique. This fits into the general purpose of the Workshop, which is to stimulate an interest in art and provide a medium for creative expression, and not to conduct a school for art students. There are no portraits and no interest in still life. The students paint what they wish to express, including much active interpretation of the modern scene. When they are seriously hampered by their halting technique, the teacher helps them. They show a remarkable degree of resourcefulness and a lack of self-consciousness, much of which must be due to this method of emphasizing what is being said rather than how. All the work was put on view at the end of the session and criticized by the group. This provided lively discussion and again the group approached the paintings and evaluated them from the point of view of whether they understood what the painter meant. No questions of technique were raised except as they affected the intelligibility of the painting. Art at the Workshop seems to be providing its students with an added method of communication. ---------- Announcement! Thurs., Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. Visit to the Brooklyn Museum. Next Bulletin will carry details. [[/column 2]] [[border surrounding following paragraph]] The New York Adult Education Council is an organization of individuals interested in Adult Education in general and specifically in the area of Metropolitan New York. Its membership is open to both professional and lay persons and includes, as does its board of directors, men and women from all five boroughs of the City, Westchester County and Northern New Jersey. It has no institutional membership, as such, but institutions may and do occupy an important relationship as "Cooperating Agencies." This set-up allows flexibility in discussion and functions, while making possible the fullest use of all available resources in information, experience, equipment, personnel, et cetera.
