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A thank you to our outgoing President Sheila Brush

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Linda Shamoon, LLC Incoming President, shared the following words about the leadership of Sheila Brush at our Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 27:

"In an organization where a few members are closely tied and aware of how we operate, and the majority of them are many loosely allied, yet every one of us, from the tightly allied to the loosely allied, acknowledges that Sheila has been a terrific leader. She's been simply outstanding, and this is the moment where I would like to just mention those major achievements, and even the ones that you don't see.

In her three years as president, these are just the highlights:

The transition out of COVID into in-person classes. We forget how hesitant people were, but under Sheila's leadership, that came together really quickly.

And then completing and helping to complete and implement an ambitious 3-year strategic plan, which required the cooperation of all our committees and committee leaders.

The smooth transition to a new location, and a new way to do Convocation, which I'm particularly grateful. And that's the big stuff. That's just the big picture. The everyday stuff gets solved in ways that the average member doesn't even see. The daily schedule glitches that Sheila takes care of all the time, individual members' problems and complaints, which flow her way. The care, nurturing, and supply and cleanup of the coffee room. Bathroom leaks. Classroom air quality, crumbs on the table, trash remover, technology problems, the list goes on. So, an amazing amount of energy, commitment, and commitment to the welfare of LLC and its members. Sheila either, in all of those cases, got the right person to do the job, or she did it herself. She did it without fuss, and she did it properly, and with good cheer, and always successfully. In other words, every aspect of being a president, big and small. Sheila did them perfectly.

We owe Sheila a huge, huge thank you for three terrific years. She set the bar just incredibly high for her successor."

WAYS TO LEARN AT LLC
COLLABORATIVE COURSES to expand knowledge, develop skills, build confidence.
WEBINARS to hear from experts in many disciplines.
CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES to broaden horizons and meet new friends.

THINGS TO LEARN AT LLC
ACADEMIC SUBJECTS: literature, history, sciences, community issues & more.
SEE PREVIOUS CATALOGS.
ARTS: painting, photography, music & more. See art galleries for samples.
Almost any subject can come up at LLC’s WEBINARS and CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES.

REASONS TO LEARN AT LLC
EXPAND your knowledge
DIVERSIFY your skills
BUILD your confidence
MEET new friends with similar interests

Lifelong Learning Collaborative (LLC) is a group of more than 500 members who enjoy learning new things, acquiring new skills, and making new friends. Hover over each box above to learn more.

Collaborative Learning

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At LLC we all learn from one another, selecting from a wide variety of courses in history, literature, the arts, current affairs, sciences, and more – all designed and led by our classmates. Learn more.

A Love of Learning

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LLC members come from all walks of life, career paths, and educational levels. The one thing we all have in common is a desire to continue learning in the company of congenial people.

Cultural Opportunities

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From the North Shore of Massachusetts to the center of Manhattan, LLC offers Webinars, lectures, museum tours, walking tours, and other special learning events with expert guides throughout the year. Learn more.

Latest News

Announcing LLC's Cell Phone Photography Club Spring Virtual Art Show

In this ongoing class, LLC members experiment with cell phone photography and photo editing. Improving use of phone cameras, trying new genres of photography, such as street, landscape, and low-light photography, learning from each other, and sharing photos with a congenial group are all creative, instructive, social, and fun. This semester was led by Ellen Fingeret and Margaret Lawrence.

View the entire gallery of photography.

Featured artwork, "Rough Road Ahead!" by LLC member Sam Grabelle

LLC has a new mailing address

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Effective June 1, 2026, LLC's new mailing address:

P O Box 40451
Providence RI 02940

Photo by Mikaela Wiedenhoff on Unsplash

It's not too late to register for Summer courses!

Classes start week of June 15.

Direct links to register | Online registration (existing members) | New to LLC? Create an account

Cover artwork, “Glorious Touisset” (watercolor), was painted by LLC member Molly Lee in our Plein Air Art in Summersession 2025. Molly, a recent retiree, joined LLC last year and was “surprised and delighted to meet so many people of varying backgrounds, all with a shared interest in knowing others and in learning together through doing and from each other.” In addition to Plein Art, she has participated in Open Studio Art as well as our Webinar Lectures and Breakfast Club.

SOLD OUT! LLC members are invited to tour St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center

A must see – "Rhode Island's Sistine Chapel"
The home of the largest collection of fresco paintings in North America

Wednesday, June 10
11 AM - 12:00 PM
$18 per member (non-refundable)

With a ceiling sixty-five feet high, enormous bell towers and a sprawling nave, St. Ann's church was a massive structure when it opened for its first mass in 1918. Click to register.

The Owl has landed!

Meet Elsie!

The Owl is LLC's quarterly newsletter, filled with LLC news, dates, interviews, a members' calendar, help wanted ads and more. Stay in touch. Stay informed about LLC's upcoming events and volunteers. Want to know more about LLC? Read the flagship issue of The Owl.

Key dates for upcoming semesters

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Summersession 2026
Catalog May 4 | Registration opens Mon, May 11 @ 9 AM | Classes start June 15

Fall 2026
Catalog July 20 | Registration opens Mon, July 27 @ 9 AM | Classes start September 14

 

LLC's visit to the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism

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On March 27, the Cultural Activities Committee sponsored a trip to the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism.

“[We had a] great visit to this new museum in Westerly, RI. Beautiful building on the water filled with 160 American Impressionist paintings. Our tour guide was amazing and so knowledgeable. Please put this museum on your list of places to visit this summer.” – Celene Healy, Committee Co-Chair

LLC and Edgewood Village's "Connections & Conversation"

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What a great afternoon actor Peter Gerety, a founding member of Trinity Rep, and Gamm Theatre Artistic Director Tony Estrella gave us all on March 12! Almost 200 members of LLC and Edgewood Village (EV), a member of The Village Common of RI, gathered at the Masonic Center in Cranston to listen as Peter reminisced with Tony about "My Life as An Actor in Stage, Film and Television." Their conversation was preceded by an open house with refreshments, info about LLC and EV programs, and an opportunity to socialize.