The summer and fall seminars at Björklunden, Lawrence University’s pristine Door County retreat, are back.
The adult-education seminars, open to the public and led by Lawrence faculty, alumni, or other friends of the university, are returning in person for the first time in three years, beginning in mid-June and continuing through mid-October. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the seminars in 2020 and 2021.
This year’s slate of 38 week-long seminars will feature topics ranging from wildlife photography to American politics to the history of baseball in Milwaukee, and many topics in between. Registration is open.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer a full slate of seminars at Björklunden this summer and fall,” said Mark Breseman, director of Björklunden. “It will be wonderful to have all of our life-long learners back on the shores of Lake Michigan engaging in great conversations and enjoying the wide-ranging seminar topics.”
Information and registration for seminars can be found here.
Adjustments to the seminars will be made as pandemic situations dictate, Breseman said. CDC protocols will be followed, and all participants must be fully vaccinated and boosted and a proof of vaccination will be required.
It’ll once again be a chance to learn while enjoying the beauty of the 441-acre estate along the Lake Michigan shoreline, just south of Baileys Harbor.
Visitors to the seminars come from all walks of life. Some commute to the seminars. Others become Björklunden residents for the week, housed in the estate’s 37,000-square-foot lodge. Participants are able to explore the grounds and engage with the beauty and serenity of Door County.
Most seminars, which include meals prepared by Björklunden’s resident chef, begin Sunday evening and end Friday afternoon. Classes meet weekday mornings and some evenings, with remaining time available to enjoy Björklunden’s mile-long shoreline and wooded walking trails or to explore area cultural and recreational opportunities.
Lawrence has offered the Bjorklunden seminars every year since 1980, with the exception of 1993 when a fire destroyed the estate’s main lodge and the past two years when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of Lawrence facilities to the public. Bjorklunden has been an important part of Lawrence since 1963, when Donald and Winifred Boynton bequeathed the property to the university.
More information on this year’s seminars, costs, and a link to register can be found here. For additional questions, call 920-839-2216 or email bjorkseminars@lawrence.edu.
A guide to the 2022 lineup
You can sample the seminar topics and presenters below. Click on each session for details.
June 12 to June 17:
Listen to the Birds / Don Quintenz
The Weimar Republic: Grandeur and Disaster / Jon Greenwald
Wildlife Photography / John Van Den Brandt
June 19 to June 24:
An Insider’s Look at the Fundamentals of Geology / Bill Shefchik
June 26 to July 1:
Impressionism: Painting of Modern Life Family / Elizabeth Carlson
The Fall of Rome: From Caesar to King and From Jupiter to Jesus in 500 Years / Nikolas O. Hoel ’99
Two Irishmen, Two Novels, Two Portraits / Robert Spoo ’79
July 10 to July 15:
Chemistry of Art / Allison Fleshman
Expanding the Canon: Exploring Diversity and Inclusion in Classical Music / Anthony Padilla
Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina / Peter Thomas
July 15 to July 17:
Family Weekend/Grandparent-Grandchild Weekend / David Stokes
July 17 to July 22:
African America in Slavery and Freedom: How our Racial Past Informs our Present / Joe Patterson ’69 and Jerald Podair
Miskwabik: The Art, Science, and History of Copper-Working / Martha Buche ’86 and Margaret Koker
Richard Nixon: The Triumph and Tragedy of an American Politician / Tim Crain
July 24 to July 30:
Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camp / Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camp
July 31 to August 5:
American Politics and Our Disturbing Discourse: How Did We Get Here? / Susy Schultz ’81
The Midterms: America at the Crossroads / Terry Moran ’82
August 7 to August 12:
Is Belief in God Rational? / Terry Goode
The Rise of Ideology: America’s Surprising Political Journey / Arnold F. Shober
The Stars: Mansions Built by Nature’s Hand / Megan Pickett
August 14 to August 20:
Exploring the Mind-Gut Connection / Brian Piasecki
Family Ties: The Case of King David / Bill Urbrock
Watercolor: The Expressive Medium / Helen Klebesadel
August 28 to September 2:
Indelible Images: Iconic Moments, Scenes, and Dialogue from Classic Films / Jack Rhodes
The Beatles: 4 Lads Who Shook the World / Carl Rath ’75
The Original Book Club: Literary Legacies of Medieval Women / Catherine Keene and Danielle Joyner
September 11 to September 16:
Loves Me, Loves Me Knot / The History, Law, and Literature of Marriage (Fifteen Years Later) / Charles B. Schudson and Karen R. Schudson
Wildflowers and Birds / Don Quintenz
Writing the Tough Ones: A Workshop Designed for Fearless Poets / Marilyn L. Taylor
September 18 to September 23:
Door Kinetic Arts Festival / DKAF
September 25 to September 30:
Spore Losers – The World of Non-flowering Plants / Charlotte Lukes
The Women Who Made the Movies: Their Notable Contributions to Films of the Classic Era / Jack Rhodes
Watercolor: A Fresh Start / Helen Klebesadel
October 2 to October 7:
Medical Miracles: Curious Advances from Antibiotics to Vaccines / David W. Hines ’76
The Fascinating History of Baseball in Milwaukee / Steve Landfried ’66
Vergil’s Aeneid / Daniel J. Taylor ’63
October 9 to October 14:
Joe Biden’s World: U.S. Foreign Policy after Trump / Christopher Murray ’75
October 16 to October 21:
The United States Constitution / Tim Crain
Ed Berthiaume
Ed Berthiaume is director of public information at Lawrence University.
