CLL Community Classes
These classes do not require a CLL membership to attend; however, they require registration and may have an additional fee.
Please visit the new CLL Registration page on Church Center to Register for classes.
Ongoing
Mindfulness Meditation
Every Monday and every Friday, 11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (Zoom)
Cost: Free
Sign-up through CLL office; the Zoom link will be sent from the facilitator, Regan Burke.
Bridge Group
2nd and 4th Monday of every month, 1:00–4:00 p.m. (In-person)
Cost: Free
This group is currently full. Contact Linda Daly (below) if you are interested in being put on the substitute list.
Let’s Play Mahjong!
Tuesdays, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (In-person)
Cost: Free
Join us to get together and enjoy playing Mahjong. While there is no instructor, we’ll still provide the games, so just bring yourself and have some fun!
Foreign Affairs Perspectives
Tuesdays, twice a month, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (Zoom)
Cost: Free
This is a member-led small group discussion based on articles from the magazine Foreign Affairs. Group members are required to subscribe to the magazine. For each discussion, one group member selects an article from the magazine, develops questions about the article, and moderates the discussion. Each member is expected to moderate one or two discussions during each term.
Autumn Dates:
September 15 and 29
October 13 and 27
November 10 and 24
December 8
Monthly Book Group
Second Tuesday of the month, 2:30-3:30pm (Zoom)
Cost: Free
All are welcome to join us for lively and thought-provoking discussions each month, led by Alan Bath.
Autumn Meeting Dates:
October 13 My Friends by Fredrik Backman
November 10 Claire McCardell, The Designer Who Set Women Free by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson
December 8 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The Great Ideas Men’s Group
Every other Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Hybrid)
Cost: Free
A discussion group that provides a safe and supportive environment for men to discuss and work through challenges of current topics that are facing the world at large. Before each meeting we will read an article from “Foreign Affairs” magazine and then discuss it as a group.
Autumn Meeting Dates:
September 16 and 30
October 14 and 28
November 11 and 25
December 9
Midweek Meditation
Wednesdays, 11:00-11:30 (In-Person)
Cost: Free
Join CLL Director Annette Mileski on Wednesdays for 30 minutes of mindful restoration, meditation, and gentle movement. All are welcome.
Film Series
Twice a month, Wednesdays, 2:00-4:30 pm (In-person)
Cost: Free
Join us to enjoy a current film! Register to receive a list of this month’s movie selections.
Dates for Spring:
September 23
October 14 and 28
November 11 and 25
December 9
Art and Conversation
Thursdays, 11:00-12:30 p.m. (In-person)
Cost: Free
Art and Conversation is not a class but a celebration of fellowship and creativity. An art studio collaborative where people make art and new friends.
Surprise yourself. Be free. Have fun! We invite people to make new friends while indulging in lively discussions and making art. Bring a piece you are working on or start a new one! You don’t have to be talented, just interested and interesting. We can provide some basic materials but you can also bring some from home.
What Matters Now
Thursdays, 11:30-12:30 p.m. (Hybrid)
Cost: Free
Our lifestyle affects our health, and our health affects our lifestyle. So, what impacts our ability to age in the best way possible for each of us? This weekly series will provide participants with resources to answer this and other questions about aging well. Each week will feature a presenter who will be discussing healthy aging in one of these categories: physical health, mental health, social health, spiritual health, or financial health.
As a participant, you register for the whole series and will receive the full list of topics and a weekly email listing the topic and presenter for that week. Then you may choose which sessions to attend. Sessions are not recorded, but any distributed materials may be sent electronically as well.
Canasta Playing Group
Thursdays
1:30-3:00 p.m. (In person)
Fiber Friends,
Fridays, 2:00-3:30 p.m. (In person)
Cost: Free
Interested in learning how to knit or crochet? Or do you already know how, but would love to sit and stitch with a group? Have we got a space for you! Heather Groh will be facilitating this group and all skill levels are welcome. She will be able to help you get started with some simple patterns if you are new to the craft and will provide support if you are feeling a bit stuck in your stitching.
Get Together and Go Out!
Fridays, 3:30 p.m. (In-person)
Cost: Free for CLL Members and nonmembers, museum admission will be paid individually
Let’s meet up and talk informally about cultural possibilities, fun upcoming events, concerts, art exhibits, and more! Following the discussion, we will head out and explore the city!
Autumn 2026 Dates:
September 25
October 16 and 30
November 13
December 11
Monthly Lunch Meet Ups
Fridays
12:00-2:00 p.m. (In person)
Each month we select a neighborhood restaurant to meet at for lunch! This is a great way to connect with others and discover what might be your new favorite restaurant. Each person is responsible for their own check. Please email Dave Dalton to be notified of the upcoming restaurants and dates.
September
The WPA and the Arts: Federal Project Number One
Mondays, September 14- October 5, 2:30-3:30 p.m. (Hybrid)
Cost: $40 for CLL Members and $60 for non-CLL members
In May 1935, the large-scale work relief project known as the Works Progress Administration or WPA was established to provide work for unemployed Americans. The WPA initially focused on public works projects like roads, bridges, airports, and schools, but in August 1935 it expanded to the arts with the formation of Federal Project Number One. Project One encompassed five programs: The Federal Art, Music, Writers’, and Theatre Projects and the Historical Records Survey. This class explores the activities of these programs, which provided work for unemployed art professionals and helped to create an appreciation of the arts among the American public.
Kathleen Murphy Skolnik teaches art and architectural history at Roosevelt University for classes on architecture and design of the late 19th and early 20th century at the Newberry Library. She is the co-author of The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meière and a contributor to Art Deco Chicago: Designing Modern America. From 2008 to 2016 she was the editor of the Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine and currently serves on the Board of the International Hildreth Meière Association and the Advisory Board of the Art Deco Society of New York.
Improv
Tuesdays, September 15-October 20, 1:00-2:30 pm (In-person)
Cost: $80 for CLL Members, $100 for non-members
Are you looking for a way to shake up the brain cells a bit? Well, good news! We are offering an improv class that is designed to get you moving and engaging your neural pathways as you learn to let go of your self-consciousness, communicate in new ways, and create interesting characters with your classmates. No prior experience needed.
Ron Tolisano is a Chicago resident who has been involved in the improv community for the past ten years. He has a BA from Western Ill. Univ. and an MSW from Loyola University, Chicago. He has taken classes at Second City and Annoyance Theatre. He currently teaches improvisation at the Chicago Cultural Center and at the Harold Washington Library Center- Chicago Public Library.
Painting and Collage: Bringing Out the Artist in Everyone
Wednesdays, September 16-October 21, 10:30-11:30 a.m. (In-Person)
Cost: Free for CLL Members and non-members
This class takes the expectation away from painting a specific object and is a lot of fun! We will experiment with different techniques through guided demonstrations before exploring a variety of paintbrushes, paper, and methods for applying color to paper. Once the painting is completed and all the works have been dried, we’ll cut their work apart, creating swatches, much like mosaic tiles to assemble into collages.
Students arrange the swatches in place prior to any permanent gluing, much like designing a patchwork quilt. Designs can be figurative or abstract. When the students are happy with their design, we’ll create our own collage.
Susan Stevens has been drawing and painting most of her life. She specializes in collage, using watercolors, gouache and acrylics. She teaches at OLLI (Temple University in Philadelphia), and at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, and in southwest Michigan at the Harbert Community Church, the New Buffalo Elementary School and River Valley School in Three Oaks, MI. She has taught seasoned artists as well as adults with no previous experience. People who were told “they had no talent” when they were 8 years old, are especially responsive to the alternative techniques and experimentation in the class.
She retired from the Chicago Architecture Foundation as Director of Communications. She splits her time among Philadelphia, Chicago, Lakeside, Michigan.
Hugh Stevens has assisted his wife during collage classes for the past 20 years. He is a poet and an artist. A graduate of Northwestern University, Northwestern University Law School, and the University of Chicago, he served for more than twenty years as an assistant public defender.
Songs of the Soul — the Psalms for Everyone
Wednesdays, September 16-September 30, 1:30-2:30 p.m. (Hybrid)
Cost: Free for CLL Members and non-members
Joy. Anger. Lament. Praise. Even whining and complaining. The Psalms have it all! The book of Psalms is located smack dab in the heart of the Bible, and its writers represent the full range of human emotions. We'll experience the Psalms as prayers, poems and songs that speak to our hearts and whose ancient wisdom applies to our lives.
Amy Pagliarella is a longtime “newcomer” to Fourth Church. She joined the pastoral staff in 2023, after first joining the congregation in 1996. Back then, Amy’s “day job” was as a consultant with Accenture. While serving as an Elder, Stephen Minister, and Moderator of Women at Fourth, she felt the stirrings of a call to ministry. When work colleagues started to notice how she “lit up” as she talked about her spiritual life, Amy followed that call to McCormick Theological Seminary to pursue a Master of Divinity. In 2008, she was ordained at the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest and served ten years as Associate Pastor for Children.
An Introduction to the Supreme Court and Constitutional Law
Thursdays, September 17- October 22, 10:00-11:30 a.m. (In-person)
Cost: $45 for CLL Members; $60 for non-members
This course will cover the role of the Supreme Court and the concepts of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which are most often involved in the “news-worth” cases, for instance the 1st Amendment (free speech and freedom of religion), 2nd Amendment (right to bear arms), 4th Amendment (unreasonable searches and seizures, and the 14th Amendment (Due Process and Equal Protection). This will be interesting to non-lawyers who are curious about how these high profile cases effect every-day living and the ideas of Civil rights
Henry Krasnow became interested in the recent rulings of the current Supreme Court by his frustration over how the media, politicians, and opinion writers described the Court’s rulings to emphasize controversy while ignoring the logic articulated by the Court in explaining those rulings. In addition to his 55 yr. career as a Chicago business lawyer, Henry was an adjunct law professor, had a book published, and authored over 20 magazine articles on a wide range of legal subjects. He holds a B.A. (Economics) from the University of Michigan, a C.P.A. from the University of Illinois, and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Beyond the Headlines: Understanding Today’s News
Thursdays, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (Hybrid)
Cost: $60 for CLL Members, $80 for Non-CLL Members
Sally Sachar will dig deep into public policy and current events and how they are being covered in today’s media landscape. This fascinating class is sure to produce conversation. Sally spent nearly 30 years in Washington, DC working in public policy and leading nonprofits in education and health. After moving to Chicago, she founded the Ibis Collaborative, which leads public policy and current events discussions with older adults locally and nationally. A former presidential appointee, she held senior roles at the U.S. Department of Labor, including Deputy Chief of Staff and Associate Assistant Secretary for Policy. She also runs a consulting firm focused on strengthening nonprofits and small businesses.
Autumn 2026 Dates:
September 17 and 24
October 22
November 5 and 19 (Zoom Only)
December 3 and 10
Explorations with Jane Hunt
Wednesdays, September 23- October 7, 10:30-11:30 (Hybrid)
Cost: Free for CLL Members, $25 for non-members
September 23 Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
A class on the word-of-mouth bestseller Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. This thoughtful and moving novel explores kindness, friendship, memory, and the quiet ways one life can touch others.
September 30 and October 7 Chicago—an important American city and a world capital of architecture
These classes will prepare you to talk with pride about Chicago, our great city, to friends and family when you are together. Together, we will explore the city’s remarkable influence on commerce and culture, and several extraordinary buildings that have shaped its identity. From the birth of the skyscraper to the building of The Tribune Tower to the work of architects such as Daniel Burnham, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, and Jeanne Gang, Chicago offers an architectural history unlike any other.
Jane Hunt is a retired College of DuPage English and humanities instructor and has been teaching at the CLL since 1990. She is a graduate of DePauw University and Indiana University, and she enjoys formulating questions on diverse topics and then looking for answers with her classes.
October
Learn to Play Mahjong
Tuesdays, October 6-October 27, 1:00-2:00 (In-person)
Cost: $40 for CLL Members, $60 for non-members
Have you ever wanted to learn to play Mahjong? Susan Nusbaum will be teaching the basics in this class! This traditional Chinese tile-based game combines competition with an opportunity to socialize.
Sanfilippo Estate Trip
Wednesday, October 21, 12:00-6:00 p.m. (In-person)
Cost: $60 for CLL Members, $80 for non-members
Join us for a beautiful, guided 3-hour tour of the Sanfilippo Estate in Barington! We begin in the main Residence viewing and learning about the Sanfilippo Collection of automated music machines, their history, restoration efforts, as well as the opulent details of the Residence’s French Second Empire setting.
Then we’ll head into the American Orchestrion Room, with some of the most beautiful art glass-front orchestrions ever made. A group of Tiffany and other art glass lamps and a large collection of Victorian chandeliers add to the color of the room. The tour will also include Victorian Bar Room, a recreation of a turn-of-the-century casino, the Paris Passageway, a glimpse into the Jeffrey Sanfilippo Collection of antiques. The house portion of the tour culminates in our Music Theater with a mini-concert on the world’s largest
theater pipe organ.
The tour continues in the Carousel Pavilion. Inside you’ll enjoy hearing a selection of our Dance Organs, Band Organs, Calliopes, and Fairground Organs. You’ll view an 1881 Grant Railroad Locomotive (used by Henry Ford) with its tender and caboose; a reproduction Pullman Coach Car; spectacular street clocks; and a variety of Stationary Steam Engines.
The featured jewel in the building is the Eden Palais Carousel. The most complete example of a European salon carousel in existence, the Eden Palais was built in 1890 and is fully restored and operational. The salon carousel was more than just an amusement ride—it was a self-contained entertainment palace This is one tour that you will never forget! Includes admission, guided tour, and round trip travel on a Coach bus.
Learn to Play Marvelous Mahjong Chi Style
Mondays, October 26-November 23, 1:30-3:00 (In-person)
Cost: Free for CLL Members and non-members
Join us to learn to play this version of Mahjong that is a different experience from the American and Chinese games.
Digital Photography
Tuesdays, October 27-November 17, 2:30-3:30 (In-person)
Cost: Free for CLL Members and non-members
Learn tips and tricks to improve your PHONOGRAPHY skills while having fun in four easy lessons! Fabio Mucchi leads this class where you will learn to take better photographs using your cell phone.
Fabio Mucchi is an Italian professional photographer, writer, and sailor, known for combining his passion for photography with his love of adventure and ocean voyages.
His career and life are inextricably linked to exploration and travel across four continents.
Art in the Movies
Thursday, October 29, 1:00-2:00 (Zoom)
Cost: Free for CLL Members, $10 for non-members
November
Introducing Taino Art and Culture with Hugh Leeman
Thursday, November 12, 2:30-3:30 p.m. (Zoom)
Cost: $15 for CLL Members, $20 for Nonmembers
Explore the art, spirituality, and ceremonial life of the Taíno, Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. Through zemís and cohoba rituals, sacred beings, ancestors, and spiritual forces emerge as active presences guiding healing, communal ceremonies, and sociopolitical decisions. We will examine carved sculptures, stone monuments, ritual objects, and duhos, ceremonial seats of power, while considering how material, form, and performance shaped encounters with the spirit world.
Hugh Leeman is an artist and lecturer teaching art history in English and Spanish. He lectures regularly at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and in Spanish at Colorado State University. His lectures focus on the manifestation of social power structures and the spiritual realm in pre-modern art and the future of images' ability to re-engineer social constructs. Leeman's social practice has been exhibited at the Museum of Mexico City. His first social art project focused on a five-year collaborative project with the inner city's homeless, using technology to create micro self-empowerment business platforms for homeless individuals. More recently, Leeman cofounded aetatribes.org.
Learn to Play Canasta
Tuesdays, November 17- December 1, 2:30-4:00 (In-person)
Cost: Free for CLL Members and non-members
December
Holiday Extravaganza
Friday, December 4, 1:30-3:00 p.m. (In-Person)
Cost: Free for CLL Members
Join us for some seasonal merriment! This party will feature music, light refreshments, trivia, singalongs, prizes, and more to put you in the holiday spirit!
Contemporary Art Referencing the Past
Thursday, December 10, 2:30-3:30 p.m. (Zoom)
Cost: $15 for CLL Members, $20 for non-CLL Members
Explore how contemporary artists use historicism to reinterpret older artworks, styles, and visual traditions. Rather than attempting to pass new works off as artifacts of the past, these artists deliberately borrow historical forms to address present-day experiences, beliefs, and social concerns. We will examine how familiar styles are transformed through new materials, identities, and cultural contexts, allowing the past to speak differently in the present.
Hugh Leeman is an artist and lecturer teaching art history in English and Spanish. He lectures regularly at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and in Spanish at Colorado State University. His lectures focus on the manifestation of social power structures and the spiritual realm in pre-modern art and the future of images' ability to re-engineer social constructs. Leeman's social practice has been exhibited at the Museum of Mexico City. His first social art project focused on a five-year collaborative project with the inner city's homeless, using technology to create micro self-empowerment business platforms for homeless individuals. More recently, Leeman cofounded aetatribes.org.
Please visit the new CLL Registration page on Church Center to Register for classes.
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