This summer, Rice University’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies expanded horizons and sparked personal expression through Lifelong University, an innovative education initiative custom-designed by the school’s Center for Community Learning and Engagement for retirement community residents. The program’s summer series focused on hands-on creativity, connecting adult learners across 33 Belmont Village Senior Living communities through dynamic virtual learning, expert-led instruction, and collaborative art and storytelling.
Lifelong University brings academic enrichment directly into residential retirement communities, providing tailored virtual programming that fosters intellectual engagement, creative discovery and social connection. The creative workshop series combined live, interactive Zoom sessions with dedicated project weeks and a final creative showcase, offering participants a unique space to explore new artistic media, reflect on personal histories and celebrate the lifelong journey of learning alongside their peers.
“Lifelong University was designed to bring the intellectual vitality and vibrant community of Rice directly to residents where they live,” said Korin Brody, director of the Center for Community Learning and Engagement. “This summer’s creative workshops demonstrate the transformative power of lifelong learning. When we give participants the space, guidance and tools to revisit their personal histories, paint collaboratively or put their memories into words, we aren’t just teaching technique — we’re fostering deep human connection, preserving rich life stories and proving that creativity has no age limit.”
A Summer Dedicated to Creative Exploration
Starting in late June, the 2026 summer creative workshop series invited participants into an immersive, multi-week journey across visual arts and creative writing. Designed to accommodate beginners and seasoned enthusiasts alike, no prior artistic or literary experience was required for any of the workshops.
The summer sequence alternated live instructional masterclasses with dedicated studio weeks, allowing participants ample time to develop their independent projects before coming together for a community showcase.
From Post-Impressionism to Collaborative Murals
The summer program kicked off June 23 with “From Stars to Sunflowers: A Van Gogh Community Mural,” a workshop led by Houston-based visual artist and educator Laura Spector. Spector, who serves as a resident artist at the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at UTHealth, is internationally recognized for her long-running “Museum Anatomy” project, which explores lost and obscured artworks through painting, photography and sculpture.
In this session, Spector led participants through the artistic evolution of Vincent van Gogh, tracing his journey from early influences to his signature vibrant color palettes and expressive, impasto brushwork. Utilizing high-resolution projected imagery, the course provided an immersive look into Van Gogh’s life and artistic techniques.
Following a live demonstration on interpreting distinct segments of a larger artistic composition with simple materials, participants worked individually to craft their own section. When combined, these individual contributions assembled into a unified, large-scale community mural that celebrated shared creativity while honoring distinct artistic compositions.
Preserving Personal Legacies Through Memoir Writing
On July 7, the focus shifted to literary expression with the “Memoir Writing Workshop,” taught by published author and educator Elizabeth White Olsen. Olsen, who has taught creative writing and youth storytelling at the Glasscock School since 2015, is the author of Bringing Butterflies Home: Gardening to Heal Our Yards and Ourselves.
Grounded in the belief that everyone is a natural-born storyteller, Olsen’s workshop demystified the personal writing process. The session guided participants through the practical mechanics of drafting and revising personal narratives while tackling delicate challenges, such as navigating sensitive family memories where perspectives might differ.
By analyzing a variety of narrative styles, ranging from historical and contemporary memoirs to family histories and celebrity accounts, participants defined their individual writing goals, whether to heal, inform, educate or preserve a personal legacy for future generations. Olsen equipped residents with practical prompts and structured tools to transform pivotal life moments into compelling, written stories.
The power of this reflective process was vividly displayed in more than 60 diverse narratives produced by the participants. Resident submissions spanned a breathtaking range of human experience, capturing moments of profound resilience, adventure, historical witness and quiet nostalgia.
Glenda W. from Miami shared a deeply moving account of devotion and inner fortitude while navigating her husband’s battle with early-onset dementia, while Paul K. from Los Angeles rendered a harrowing historical document of escaping Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport after the horrors of Kristallnacht.
Other writers brought lighter, evocative moments to life: Barbara G. recounted her lifelong love affair with California’s High Sierras that began on a horseback packing trip at age 14; Nancy B. captured the spontaneous cross-country road trip to California in a 1945 Chevy; Mamu M. recalled a colorful upbringing in a bustling family flat in 1940s Bombay; Diane M. celebrated the thrill of learning to drive in a 1934 International flatbed truck on her family farm; Dale K. remembered childhood freedoms and savory scents in 1930s Bacolod City, Philippines; and Nancy S. painted a sensory portrait of growing up amidst pine needles and sea grass along a river road.
Chronicling History Through the Art of Collage
Visual storytelling continued July 14 with “The Art of Collage: Memories of Home,” led by artist Ellen Orseck. Orseck’s artwork has been featured in exhibitions throughout Texas, New York City, and Lima, Peru, earning commissions from state art councils, corporate collections, and private patrons, as well as a finalist designation for the Hunting Prize.
Orseck introduced participants to the historical and conceptual depth of collage, a term originally coined by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso from the French verb coller (“to glue”). The workshop surveyed landmark works by modern and contemporary collage masters, including Picasso, Braque, Henri Matisse, Faith Ringgold, Mary McCleary, Max Ernst and Kara Walker.
Building on these art-historical foundation stones, participants created personalized collages that chronicled memories of their childhood homes or neighborhoods. Using a mix of magazine clippings, found objects, paper textures and photocopies of cherished personal photos, residents assembled layered visual narratives that honored their roots and physical histories.
Celebrating Shared Creativity
The summer series concluded July 28 with a virtual Creative Workshops Showcase, where residents from participating communities across the nation gathered to experience their completed mural contributions, memoir excerpts and collage pieces.
As the showcase concluded, Mercedes Kerr, president of Belmont Village Senior Living, spoke of the experience, saying, “It really is a privilege to partner with Rice University, and it's a joy to bring projects like these to life. We're surrounded by so many creative and artistic and talented individuals with really meaningful life experiences, and so we're always grateful for any opportunity to showcase this. We know that projects such as these are more than just fun. They're actually a key component in making those connections that matter. This is what successful engaged living looks like.”
By bridging physical distance through virtual connection, Lifelong University offered retirement community residents an engaging platform to connect, reflect and create. Through thoughtful instruction, supportive peer environments and creative mediums, the Glasscock School fulfills its commitment to bringing accessible, high-quality university learning to diverse communities across the nation.
“Learning and self-expression don’t end at a certain milestone,” Brody said. “Seeing these residents discover new creative outlets and share their remarkable lives with one another is the true essence of what Lifelong University is all about.”
To learn more about Lifelong University, visit continue.rice.edu/lifelong-university.