Back for a short spring refresh, University Open Air (UOA) will be in session at the Center for Brooklyn History April 19-21.
As it always does, UOA provides immigrant teachers, professors, and academics, who were trained outside of the U.S., an opportunity to share their knowledge with the public by welcoming students to enjoy free classes in collaboration with the Prospect Park Alliance. The September semester takes place on the grounds around the Prospect Park Boathouse while the spring residency is housed in one of the library's branch locations.
For more information about the upcoming session please contact Vanessa Baish at vbaish@bklynlibrary.org.
*Please note, while UOA courses aim to equip students with valuable skills, they are non-accredited.
University Open Air is generously supported by The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund.
Prospect Park Alliance is the non-profit organization that sustains, restores and advances Brooklyn's Backyard, in partnership with the City of New York. The Alliance provides critical staff and resources that keep Prospect Park green and vibrant for the diverse communities that call Brooklyn home.
Upcoming Events
University Open Air: Yoga Training: Seven Pranayamas for Optimum Physical and Mental Wellbeing
We will explore the intricacies of pranayama (breathing technique), including breathing mechanisms, natural breathing patterns, and some profound benefits of these ancient practices. You will learn about body posture and experience the…
University Open Air: What’s in the day to day?
*This is a two-part class--participants are welcome to attend either or both.
Part one is a conversation seen through the work of female artists and writers about all that surrounds us on our day to day. We’ll talk about our approach to the expected and predictable; our home, our work,…
University Open Air: Healing: Meditation on the Three-Syllable Mantra. A Simple Method of Healing Oneself and Others
The power of mantra is beyond our imagination, so is visualization. The combination of mantra recitation and visualization is more powerful. For centuries the three-syllable mantra meditation practice has been one of the key practices…
University Open Air: Making Music from our Surroundings
How can we make music drawing inspiration from our daily lives? Can we translate into sound what we observe in, for instance, a tarot card or a painting? What lies behind notes and rhythm? In the past few decades, musicians have been exploring alternative ways to compose and perform…
University Open Air: Tibetan Yoga: The Five Movements for Balancing the Five Elements in our Bodies
Learn five standing yoga movements that release tensions and blockages in our gross body and subtle energy channels. Physical movement, breath, and awareness are coordinated to harmonize our body, energy, and mind. These five movements especially open…
University Open Air: Mind Training: How to Deal with Destructive Emotions. Tibetan Buddhist Psychology and Methods
Students will learn some simple and effective methods on how to deal with negative emotions, particularly useful for when we are overwhelmed by those feelings.
…
University Open Air: AI for Everyone
The headlines are filled with news about Artificial Intelligence (AI), making it difficult to separate hype from reality. AI presents many opportunities as well as challenges for our communities. It can help us solve complex problems, but it can also displace jobs and harm our civil rights if…
University Open Air: Unlocking Subconscious Potential: Empowering Emotional Wellness and Stress Management
In this dynamic session, you will explore the transformative power of your subconscious mind. Gain insights into fostering emotional resilience, managing stress, and unlocking your inner potential for greater well-being in just one empowering lecture.
University Open Air: Sound Map of Salsa Music in New York. In English
In this lecture, you will explore the origins of salsa music in the South Bronx through its sound and its connection to the territory. You will discover the people who created the new genre from the traditional Latin music brought to NYC by the Caribbean immigrants who settled in the Bronx from…
University Open Air: Transform Your Life in one Week with Mystic Breathing, Meditation, and Healing Yogas
In this session, we will teach the body posture and four characteristics of mystic breathing first. Then we will learn to feel the mystic breathing. Then we will learn to feel the subtle sensations in our body…
University Open Air: Chinese Tea Ceremony
Chinese Tea Ceremony has rich history and different forms. Depending on the regions, we have various types of ceremonies. In today's ceremony, I will perform one of the authentic ways, to show you the beauty of it. Let's enjoy the ceremony; watch the tea leaves blooming; smell and taste good…
University Open Air: Beauty and Ugliness in French and Francophone literature and the Arts
French society’s obsession with taste shows up in many areas. We will examine some laudatory and critical devices used in some emblematic works to present the concept of beauty and ugliness, starting from XVII century literature and visual arts to arrive in modern times. Works from Madame de…
University Open Air: Healing: Ancient Tibetan Chod Healing Cleansing Negativities and Restoring Positivities
Chöd means “to cut.” Suffering that we human experience arises mainly through grasping at self and self-cherishing attitude. Cutting through this self-grasping and self-cherishing attitude is the main goal of Chöd practice. Chöd…
University Open Air: Conferencia: Mapa Sonoro de la Música Salsa en Nueva York. En Español
La lectura se realizará en español como un homenaje a todxs lxs inmigrantes afrocaribeñxs que llegaron a Nueva York en los años cuarenta y que, con su cultura y nostalgia por su tierra, crearon la música Salsa. Los participantes en esta conferencia recibirán el magazín Sursystem 08 en español, y…
University Open Air: Creative Calligraphy & Ink Wash Workshop
Traditional Chinese is the written script used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. In this interactive workshop, we will practice, write and discuss select characters in ink. Then, channel your creativity by integrating calligraphy into personalized ink wash paintings. Choose themes inspired by…
University Open Air: In Search of Lyricism
In lyric works, emotions are expressed through imagery, musicality, rhythm. Hence, reading and watching lyric works is a highly enjoyable experience. Yet, as the mermaids’ song, lyricism can draw us in to better drown us in what we’d turn away from: pain, grief, injustice, or our daily life.…