Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

OLLI will host visiting artists in partnership with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, and the Alice M. Leahy Memorial Endowment Fund for Excellence. Each artist is expected to offer a public presentation along with a hands-on workshop experience. Final schedules and registration links will be available below as details are finalized.

Textile Artist Aaron Sanders Head
March 24–25, 2026
Artist Website: http://www.aaronsandershead.com/textiles

Aaron Sanders Head’s work centers on Southern textile traditions, hand-stitching, and natural dyes, drawing from rural Alabama heritage and lived experiences. He will present a public lecture, “Alabama Quilts,” and a hands-on workshop on Folded Log Cabin (Manx) quilt blocks.

Fiber Artist Nadene Mairesse
April 9–10, 2026
Artist Website: https://www.idyllwilde.co/about

Nadene Mairesse blends natural dye practices, handcraft, and sustainable studio methods. She will present a public lecture, “19th Century Textile Production and Natural Dye Practices in Alabama,” and a workshop on Plant-Based Dye techniques.

Photographer Will Jacks
Anticipated Dates: June 22-26, 2026
Artist Website: https://whjacks.com
   
Will Jacks is a process artist best known for his photographic work. His research examines the blurred areas between art and journalism, individual and collective, and the impact of each on the other. Plans include a public presentation and a photography workshop and critique.

Collage Artist Billy Renkl
Anticipated Dates: August 3-7, 2026
Artist Website: https://billyrenkl.com
   
Artist and illustrator Billy Renkl is a graduate of Auburn University now teaching drawing and illustration at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. His work highlights his view that art can be made from anything. Plans include a public lecture and a hands-on collage workshop.

OLLI Presents: Alabama Quilts with Aaron Sanders Head

In this illustrated lecture, Aaron Sanders Head examines quilts from throughout Alabama’s history, exploring them as artistic, social, and cultural documents. This talk is free and open to the public.

Fee: $35 (OLLI membership required)

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to create a folded Log Cabin, or Manx, quilt block - a distinctive interpretation of the traditional log cabin design. This method utilizes a series of simple measurements based on the hand of the maker, ensuring that each block is uniquely shaped by its creator. Traditionally, fabric was torn rather than cut. A straightforward folding technique gives the block a rich, textural finish while allowing it to come together quickly. Participants will leave with one to two finished quilt blocks.

No prior quilting experience is required. Those new to quilting do not need to bring anything—core materials will be provided.

Materials Provided:
Muslin foundation squares, crewel embroidery needles (size 3 or 4), neutral button or craft thread, glass-head pins, cutting tools, and select naturally dyed and vintage fabrics. Irons will be available for shared use during the workshop.

Optional Items to Bring (for those who already sew or quilt):

• Fabric scraps (up to 3 inches wide and 2–10 inches long)
• Several half-yards of assorted fabric (if desired)
• Small quilting ruler
• Personal scissors
• Preferred hand-stitching thread
• Sewing lamp or magnifier (if typically used)

Participants may also bring backing fabric for foundation piecing if they prefer something specific; otherwise, neutral muslin will be provided.

About the Presenter

Aaron Sanders Head is a Southern, Alabama-based textile artist raised in rural Grady and Hope Hull, Alabama. The youngest of three children of an artist mother and an agricultural worker father, Aaron developed an early appreciation for both art and the rhythms of rural life. His grandparents, both rural mail carriers, often took him along on their routes—experiences that deepened his connection to rural communities and sharpened his powers of observation.

That sense of place, combined with inherited family traditions of textile work and agriculture, informs the unique visual language Aaron practices today in quiltmaking, handwork, and natural dyes. He creates quilts and hand-stitched, naturally dyed textiles that explore the lived experiences of rural Alabamians.

OLLI Presents: 19th Century Textile Production and Natural Dye Practices in Alabama with Nadene Mairesse
April 9, 2026 | 5 p.m.
Pebble Hill, 101 S Debardeleben St

This lecture explores Alabama’s 19th-century textile traditions, focusing on plant-based dyes, local materials, and hand processes that shaped daily life and culture before industrialization. This talk is free and open to the public.

Fee: $35 (OLLI membership required) 

Participants will learn traditional dyeing techniques using native plants such as Osage Orange, Staghorn Sumac, and Black Walnut. All equipment and materials are provided. No prior experience required.

Nadene Mairesse works with natural fiber textiles and plant-based dyes in her Florence, Alabama studio, Idyllwilde. Nadene worked as an apparel designer in Los Angeles for over a decade before obtaining her bachelor’s in interior architecture from Auburn University. She worked in architectural design and community development before opening her studio in 2013.

OLLI Presents: From Analog to Digital and Back: A Journey in Photography by Will Jacks
Monday, June 22 | 5:00 PM
Pebble Hill, 101 S Debardeleben St

Will Jacks reflects on his artistic journey and evolving photographic practice, examining the intersections of analog and digital processes, the relationship between art and journalism, and the evolving challenges of photography curriculum in higher education. This talk is free and open to the public.

Photography in Practice: A Workshop with Will Jacks
June 23–25 | Sunny Slope Annex
Fee: $100 ($75 participation fee; $25 materials fee)

This hands-on workshop explores photography through both analog and digital approaches. Participants will experiment with sun printing techniques such as cyanotypes, lumen printing, and chemigrams while working with source material drawn from found objects, film, and digital images. In addition to printing processes, the workshop will introduce simple digital negative creation and accordion book construction as a way of developing visual narrative. The course approaches photography not only as a means of imagemaking, but also as a form of object-making. Tuesday evening will include a participant pin-up potluck, during which individuals are invited to bring prints created during the workshop or otherwise to share for group critique while enjoying a potluck-style meal together.

Schedule
Tuesday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Intro to photographic sun prints: cyanotype and digital negatives
Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Group pin-up potluck and critique
Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Developing narrative through sun prints and accordion books; introduction to silver gelatin sun prints
Thursday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Silver gelatin sun prints: lumen printing and chemigrams

Will Jacks is a process artist best known for his photographic work. He also incorporates explorations with land, objects, sound, video, and community engagement into his practice. His research examines the blurred areas between art and journalism, individual and collective, and the impact of each on the other. Will’s first monograph documents the juke-joint Po ’Monkey’s Lounge, which serves as a prism for examining cultural tourism and preservation and the complexities prevalent in both. It was published by the University Press of Mississippi, and for this work, Jacks was recognized by the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for outstanding achievement in photography.

He holds an M.F.A. in Studio Art from the Maine College of Art and an MA in Journalism from the University of Mississippi. The Alabama State Council on the Arts named him one of twelve visual arts fellows for 2025, and in 2026, he was awarded a Mellon Foundation Faculty Fellowship. Currently, Will is an Assistant Professor of Art, Design & Photography at Troy University.

OLLI Presents: Inside the Studio: Collage and Illustration with Billy Renkl
Public Artist Talk
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | 12:00–1:30 PM
Pebble Hill
   
Join acclaimed artist and Auburn alumnus Billy Renkl for a discussion of his creative process, artistic influences, and professional life as an artist and illustrator. This talk is free and open to the public.
   
Collage Workshop and Studio Experience with Billy Renkl
August 3–7, 2026
Biggin Hall
Workshop Fee: $75

Spend a week working alongside Billy Renkl in a hands-on collage workshop focused on composition, materials, and visual storytelling. The studio experience includes guided instruction, independent work time, and group discussion.
   
Registration opens Monday, June 15, at 9:00 a.m.