Shalom Baer Gee/MDN From left: Davalyn Anhorn shows her mother, Andrea Anhorn, clay as her sister Braleigh Anhorn watches Linda Olson, professor of art at Minot State University, demonstrate how to roll clay into a ball at Four Nights of Ceramics Open Studio on Tuesday night. The course is offered through Minot State’s Lifelong Learning Institute.

Minot State University’s Center for Extended Learning (CEL) rolled out its Lifelong Learning Institute this semester. Four Nights of Ceramics Open Studio, taught by Linda Olson, professor of art at Minot State, is one of the courses offered through the new program, which offers non-credit class series to the community.

The class met for the first of the four sessions on Tuesday night at Minot State. Olson has taught short-term ceramics open studios before, but the university’s offering of the course through the Lifelong Learning Institute is a new development. There were 14 students on the roster on Tuesday.

Among those in attendance were Andrea Anhorn and her two daughters, Davalyn Anhorn, 9, and Braleigh Anhorn, 13. Andrea Anhorn said she enrolled herself and her daughters in the class to have some quality time together.

“It was fun that it’s finally worked out. We could all be here together and get a little girl time in,” said Anhorn, who is a nurse and diabetes educator.

Davalyn said that she is excited to learn about the “steering wheel,” and her sister Braleigh said she is also interested in learning about the spinning wheel and all other aspects of working with ceramics.

“It’s just fun to play with clay,” she said.

Ellen Fenner, Minot Symphony Orchestra’s executive director, said that she has experience with art as a graphic artist and does marketing and advertising at her job but hasn’t had any experience with ceramics before. She said she’s taking the class because her work involves sitting in front of a computer screen all day, and it gives her the opportunity to spend time with a friend.

“Everything that I do is on the computer, so I’m really looking for different things to do that are not on screen,” Fenner said. “And I know Linda (Olson) is awesome, so I knew it would be fun.”

Fenner said that she doesn’t have an idea of what she’ll make during the class, but she’s open to whatever Olson suggests.

Participants won’t be graded on their work, and Olson said that throughout the four open studio sessions, she will provide guidance dependent on participants’ level of experience.

“It’s an opportunity for people in the community to join in making things, rather than like a class, you have set criteria and assignments,” Olson said. “I try to help them with what they want, but sometimes it depends on their experience. Usually, I start them with just some simple making things.”

As of Wednesday, there were three other classes scheduled through the Lifelong Learning Institute, and they still have availability: Pickleball 101, Art and Architecture of the Middle Ages and Hey, Where Did You Get That Shirt, during which participants will design and screen print a T-shirt. Classes are held at varying times of the day, and some, like the ceramics studio, are held during the evening. The university plans to add more Lifelong Learning Institute courses in the future.

“The desire to learn never stops no matter the age and we have designed a fun and exciting list of classes. We will continue to add classes throughout the upcoming months, so keep checking the website,” said CEL education program coordinator Amy Woodbeck in a Minot State press release.