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Lifelong Learning Institute

A man and a woman talk over a desk in a classroom.
Jesi Pace-Berkeley, a professional fellow of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts who volunteers as an instructor with the Lifelong Learning Institute, works with Steve Jacobs during a watercolor class at the Blacksburg Community Center. Local experts offer a variety of courses both in person and virtually through the institute. Photos by Diane Deffenbaugh for Virginia Tech

The Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech taps into the cultural and educational resources available  in the region to provide enriching classes on a variety of subjects to curious adults 50 and older. On this day, students in a watercolors class learned about charcoal drawing at the Blacksburg Community Center.

A woman with gray hair bends over a art set with colorful paints and pencils.
A woman draws with charcoal on an art pad while looking at a photo of a marble statue on her propped up cellphone.
A woman sits with an art pad on her lap as she looks at a white marble statue of an angel.
Two women talk about their drawings in front of a projector screen showing a charcoal drawing.
A man in a mask and blue gloves works on a charcoal drawing at a table.
A woman works on a charcoal drawing at a table.
A woman sits holding a ruler up vertically toward a marble bust while a man studies the light on the statue from where he's standing to one side.
A man draws on a white art pad.