A legacy has been left to the WEA by Fred and Catherine Adler, who were both fond believers of lifelong learning and the transformative power of education. So far a very generous gift of £100k has been received. The first work supported by the legacy is a joint project with Ruskin College to design and make a community mosaic for their new building in Headington, Oxford. To ensure it involves people from all parts of the community the mosaic project is running sessions at a range of venues, from a children's centre to a sheltered home for the frail elderly. There will be a launch event on Friday 18th May 2012. Henry Tam - who captivated everyone who heard him speak at the recent WEA Conference - and Lawrence Goldman are confirmed speakers.
Click here to see some of the work produced so far from the Community Mosaic Project. One of the Mosaic pieces is pictured below.
Catherine taught for the WEA in Leeds and Hull during the time of the First World War, and later taught trade union courses in particular, which is how she came to meet Fred. Throughout the 60s, at the height of the Cold War, they led trips to East Germany and Russia to study literature, language, culture, history and politics. Her life - and this work in particular - inspired a short biography entitled Towards International Understanding.
