Upcoming Leisure Learning
July 21-25, 2025
Enrollment for 2025 Leisure Learning courses begins Jan. 15, 2025. Enrollment ends June 20, 2025.
Course fee for classes other than fly fishing: $600, fly fishing course fees are listed below.
Cancellation policy: For July classes, cancellations after June 20, 2025, are ineligible for refund. On or before June 20, 2025, a full refund, less a $50 processing fee, may be granted.
Plains-Pueblo Interaction: 14th to 18th Centuries
Instructor: Stephen Perkins
Gain a better understanding of the history of interaction between the Puebloan peoples of New Mexico’s greater Rio Grande Valley and the Southern High Plains Indigenous peoples of Oklahoma and Texas. Alternating between days of discussion at the Doel Reed Center and visits to archaeological sites, students will engage in thought provoking and insightful lecture and steep themselves in the history of New Mexico’s indigenous people.
Max enrollment: 10
Stephen M. Perkins’ first of many trips to northern New Mexico came in 1971 at the age of 7 when his family rented a cabin near Tres Ritos, NM. He received an MA and PhD in Anthropology from Arizona State University. He joined OSU’s faculty in August of 2002, where he has been engaged in a 20-year collaboration with colleagues from OU and the Oklahoma Archeological Survey in investigating fortified Wichita village sites across Oklahoma. At present he is working on a monograph concerning a 15th-century trade camp in western Oklahoma where the Wichita seasonally processed bison hides, and traded with affiliated groups further west, including Apache groups occupying the Texas panhandle.
Native American Expressive Arts in Taos
Instructor: Lindsey Claire Smith, Ph. D.
For those with a passion for art, northern New Mexico is an idyllic retreat, a place
to experience (and even purchase) a slice of Americana that is steeped in the mystique
of the area’s many Indigenous nations. Settler dynamics of occupation, tourism, and
commerce are often in tension with artistry and creativity in this part of America.
In this course, we will explore these dynamics as we read together the New Mexico
works of Indigenous writers and filmmakers, especially from Oklahoma, considering
the unique arts cultures that inform them.
We will read and interpret poems, essays, and films from writers including Lynn Riggs, N. Scott Momaday, Joy Harjo, Leslie Marmon Silko, Simon Ortiz, and Sterlin Harjo. Our time together will include visits to sites including the D.H. Lawrence House (and adjacent Kiowa Trail); the Mabel Dodge Luhan House; and the Taos Pueblo, including a visit to its Dawn Butterfly Café, which honors the memory of a prolific Taos Pueblo poet.
Max enrollment: 10
Lindsey Claire Smith, received her PH. D. in Native American Literature from the University of North Carolina. She is Professor of English at Oklahoma State University and the inaugural Director of NYU Tulsa. Her extensive publications in Native American and Oklahoma film and literature include Urban Homelands: Writing the Native City from Oklahoma (2023) and the forthcoming We Belong to the Land: Changemakers in Oklahoma. Since 2015, she has served as editor of American Indian Quarterly, a leading journal in interdisciplinary American Indian Studies.
Drawing and Watercoloring in Taos
Instructor: Professor Liz Roth
Learn to see like an artist. Enjoy being taught how to draw and use watercolor while enjoying the beautiful environs of Taos. You will be introduced to the history, people and art of Taos through drawing selected scenic and historic indoor and outdoor spaces in Taos. For inspiration, you’ll visit local museums to learn how other artists have interpreted the landscape, architecture and environs of Taos. You’ll enjoy easy, specific lessons covering basic drawing principles and techniques that allow you to learn how to look at a scene as an artist does. For those interested in watercolor, you’ll learn some straightforward methods to create luminous skies, and colorful, believable landscapes.
All skill levels welcome.
Max enrollment: 10
Liz Roth is an award-winning artist and Professor of Drawing and Painting at Oklahoma State University, and currently serving as Interim Director of the OSU Museum of Art. Liz Roth’s art has been shown in over 100 competitive exhibitions, including over a dozen solo exhibitions in the United States, China and Japan. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious grants and 14 national and international residencies, Her sketchbooks have been exhibited worldwide (France, Italy, China, Japan and the US).
Living on the Edge: Taos and the Avant-Garde, 1917-1974
Instructor: Mark A. White, Ph.D.
Explore the avant-garde history of Taos and its art historical and cultural geography. The course will focus on two key figures in the avant-garde history of Taos, Mabel Dodge Luhan and Dennis Hopper, and the artists, writers, and cultural figures they drew to Taos. Immerse yourself in this unique history and explore local museums, artists’ studios, and the magnificent cultural landscape of Taos.
Max enrollment: 10
Mark White earned his doctoral degree in art history at the University of Kansas. He taught art history at Oklahoma State University for eight years, and he served as the Director of the Fred J. Jones Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma for 11 years. He is currently the Executive Director of the New Mexico Museum of Art. His major area of study is 20th century American painting and sculpture.
New Mexico Cooking and Culture
Instructor: Carol Lynn Moder, Ph.D.
Experience distinctive New Mexican cuisine while learning about the history and cross-cultural
foodways of Northern New Mexico. Learn the local secrets of red and green chile sauce,
cook with renowned Native American chefs, Lois Ellen Frank and Walter Whitewater,
and experience traditional horno cooking at Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo with Norma Naranjo.
For a contemporary take on local cuisine, we will visit the Santa Fe School of Cooking.
Max enrollment: 8
SOLD OUT - email doelreedcenter@okstate.edu to be added to the waitlist.
Carol Lynn Moder is Professor of Linguistics at Oklahoma State University. Since 2014, she has been the Director of the Doel Reed Center in Taos. Her lifelong interest in food, cooking and culture has led her into the investigation of how food expresses the history and culture of specific regions.
Beginning Fly Fishing
Instructor: Nick Streit, Taos Fly Shop
Learn about the skills and equipment needed to become a fly fisherman — basics of the
fly rod and reel, casting, pond and stream ecology, matching the hatch (identifying
what fly to use when), knot tying, fish identification, ethics, rules and regulations
and safety.
You will have the opportunity to learn and implement your new skills on local ponds, lakes and rivers, all while traveling the scenic drives through beautiful northern New Mexico. Distance to the fishing areas will be dependent on water levels and water conditions. Expect to drive or carpool with another class participant to the fishing areas.
Course fee: $750. The course fee includes a $100 credit towards the purchase or rental of fly fishing equipment or gear.
Fly fishing can be a fun and relaxing experience, but please keep in mind that participants will be required to do some light hiking and wading in streams, some of which will be rough, rocky terrain. Additionally, most fishing locations are above 8000 feet in elevation, so consider your fitness level before signing up. Polarized glasses are highly recommended, as well as sun protection.
You will be expected to purchase a New Mexico fishing license. This cost is not included in the class fee.
Max enrollment: 6
Intermediate and Advanced Fly Fishing
Instructor: Nick Streit, Taos Fly Shop
This class is designed for the more advanced fly fisher who wants to improve their
skills on the water.
Intermediate and Advanced fly fishermen/women will have a chance to review their skills in this class. Four full days of fishing, including one day on private water will provide ample time for anglers to put their skills to the test in the local ponds, lakes or rivers with our highly skilled local guides. Be prepared to provide a bio about your fly fishing experience. This will assist the instructors/guides to know what your abilities are, and how to best tailor this learning experience for each of you.
Expect to drive anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half depending on water and weather conditions. You will be expected to furnish your own ride. However, we encourage you to carpool with other class participants.
You will be asked to inform your instructor about your previous fly fishing experience and any underlying health, and or mobility issues that you may have. This information will be kept confidential, but it is needed for your safety and well-being, as well as for the safety of others in the class.
Course fee: $850. The course includes a $100 fee towards private water fees. You will also be required to purchase a one-day Colorado fishing license. Your New Mexico and Colorado fishing licenses are not included in the class price.
Max enrollment: 6