It was a Night Out with the storytellers of the Adult School on Wednesday. Guests included Duncan Ewald, creator of 1,000 children’s books; Bob Krasner, a photographer whose lens has captured the beauty of local neighborhoods; Chuck Rose, who focuses on the stories told through film; Jesse Jones, an affable chef who looks more like a Jets lineman than Julia Childs; and Sarah Petruziello, a compelling artist who draws with graphite.

Together they represented a snapshot of the stories told for past 76 years at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School. The non-profit opened its Fall 2009 semester with the Night Out at the Columbia High School Black Box Theatre.

For Ewald, the evening provided an opportunity to browse through books created by his Adult School students. He has been helping aspiring children’s book authors with their stories, art and creative designs to create hard-cover bound books. “They’re a wonderful vehicle for telling family stories,” he told several grandmothers.

Krasner exhibited a new series of photographs taken in the community. There was the night sky on the Fourth of July, an abstract view of a soccer field, and a landscape of Maplewood Avenue. When he teaches at the Adult School, he hopes to convey that good photography can be captured in our own backyards. The photographs will next be displayed at Tuscan School.

Rose previewed the movie premieres he plans to cover through his Filmmakers Symposium. Now in its 20th season, the Filmmakers Symposium is collaborating with the Adult School on his series of special screenings and discussion with the creators of major films and festival-winning gems.  

Petruziello is a student in the Adult School’s master class, a professional-level class for accomplished artists. She exhibited pieces that were selected for the Adult School’s fall catalog, including, “Tree,” a large-scale graphite drawing using acrylic, 22K gold leaf and 12K white gold leaf on clayboard.

Jones provided a taste of the Adult School’s culinary arts classes, mouth-watering corn bread that’s at the heart of his Heart and Soul cooking. He’ll teach his Carolina Cuisine to aspiring cooks next month.

The evening also provided the opportunity for the Adult School to tell its own story: 76 years as the state’s longest-running Adult School. Designated a Learning Legacy by the U.S. Library of Congress. Classes that foster lifelong learning and feed minds. “We have more than 150 innovative courses, lectures and trips for intellectual discovery and creative expression,” said Roy Eismann, president of the Adult School’s Board of Trustees.

Registration continues with many classes beginning the first week of October. Discounts for registering early for some classes end today (Sept. 18).

Marilyn Lehren is the Communications Coordinator for the Adult School.