Andy Peterson, M.S.
September 2026
We continue to meet at the Erie Yacht Club. We are back upstairs! Meetings begin at 6:00 pm with a social hour and dinner, followed by our program/speaker.Our Dinner Menu:
TBDOur Guest Speaker:
Andy Peterson, M.S.
W. A. ("Andy") Peterson is the engineering teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Erie, PA and the education manager at Gannon University's Center for Lake Erie Education & Research (CLEER), where he designs hands-on projects and educational experiences for the public. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Penn State, a master’s in atomic physics from Creighton University, and did his doctoral work in experimental molecular physics at the University of Connecticut. Although his background is primarily in STEM, Andy maintains a healthy curiosity about many topics and uses his ample free time as a public-school teacher to pursue his broad intellectual interests. Andy has a particular enthusiasm for art history, which he first discovered in college while (reluctantly) taking an art class to meet general education requirements. His education in the arts continued several years later, while doing background research for a novel featuring a crime-solving museum curator; believing that the author should know everything that his characters are expected to know, Andy spent four years taking a deep dive into art history, curatorship, and museum management. In the process, he ignited an unexpected passion for art and for communicating art appreciation to the public. His special interest is non-Western art. Outside of his work and his volunteer activities, Andy enjoys reading, writing mystery novels (which he hopes to have published), solving and designing puzzles, and spending time with his fox terrier, Trixie.Topic:
For reservations; please E-Mail the Torch Club Secretary at secretary.erietorch@gmail.com.
"How Do I Look?: The Art of Art Appreciation"
""How Do I Look?: The Art of Art Appreciation""
Fine Art is often seen as stuffy, confusing, or just plain boring. For the people who struggle to tell a Rembrandt from a de Hooch or a Reynolds from a Gainsborough, who think their five-year-old could paint Pollack, who get a headache from Picasso, or simply believe art isn't "for them" the antidote to this art malaise is to learn how to look at art. In this talk, we'll discuss what art is and how to engage with it, how to interrogate it, and how to discover (or even create) its meaning, by looking at some familiar and some not so familiar examples drawn from all over the world. Learning to look and appreciate art opens a window into history, into other cultures and eras; it sparks imagination, provides an emotional outlet, and challenges us to see the world around us with a fresh perspective. Above all, art appreciation is an enriching experience meant to be enjoyed by everyone.
Please join us on September 2nd, 2026 at 6:00 pm, for our pre-dinner cocktail and chat time and remember to bring your friends and acquaintances. Reservations are required.
Please remember to make your reservation at secretary.erietorch@gmail.com.