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Posted 09/04/02
Thousands of people enjoy Margaret Lawrence's work each year, but very few people realize they have her to thank for their pleasure. As director of programming at the Hopkins Center, Lawrence is responsible for bringing to campus well-known performers, ranging from violinist Itzhak Perlman to performance artist Laurie Anderson.
A musician herself-she plays violin in a local chamber music group-Lawrence describes the Hopkins Center as a "nexus between academics and social opportunities."
"Our mission is to ignite and sustain a passion for the arts," she says. "It's not about convincing students they should necessarily like chamber music. It means helping students find artistic expressions that resonate with them."
For that reason, programming can be a balancing act of genres, styles, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and approaches to performance. Musical offerings from the spring term, for example, included a Hispanic baroque concert, a modern French cabaret group, classical guitarist Paul Galbraith, a jazz sextet described as "part chamber ensemble, part rock band," and Cuban singer Omara Portuondo, as well as renowned violinist Perlman.
"Students tell us we offer one of the most visible forms of diversity at Dartmouth. That's an important role for us to play," says Lawrence.
Although performances at the Hop attract many members of the Upper Valley community, on average, students are about one-third of each audience. Low-price student tickets-most shows cost students only $5-make great artists available to everyone. In any given term, students also can encounter master classes, workshops, lectures, and visits to classes by visiting artists.
"We don't invite a performer who isn't interested in interacting with students," she says. "The quantity of time varies; it could be 5 weeks or 30 minutes back stage. But there's always some student interaction."
Lawrence understands from her own experience how important a student's college experience of the arts can be. While studying at the University of California, Berkeley, she participated in arts programming through an advisory board.
"Discovering this as a career possibility was an incredible, powerful experience," she says. After college, she worked at a municipal arts center in Eugene, Ore., before coming to Dartmouth seven years ago.
While the Hop sees its share of household-name performers, Lawrence also invites up-and-coming artists. She is an "information sponge," constantly reading reviews, talking to colleagues, and listening to recommendations from students, faculty, and community members. In general, she plans at least a year and a half in advance.
Lawrence's success at Dartmouth has made her in great demand for boards and panels of influential arts organizations. She is particularly proud of being involved with a U.S. tour by a Cambodian troupe demonstrating an endangered dance form. "Some of these dance and music forms go back 2,000 years," she says. "There are few master teachers alive and almost no money to document the traditions they know before they die."
She assisted in organizing a tour of 40 dancers from the Cambodian Royal University of Fine Arts to help raise funds and awareness. When the tour was complete, she had the honor of presenting photos of the troupe to the Princess of Cambodia.
"By bringing the performers here, we gave the students a glimpse of the spiritual, cultural, and political experience in Cambodia," she says. "And, hopefully, it helps save a cultural lineage."
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