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The Hopkins Center for the Arts has
been awarded $90,375 from the Association of Performing Arts
Presenters (APAP)
Creative Campus Innovations Grant Program to fund Class Divide, a
multiyear, cross-campus/community programming initiative that examines issues
of social and economic class though the eyes of artists. The Hop is one of only
eight campus-based arts organizations nationwide to receive the award.
According to Sandra Gibson, president and CEO of APAP, "Colleges and
universities have been leading patrons of the arts for more than 100 years ...
The Creative Campus Innovations Program provides an opportunity to fully
integrate the performing arts into the life of higher education and the
community." Hopkins Center Programming Director Margaret Lawrence says,
"The award will enable the Hop to forge a new level of collaboration with
campus and community partners, building programs that deeply engage people in
important issues."
The initiative began in the Hop's 2006-07 season, with extensive campus and
community residencies surrounding two performances: Roseneath Theatre's
Danny, King of the Basement, an exploration of issues facing a family
without a stable home; and Anne Galjour's solo play Hurricane,
chronicling life on the Louisiana Bayou.
The Creative Campus award fuels and expands the initiative for two more
seasons. The Hop will develop its relationship with Galjour, commissioning a
play about class in northern New England to premiere in fall 2008. Upcoming
2007-08 Class Divide events include:
- Readings by Galjour of her new work-in-progress about class in northern New
England
- Presentation of Rik Reppe's Staggering Toward America, an
acclaimed theatrical monologue developed from a personal odyssey in which Reppe
traveled across America in the wake of 9/11
- Programs and performances exploring the roots of American music and its
intersections with economic issues
- A term-long Dartmouth Film Society series
- Several class-focused Dartmouth student creative projects
- Artistic residencies exploring and expressing local students' experiences
of class at Hanover and Mascoma high schools
According to Lawrence, "Receiving this grant is a testament to the many
wonderful partners at Dartmouth and in the community who've advised us as we
move forward."
Among the campus partners are the Office of the Provost, Office of the
Associate Dean for the Humanities, Office of Institutional Diversity and
Equity, Tucker Foundation, Department of Studio Art, Hopkins Center Student
Advisory Council, and the Dartmouth Centers Forum. Class Divide also deepens
the Hop's engagement with local organizations, including Class Action, a
nonprofit that will partner with the Hop on a two-year series of educational
workshops.
According to Provost Barry Scherr, the project will be "an innovative
model, and both the Hopkins Center staff and I anticipate sharing its lessons
and successes with the arts presenting and educational fields."
By LISA VALLEJO-SORENSEN
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