Review by Kirkus Book Review
The president emerita of the Brooklyn Academy of Music remembers her 36 years working to transform BAM from a small, local arts organization into "one of the most significant cultural centers in the world." Baltimore native Hopkins fell in love with the arts at age 8 when she made her acting debut at summer camp. After majoring in theater arts at college, she worked for small theater organizations in Washington, D.C., and then New York City. In 1979, when she was still a "hungry" young arts professional, Hopkins was offered a job at BAM, which had just begun establishing itself as a creative locus for avant-garde directors and choreographers like Trisha Brown and Merce Cunningham. For one year, Hopkins helped then-president Harvey Lichtenstein create greater financial stability and a modern identity for BAM, a "venerated Brooklyn institution that, in its heyday, had been a stomping ground for Mark Twain, Booker T. Washington, Isadora Duncan, Sarah Bernhardt, Paul Robeson, and even Franklin D. Roosevelt." Hopkins, who did nearly everything for the organization, was then promoted to vice president. In this role, she helped Lichtenstein not only recover from financial losses brought about by the demise of the BAM Theater Company, but also bring artists together to collaborate on the interdisciplinary arts programs that would transform BAM into an international sensation. Her efforts resulted in patronage from the likes of Princess Diana, whose presence at a BAM--sponsored 1989 Welsh National Opera performance resulted in the undertaking of even more ambitious projects--an Ingmar Bergman film festival in 1995 and the Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas festival in 2009. Illustrated with dozens of pages of delightful photographs taken from BAM archives and Hopkins' own family albums, the text also features savvy advice on successful fundraising for aspiring arts administrators. This remembrance of a life lived among cultural icons will appeal to BAM fans and anyone who loves the arts. A warmly personal celebration of an estimable career. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
