Busboys and Poets Books Presents BAM… AND THEN IT HIT ME
Date and Time
Mar 27, 2022 5:30 pm
Location
Brookland
625 Monroe St NE, Washington, District of Columbia, 20017
Mar 27, 2022 5:30 pm
Brookland
In her new and inspiring memoir BAM...and Then It Hit Me, President Emerita Karen Brooks Hopkins tells us of her 36 years at the iconic Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). A world-renowned cultural institution, BAM is a multi-arts center located in Brooklyn, New York. Open since 1861, it is America’s oldest performing arts center and a leading presenter of the avant-garde. For more than 150 years, BAM has been the home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideas—engaging both global and local communities. With world-renowned programming in theater, dance, music, opera, film, and much more, BAM showcases the work of emerging artists and innovative modern masters. Hopkins’ book has a sharp focus on leadership, innovation, urban revitalization – including the transformation of Brooklyn from Manhattan Outpost to the coolest neighborhood on the planet – and takes us through the cultural fundraising that played a critical role in the colorful evolution of this world-class cultural juggernaut in the performing arts.
The doors will open at 5:30pm, at which time guests will be invited inside. The evening will begin with live music by The Duende Quartet, followed by a conversation and Q&A with our guest Karen Brooks Hopkins, with book sales and signing afterwards. Refreshments will be served.
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Karen Brooks Hopkins worked at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for thirty six years, serving sixteen as its president. As president, Hopkins oversaw the institution’s 230 full-time employees and its multiple theaters and cinemas, ranging from the 2,100-seat Howard Gilman Opera House to the flexible 250-seat Fishman Space. Hopkins has served as the chair of the Cultural Institutions Group, has been a member of the mayor’s Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, the New York State Board of Regents, and sat on the Boards of NYC & Company, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, and currently serves on the Trust for Governors Island. Hopkins was appointed Commander of the Royal Order of the Polar Star for work done on behalf of the Royal Dramatic Theater of Sweden, named Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France, and awarded the King Olav’s Medal by Norway. She was designated a “Woman of Achievement†by the professional association Women in Development in 2013 and named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in New York†by Crain’s New York Business. Among the many honors BAM has received during her tenure is the National Medal of the Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts organizations by the U.S. government. President Obama presented the medal to Hopkins at a White House ceremony in 2014. In 2015, Hopkins was one of ten esteemed business leaders appointed to the inaugural Crain’s Hall of Fame. Her widely read book, Successful Fundraising for Arts & Cultural Organizations, is currently in its second edition. A graduate of the University of Maryland, she received her MFA from George Washington University in Washington, DC. She has received honorary degrees from St. Frances College, Pratt Institute, Long Island University, and a prestigious honorary Doctor of Laws from Columbia University. Following her retirement from BAM in June 2015, Hopkins served as the Inaugural Senior Fellow in Residence at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, adviser to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, board member of the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, senior adviser to and board member of the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, and as the Nasher Haemisegger Fellow at SMU DataArts.
The Duende Quartet specializes in small-combo arrangements for piano, bass and percussion that are intimate, interwoven and delightfully inventive. The Duende Quartet is devoted to playing Latin Jazz in the style of Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader and Willie Bobo with a nod to the Blue Note sound of the'60's. In a unique small group setting (piano, bass and two hand percussionists), Duende Quartet captures the vibe of the jazz combo while using the rhythms of a Cuban conjunto.
