Karen Brooks Hopkins

Karen Brooks Hopkins

Karen Brooks Hopkins is the president emerita of Brooklyn Academy of Music, having served as its president from 1999 to 2015. ^[1] Previously she was an adjunct professor for the Brooklyn College Program for Arts Administration. In the spring of 1995, Hopkins served as the executive producer of the Bergman Festival, which celebrated the life and work of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. ^[2]

Education

Hopkins studied at the University of Maryland and received her MFA from George Washington University. ^[3]

Publications

She is the author of the book, Successful Fundraising for Arts & Cultural Organizations ^[4] (1997), published by Greenwood Publishing, and the book, BAM... and Then It Hit Me ^[5] (2021), published by Powerhouse Books, ^[6] a memoir of her 36 years leading ^[7] America's oldest performing arts center. ^[8]

Awards and recognition

The success of the Bergman Festival earned her a medal from the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden and also, in recognition of her work on behalf of the Norwegian National Ballet, Norway awarded her its St. Olav Medal. In November 2006, Hopkins was awarded the honor of Chevalier de L’Ordre des arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France for her work supporting the French arts in the United States. In 2007, she was named one of the “100 Most Influential Women in New York City Business” by Crain’s. That same year, she was appointed Commander of the Royal Order of the Polar Star, in recognition of her role in solidifying ties between the performing arts communities of Sweden and the United States. In May 2012, Hopkins was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY. ^[2] In March 2014 she was named by Brooklyn Magazine to the list of "The 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture". ^[9]

In January 2025, the Brooklyn Academy of Music opened a new facility named after Hopkins, called BAM Karen or BAM KBH, ^[10] as part of the L10 Arts and Cultural Center located at 300 Ashland Place / 10 Lafayette Avenue. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

References

1. Pogrebin, Robin (2 February 2014). "President of BAM Will Leave Next Year". New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
2. "Karen Brooks Hopkins, President Emerita". BAM. Archived from the original on 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
3. Rabinowitz, Chloe (November 23, 2021). "BAM President Emerita Karen Brooks Hopkins to Publish Memoir". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
4. Hopkins, Karen B.; Friedman, Carolyn S. (1997). Successful Fundraising for Arts and Cultural Organizations. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   978-1-57356-029-0.
5. Hopkins, Karen Brooks (2021-11-02). BAM... and Then It Hit Me. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-57687-800-2.
6. "BAM... and Then It Hit Me: A Memoir by Karen Brooks Hopkins". powerHouse Books. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
7. Sulcas, Roslyn (2022-02-09). "'It Was a Crusade': Karen Brooks Hopkins Revisits Her BAM Tenure". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-06-30.
8. BAM: The avant-garde theater that put Brooklyn on the cultural map | CNN, 2022-05-05, retrieved 2023-06-30
9. Magazine, Brooklyn (2014-03-11). "The 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture - Brooklyn Magazine". Bkmag.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
10. "BAM Buildings". Brooklyn Academy of Music. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
11. Pogrebin, Robin (March 23, 2025). "The Brooklyn Academy of Music Is Fighting to Regain Its Mojo". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 Mar 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
12. "New L10 Arts and Cultural Center Brings Together Library with Three Brooklyn Cultural Institutions in City-Backed Space". Brooklyn Public Library. January 28, 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
13. Rapp, Lauren (January 30, 2025). "L10 Arts and Cultural Center, first-of-its-kind creative hub, opens in Downtown Brooklyn". Brooklyn Paper. Brooklyn, NY: Schneps Media. Archived from the original on 2025-11-18. Retrieved 2025-11-18.