This year, the Cooper Series is bringing eight enriching works to campus, focusing on photography, dance, music, and active conversation. All of the events are free and open to the public. 

Henry Horenstein: Selected Works Exhibition will be held from Sept. 12 to Oct. 27. An artist talk will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 4:30 p.m. in the Cinema of the Lang Performing Arts Center (LPAC), followed by a reception at 5:30 p.m. in the List Gallery.  The exhibition features Horenstein’s macro­scopic views of animals and human figures together with intimate portraits and figure studies taken along the famed Malecón seawall in Havana, Cuba. A screening of Partners, a feature-length documentary by Horenstein, will take place on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 4:30 p.m. in the LPAC Cinema, with a discussion and reception to follow.

Activism Under Totalitarianism: A Lecture and Performance Series, featuring Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot and Masha Gessen, will be held Sept. 26 and Oct. 23. Tolokonnikova will give a presentation and q&a on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.  followed by a concert with Pussy Riot at 9. Gessen will be give a presentation and q&a on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. This discussion­ based lecture series will delve into Swarthmore’s role in understanding inter­national civil society, authoritarian politics, and social movements in Eastern Europe.

Shadow Play Residency and Performance will be held from Oct. 27 to Nov. 17. Open rehearsals and practice workshops will lead to a concert performance at on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.  in the Lang Concert Hall of the Lang Music Building. The Brothers Campur, a multinational troupe of artists trained in Indonesian shadow puppetry and music, will make several visits to campus. This will culminate in the performance of a Balinese wayang kulit (shadow play), in collaboration with musicians from Swarthmore’s Gamelan Semara Santi and dancers from the Indonesian Cultural Club of Delaware.

Doug Varone and Dancers Residency will be held from Nov. 11 to 15. Master classes will culminate in a performance on Friday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Pearson-Hall Theatre in LPAC. This residency brings together award­ winning choreographer Doug Varone, his company of dancers, and Swarthmore dance students in a weeklong residency of classes, discussion, and performance. Twelve students will have the opportunity to share the stage with the company in the culminating performance.

“A World of Order and Chaos” will be held on Monday, Nov. 25. David Miliband will give a public lecture at 7 p.m. in the Pearson-Hall Theatre in LPAC. Miliband was a British Labour Party member of Parliament from 2001 to 2013, environment secretary from 2006 to 2007 and foreign secretary from 2007 to 2010. Since 2013, Miliband has been president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, where he directs humanitarian aid and development initiatives in more than 40 countries and refugee resettlement in 28 U.S. cities; oversees a global staff of 12,000; and has played a major role in responding to the Syrian refugee crisis.

¡Bienvenidos Blancos! Or Welcome White People! will be performed on Feb. 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. in the Pearson-Hall Theatre in LPAC. Theater artist Alex Torra and Team Sunshine Performance Corp. present this Spanish­ language, ensemble devised performance work that examines privilege, exploitation, and the complexities of Cuban American history and cultural identity. Master classes will precede the performances. 

Beyond the Field: Activism, Athletics, and Empowerment in the Modern Political Era, a moderated conversation between Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and Assistant Professor of Sociology & Anthropology and Black Studies Nina Johnson on the relationship between athletics and activism, will occur on Friday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in LPAC.

San Jose Taiko: Rhythm Journey, featuring sounds inspired by traditional Japanese drumming, will be held on Feb. 27 and 28. A taiko drumming lecture and presentation will start on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m., in the Troy Dance Lab in LPAC, with a master class taking place during the day. An open stage rehearsal and Q&A session is set for Friday, Feb. 28, at 2 p.m. in LPAC’s Pearson-Hall Theatre, followed by a concert at 8 p.m. in the same venue.

The William J. Cooper Foundation provides a varied program of lectures, performances, and exhibitions that enrich the academic life of the College. The foundation was established by William J. Cooper, who specified that the income from his gift should be used “in bringing to the College eminent citizens of this and other countries who are leaders in statesmanship, education, the arts, sciences, learned professions and business.”