The Cooper Series returns for the 2026-27 academic year with five programs this fall that bring acclaimed artists, performers, scholars, and advocates to Swarthmore. This fall’s programming spans music, film, visual art, civil rights, science, and Black western cultural history.

See the full schedule below. Event details for the Spring 2027 portion of the series will be shared when they are available.

Black Western Culture Through Music, Film, and Art

Presented during America’s 250th anniversary and amid a renewed cultural interest in the Black cowboy, this series brings together the preeminent experts on Black Western culture and history to examine how the myth and reality of the American West continue to shape our understanding of the nation’s past and present.

The Black West in Color Exhibition
Sept. 3–Oct. 11, Tuesday–Sunday, noon–5 p.m.
List Gallery

Reception
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 5–7 p.m.
List Gallery

The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America Gallery Talk & Opening Reception
Thursday, Sept. 10, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
The Print Center, 1614 Latimer St., Philadelphia, PA 19103

The Black Cowboy Film Screening & Panel Discussion
Friday, Oct. 2, 6–8:30 p.m.
LPAC, Pearson-Hall Theatre

Dom Flemons Lecture & Demonstration
Saturday, Oct. 3, 3–4 p.m.
LPAC, Pearson-Hall Theatre

The American Songster & The Bronze Buckaroo Performance
Saturday, Oct. 3, 7–9 p.m.
LPAC, Pearson-Hall Theatre

Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club Trip (weather permitting)
Sunday, Oct. 4
Bus departs campus at 11 a.m.
Bus departs Fletcher Street at 3 p.m.

8 Seconds Rodeo Trip
Saturday, Oct. 10, 3 p.m.
Liacouras Center at Temple University

Karla Gilbride: Equal Opportunity  —  Advocating for Disability Rights

Lecture & Reception
Monday, Sept. 28, 4:30 p.m.
Science Center 101, Chang Hou Hall

Karla Gilbride ’02, the first blind attorney to argue before the Supreme Court, is a disability advocate and distinguished civil rights litigator. Previously the lead legal counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a current deputy director at the ACLU, Gilbride joins us for a campuswide talk on the role of disability and civil rights advocacy in the present political landscape.

Fungi Fest

Swarthmore Fungi Fest brings the College into a growing movement to learn from fungi to remediate our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the more-than-human world in a time of climate crisis. This weeklong series of events culminates with a conversation between internationally acclaimed scientist and author Merlin Sheldrake and Pennsylvania’s first official state mycologist, Hannah Huber. Together, they will reveal the interconnected role of fungi in the interdisciplinary contexts of science, law and government, and creative writing and art.

Events take place the week of Sept. 28.

Mushroom Walk with Alden Dirks ’16
Monday, Sept. 28, 4:30 p.m.
Scott Outdoor Amphitheater, Trail Marker T3
Registration encouraged.

Fungi: Web of Life Film Screening
Monday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Science Center 199

Mushroom Walk with Josephine Low ’27
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 4:30 p.m.
Meet outside McCabe Library.
Registration encouraged.

Cooking Demo with Executive Chef Tom Ramsey
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 5:30 p.m.
Dining & Community Center, Teaching Kitchen
Registration encouraged.

Introduction to Mycology with Alden Dirks ’16
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 4:30 p.m.
Science Center 199

Entangled Life: A Conversation with Merlin Sheldrake and Hannah Huber
Thursday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m.
Science Center 101

The Hidden World of Fungi with Curator Josephine Low ’27
Friday, Oct. 2, 12:30 p.m.
McCabe Library, LibLab

Ruby Ibarra

Performance
Friday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m.
LPAC, Pearson-Hall Theatre

Ruby Ibarra is an emcee, spoken word artist, and director from the Bay Area who has toured across the U.S., Canada, and the Philippines. She is the co-founder of the Pinays Rising Scholarship program and the Bay Area creative company Bolo Music Group. “Bakunawa,” the first single from her sophomore album, won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2025. She has also served as a keynote speaker for SF Music Week and the Creative Youth Awards.

Sites of Memory: Revisiting the Black South Through Site and Sound

Performance
Sunday, Oct. 25, 4–7 p.m.
LPAC, Pearson-Hall Theatre

Experience a screening of the acclaimed short film Sites of Memory, followed by a powerful choral performance by Voices of Philadelphia, whose music honors the strength, faith, resilience, and creativity woven into the tradition of African American spirituals.

The evening will culminate in a panel discussion with filmmakers Antonio Tarrell and Castel Sweet, founding director Coniyah McKinney, and preeminent Black studies scholars. Together, we’ll celebrate the voices, stories, and cultural traditions that have shaped the Black South — and continue to inspire us today.