The Cooper Series returns for Spring 2026 with a season of performances, talks, workshops, and exhibitions that bring world-class artists, performers, and scholars to campus. This spring’s programming spans music, theater, visual art, history, journalism, and Indigenous land stewardship, creating opportunities for the campus and broader community to engage with urgent social questions, deep historical inquiry, and bold interdisciplinary artistic practice.

Strum, Strike, Bend: Third Coast Percussion & Jessie Montgomery

Performance

Saturday, Feb. 7
Lang Music Building, Concert Hall

Percussion Master Class/Workshop

Sunday, Feb. 8
Lang Music Building, Concert Hall

Composer Workshop/Class Visit

Sunday, Feb. 8
Lang Music Building, Concert Hall

Grammy Award–winning composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery collaborates with Third Coast Percussion in a dynamic program featuring Lady Justice, a newly commissioned work, alongside Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra, inspired by Javanese gamelan traditions.

War, Power, Culture: Rashid Khalidi & Amira Hass on Palestine/Israel

Conversation

Friday, Feb. 27, 6–8 p.m.
LPAC Cinema

This ongoing series examines how war reshapes societies and cultures, bringing historians, journalists, and scholars together to explore how conflict is represented, remembered, and lived — particularly in the Greater Middle East since World War II.

Bartok’s Monster: Daedalus Quartet, Sebastienne Mundheim, And Pig Iron Theatre

Performance

Friday, March 20, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 21, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.
LPAC, Pearson-Hall Theatre

Inspired by Jay Kirk’s Avoid the Day, this multidisciplinary performance blends concert, lecture-demonstration, movement, and visual art to explore the life, work, and creative obsessions of composer Béla Bartók. The performance features paper sculptures, a movement ensemble including Swarthmore students, and live music in a one-hour, genre-defying work.

Just Transitions And Land Stewardship On Lenapehoking: Denise Bright Dove Ashton-Dunkley

Artist Talk / Introductory Dinner

Friday, March 20, 6–8 p.m.
Intercultural Center, Dome Room

Studio Open Hours

Monday, March 23, 2–4 p.m. – Singer Hall, High Bay
Thursday, March 26, 2–4 p.m. – Location TBD

Traditional Wood Carving Workshop

Tuesday, March 24, 2–4 p.m.
Singer Hall, High Bay

Painting Big Ideas Workshop

Wednesday, March 25, 2–4 p.m.
Kitao Art Gallery

Exhibition Opening Ceremony

Friday, March 27, 5–7:30 p.m.
Intercultural Center, Plinth Room

This weeklong residency and monthlong exhibition foreground Indigenous knowledge, cultural practice, and climate justice. Ashton-Dunkley - an award-winning master artisan, educator, and tribal councilwoman - brings more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of Indigenous law, environmental stewardship, and the arts.

American Martyr: Sarah Maria Cornell

World Premiere Concert

Friday, March 27, 8 p.m.
Lang Music Building, Concert Hall

A new vocal work by composer C. Leonard Raybon, inspired by Murder in a Mill Town by Professor of History Bruce Dorsey, American Martyr reimagines the life of Sarah Maria Cornell through music for soloists, chorus, piano, and organ. Featuring performances by Swarthmore students and alumni. Presented by the Music and History Departments.

Introduction To Pop-up Book Structures With Colette Fu

Workshop

Saturday, March 28
McCabe Library, LibLab

Philadelphia-based artist Colette Fu leads a hands-on workshop exploring pop-up paper structures as tools for creative expression and problem-solving. The workshop coincides with an exhibition of pop-up books from Swarthmore’s Rare Books Collection. Co-sponsored by Asian Studies and the College Libraries.