Jeffrey James, Class of 1971

Jeffrey James has had a distinguished career as a director of arts centers, performing arts groups, visual arts organizations, and institutions of higher education. He is presently director of the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where his goal is to provide new and exciting experiences in the arts. At Dartmouth, Mr. James oversees programs that reach audiences of over 100,000 people every year.

After graduating from Oxford in 1971, Mr. James studied at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He began his professional career by directing regional arts organizations in Westerly, Rhode Island and Chautauqua, New York, moving later to a management post with New York City’s Dance Theater of Harlem. Mr. James has also served as associate director of advertising and public relations for the New York Philharmonic, and he was the founding president of the International Foundation for the Canadian Centre for Architecture.

Mr. James’ resume also includes key posts at the California Institute of the Arts, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Cunningham Dance Foundation. As the foundation’s chief executive he oversaw the fiftieth anniversary of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, which included an international tour with appearances in New York, Chicago, London, Paris, and Hong Kong.

At Dartmouth Mr. James is responsible for the many activities of the Hopkins Center, such as a Visiting Artist Series, performances by several student groups, a series of workshops in woodworking, pottery and other crafts, and an innovative film program. The Hopkins Center includes three theaters, studios, galleries, practice rooms, and recital spaces, all of which receive extensive use. The Center is the cultural hub of the Dartmouth campus and of the surrounding communities.

—John Bradley