Arts at BCB

In this course, students took a weeklong trip to Venice to attend the Biennale di Venezia, the oldest world exhibition of visual art. In 2024, the central themes of the exhibition were migration and decolonization. The focus of this course was on indigenous art, more specifically on the work of Jeffrey Gibson, a Bard artist-in-residence, who represented the United States at the 2024 Biennial. The trip to Venice included attending a workshop on indigenous art, organized by Bard’s Center for Indigenous Studies. The excursion to Venice was supplemented by pre- and post-sessions in Berlin. During these, the course addressed the history, conceptual agenda and framework of the exhibition, and considered individual artists as well as artworks.

This course was taught by Prof. Dr. Dorothea von Hantelmann, who will be one of your professors for BCB IDP.

This studio art course explores contemporary and historical approaches to drawing and collage. We begin by transcribing embodied experience into visual compositions, attending to our visual perception to strengthen the coordination of mind, eyes, and hands. Course activities will ask students to: make analytical drawings of figures and/or object arrangements, develop conceptual methods of composing, make abstractions from nature by working outdoors, gather materials from Berlin’s famous Flohmärkte (flea markets) to use in collages and assemblages, work collaboratively on large-scale drawings, and experiment with innovative combinations of text and imagery. The majority of classes are studio work sessions. There will also be several group critiques, weekly slideshow presentations, and contemporary art gallery visits. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios'' exhibition in the BCB arts building at Monopol Berlin. 

This course is taught by Prof. John Kleckner, who will be one of your professors for BCB IDP.

This course introduces the theater practice of Rimini Protokoll, the award-winning and internationally renowned Berlin-based group celebrated for its groundbreaking documentary approaches. For over 20 years, Rimini Protokoll has been redefining the boundaries of theater. Taught by Daniel Wetzel, a member of Rimini Protokoll, this course invites students to use specific urban infrastructures and their communities as a springboard for artistic research and performance practice. Potential starting-points could include the fast-food stand at the bus station or the cinema across the street from the local grocery store. These locations will serve as catalysts for encounters, research, drafting performative scenes, try-outs, and, ultimately, the development of a project. Urban spaces will become laboratories for experimental exploration, delving into the biographies and perspectives of individuals who grant us a glimpse into their worlds. In addition to developing concrete techniques for translating these experiences into performative works, the course will emphasize the concept of projections—not merely as visual images on a screen but as a method for sharing thoughts, stories, and perspectives. This course also introduces the art of forging unexpected social connections as a foundation for creativity while exploring how theater can unite people to share meaningful experiences.