Bard College Berlin

Bard College Berlin's Creative Component Exhibition & Open Studios this past semester showcased the breadth and talent of our practicing arts students! 🎨 At Monopol Berlin, ten graduating students showcased the Creative Component projects that concluded their BA degrees, and students from nine practicing arts courses presented their end-of-semester projects from glass making to sound installation, drawing & collage, beginning & advanced painting, and more. 🎥🖌️



📷Photo: Kuba Laichter

BCB faculty and students, as well as invited scholars and practitioners from literature and the arts convened last month at the Institute for Cultural Inquiry (ICI) Berlin to discuss the contemporary genre of autofiction. 📖 Inspired by conversations across courses taught by the three faculty members—Clio Nicastro's "Theories of the Body," Laura Scuriatti's "Forms of Life Writing" and James Harker's "Autofiction" seminars—the workshop hosted scholars and writers from different career stages to facilitate dialogue between a variety of discourses, such as feminist and postcolonial theory, while also investigating the self at the intersection of the private and public spheres.

📷Photo: Claudia Peppel, courtesy of

On April 20, students, faculty, and guests joined Bard College Berlin Writer-in-Residence Joshua Yaffa at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung in Berlin for a conversation with his colleague, New Yorker staff writer and National Book Award-winning author Evan Osnos, as part of the series “Writing Democracy.” The conversation centered on the recent book by Osnos, 'The Haves and Have-Yachts,' which has now appeared in German translation, and which deals with the mentality and significance of America’s new superrich.

Students in the course Civic Engagement and Democracy: Berlin Lab, in partnership with Berliner Tafel, ran a community flea market to bring people together, build local connections, and generate shared resources. A portion of all proceeds was redistributed to improve food access and support local food initiatives. 🥦

📷Photo: Yelyzaveta Shelest

We extend another heartfelt congratulations to the Bard College Berlin Class of 2026! 🎓🎉

To the Class of 2026 — congratulations on reaching this milestone! 🎓Here's a look back at your first day on campus in 2022.

Commencement is both an ending and a beginning.
We wish this year’s graduates courage in uncertainty, confidence in their ideas, meaningful work, and communities that continue to inspire and support them. Wherever the next chapter leads, we hope you carry a part of Bard College Berlin’s experience with you 👑

What stays with you after a semester ends?🤔

Beyond seminars and assignments, a semester at Bard College Berlin is remembered by what students build and the moments they share with one another: from a simple conversation after class to an open mic evening with a band.

As classes come to an end, we want to congratulate all students on everything they have learned, organized, questioned, created, and contributed to campus life this semester. The curiosity, care, and energy behind these experiences are an essential part of what makes the BCB community what it is.

Wishing everyone a restful summer and good luck with finals 🌿✨

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“What Comes Next? Navigating Berlin’s Civic Sphere After Graduation” brought together students, alumni, and professionals to reflect on life after university and the possibilities of staying engaged in Berlin’s civic, cultural, and political spaces.

The event opened conversations around internships, community work, cultural projects, and navigating the transition from student life into professional and public life in the city. Through shared experiences and practical advice, participants discussed different ways of building meaningful paths after graduation while remaining connected to Berlin’s civic sphere. 

✨🎓

📷Photo: Kuba Laichter

To explore career pathways in IT and the energy sector, Economics professor Dr. Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg recently invited guest speaker Manuela Hohmann to her Mathematical Foundations course. 📊 Hohmann, who studied Economics and now works in IT Controlling, discussed how quantitative and analytical skills are used in practice and how a background in economics can lead to a career at the intersection of business and IT in the energy sector. 💡