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Arts and Society in Berlin

With its conflicted past, its central role in European and global economics and politics, and its rich history and fabled openness to artists and intellectuals of all kinds, Berlin is the scene of a vital exploration of the roles the arts can play in today’s changing world. 
Arts and Society in Berlin is a one-semester or yearlong program which draws on Bard College Berlin’s long commitment to artistic creation and civic engagement to offer a mix of practicing arts courses, exposure to art history and theory, and engagement with the Berlin art world. 

The Structure of ASB

  • Course Work
    The Arts and Society in Berlin program is based in artistic practice, including studio arts, performance, media, and the interplay among them. History and theory courses take an interdisciplinary approach to old and new perspectives and experiments, exploring such issues as artistic identity; the nature of performance; ethics, aesthetics, and consumption; visual culture in the digital age; and political identity and urban landscapes.

    Please see the full course list for the complete range of courses accessible through enrollment in the Arts and Society in Berlin program.
    Course List
     
  • Optional Internship
    Drawing on ties to artistic circles in Berlin and on the excitement generated by the city’s changing culture and population, Arts and Society in Berlin also offers an optional internship with a practicing artist, an arts organization, or an institution active in the social and educational fields. 

    Examples include Agency V (fashion and lifestyle PR and marketing agency), Emerge (photojournalism magazine), Frisch & Co. (Berlin-based e-book company), Galerie Supportico Lopez (curatorial space), MOD Institute (an urban action and research institute), Judith Raum (visual artist), and Tanya Leighton Gallery (commercial art gallery).
    More about Internships

How to Apply

The Institute for International Liberal Education at Bard College is responsible for the administration of the Arts and Society in Berlin Study Abroad Program and assists North American students through the application, selection, and predeparture processes. Please direct your questions and expressions of interest to [email protected].

Students from European and other universities outside North America who are interested in the program should contact [email protected] to learn more about the application process.

Application Information

Arts faculty at BCB are very personally involved in the work that you do and very accessible… and really give you the help and guidance you need based on the individual projects you are working on and drawn to.

Arthur Jongebloed, Bennington College

Hear from Our Students

  • Every student in the Arts and Society Program has their individual experience at Bard College Berlin:
  • Isabella Lee
    (USA) Exchange student from Simon’s Rock
    "Berlin is a city where if you have a vision, things just come together. There are so many people who are willing to start something from nothing, and there is so much energy, that all you have to do is harness it and immediately start making connections, and those connections will produce more connections. There is so much possibility in that sense."
  • Sylvie Estes
    (USA) Exchange student
    "My internship was very eye-opening, because I didn't know much about the refugee crisis that happens here in Berlin. Through my work I learned about communication, about organization, to be proactive and get involved into communities, and to look deeper into where you're living and think that there is more than what meets the eye. That is a life lesson that will never be complete, that will continue to evolve, and that hopefully I can share with other people."
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