New Book Presentation: My Own Past: Afrodescendant Contributions to Cuban Arts
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 12:30–1:30 pm
Bard College Berlin, P24, Seminar Room 8 My Own Past: Afrodescendant Contributions to Cuban Arts (Cambridge University Press, 2025) centers the artistic production and social worlds of artists of African descent in Cuba since the colonial period, offering a revisionist history of Cuban art that explores the gendered racial logics that have informed the constitution of the national canon. The book traces how ideologues of the slaveholding planter class institutionalized the association between ‘fine arts’ and key attributes of whiteness, and it examines how this association continues to shape art historical narratives in Cuba.
Part of Faculty Colloquium event series.
Cary Aileen García Yero is a Cuban-Canadian historian of Latin American arts and culture. She received her PhD in History from Harvard University in 2020. Her dissertation received Honorary Mention by the Latin American Studies Association Cuba Section in 2022, as well as the Claster Mamolen Dissertation Award by Harvard University's Afro-Latin American Research Institute. Her work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals such as the Latin American Research Review, Studies in Latin American Popular Culture, the Anuario de Historia de América Latina, Cuban Studies, among others.
W16 Learning Commons Your 4th-year project deserves more than "close enough" citations. Join Learning Commons Writing Tutor Taycia for a hands-on workshop to clean up your bibliography, dodge common errors, and turn your references into a high-quality source of academic credibility.
Lecture Hall The Community Forums are dedicated to bringing our entire community (staff, students, and faculty) together to discuss topics related to life at BCB. These are an opportunity to talk about anything on your mind or to ask questions that you have. They are co-hosted between the Student Life Committee and Student Parliament.
We're delighted to invite admitted students and their families to visit Bard College Berlin on Saturday, April 11.
Join us for a day on our campus where you can meet fellow admitted students, attend a seminar with our professors, meet our staff, take a full tour of the campus, and hear from our current students about life as a Bard Berliner.
Admitted students can access the registration link in their applicant portal.
We look forward to welcoming you to the BCB campus!
From Scaling Startups To Connecting Systems: What Data Taught Me About Impact
Monday, April 13, 2026 2–3:30 pm
Online Aurel Stenzel started his career building and scaling data-driven businesses, most notably as COO of Adjust, where he helped grow the company from a small startup into a global and profitable SaaS unicorn. Along the way, he saw firsthand how powerful data can be in driving growth and decision-making.
But he also began to notice a deeper challenge: we struggle to use data collectively, especially when it comes to solving complex problems like sustainability. This insight led him to co-found the SINE Foundation, where he now works on enabling the flow of trusted sustainability data across organizations to unlock better coordination and real-world impact. For this work, Aurel was recognized as an Ashoka Fellow in 2024.
Trained as a mathematician and now a PhD economist, his work revolves around one central question: how can we move from collecting data to connecting systems, enabling a more collaborative and sustainable economy?
Part of Prof. Dr. Israel Waichman's Environmental and Resource Economics course.
Lecture and Discussion with Epona Hamdan (HKW Berlin)
Monday, April 13, 2026 3:30–5 pm
JJK Hall Cafe (W15) This lecture explores the relationship between technology, materiality, and perception through the lens of “softness.” Drawing on the concept of technological ecologies, it examines how qualities like hardness and softness are not inherent to matter, but emerge through touch. While hardness has historically been associated with stability, control, and dominance, softness remains relational, evolving, and difficult to fix. Often embedded in practices such as textile-making, soft technologies have frequently been marginalized or erased, despite their complexity and adaptability. The look at artistic practices will be an entry point to reconsider how we understand the interplay of technology, material intelligence, and the sensory dimensions.
Part of the Seminar “New Materialisms in Philosophy & Art” by Nisaar Ulama.
Epona Hamdan is a researcher, curator, and cultural organizer working across embodied knowledge, critical theory, and cosmotechnical inquiry. Her practice explores how artistic, philosophical, scientific, and locally grounded knowledges intersect in the wide scope of perspectives on technology, law, and community. She is a researcher and producer at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), with a focus on quantum physics and artificial intelligence.
Online Student Life invites you to attend our series of programs aimed at supporting students as you make plans for post graduate life. All events take place at 5:00pm-6:00pm online.
You did it, but now what? Come learn about how to wrap up your time at BCB and transition to your next adventure, be that in Berlin or across the globe. In this session we will cover: How to wrap up your academic time at BCB What bureaucratic paperwork you need to take care of including Um- and Abmeldung, residence permits, etc.
Tuesday, April 21: Career Possibilities After Graduation Google Meet link
Come learn about your career options for after graduation. We will discuss specifics related to staying in Germany after graduation, and also general advice for finding a job.
W16 SR 9 Learn how to: → Access Stevenson Library online resources → Find resources across Berlin state/university libraries → Refine your results with search techniques
Meeting point: Platanenstraße 24, 13156 Berlin DE: Wir setzen uns in Bewegung, um sichtbar zu machen, was sonst oft unsichtbar bleibt: die alltäglichen Barrieren im Kiez und die unsichtbaren Herausforderungen, mit denen viele Menschen mit Behinderung leben. Wir begeben uns gemeinsam auf den Weg durch Niederschönhausen, zeigen konkrete Stellen, teilen Erfahrungen und setzen an jeder problematischen Stelle ein Zeichen für Veränderung!
EN: We are taking action to highlight what often remains invisible: the everyday barriers in our neighborhood and the invisible challenges that many people with disabilities face. We will make our way together through Niederschönhausen, point out specific locations, share experiences, and make a mark for change at every problematic spot!
Part of Project Sidewalk Solidarity led by Sanskriti Shrestha, in collaboration with Civic Engagement and EOPND Office.
JJK Hall Café (W15) "Abendbrot" is an informal social gathering for all students interested in speaking German. Takes place bi-weekly on Tuesdays.
14 April: Kiezrunde Interessierst du dich dafür, was gerade in unserem Kiez passiert? Möchtest du dein Deutsch nutzen, um über gesellschaftliche und politische Themen zu sprechen? Diesmal findet das Abendbrot mit der Niederschönhausen-Kiezrunde statt.Genieße Essen und Austausch bei dieser besonderen Atmosphäre!
Online (Zoom) How does the body remain healthy and heal? This lecture explores evolving premodern visions of the body across medical traditions in East and West. We will trace the shift from the authority of ancient texts to the growing prestige of experimentation in early modern medicine. We will examine how mechanical models of the body, alongside new reflections on the mind-body relationship, reshaped medical theory and practice. We will also consider the roles of physicians and midwives in widening efforts to help women understand their own bodies—a theme that continues to resonate in medical discourse today.
Part of Prof. Dr. Ewa Atanassow's IS212 Early Modern Science course
The Haves and Have Yachts: A Discussion With Evan Osnos
Monday, April 20, 2026 7 pm
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Conference Center (Schumannstraße 8, 10117 Berlin) Across the West, and in the U.S. above all, the ultra-wealthy have come to amass enormous influence. The finance and tech sectors have minted new billionaires with great ambitions and visions for politics and society; favorable tax and regulatory systems have allowed the old, preexisting gilded classes to hold onto their wealth and pass it to their descendants.
Evan Osnos, a staff writer for The New Yorker and co-host of The New Yorker’s Political Scene podcast, will make a rare visit to Munich for the launch of the German edition of his latest book on this subject, "The Haves and the Have Yachts." This discussion will address how this new global class has emerged and what sort of effect they have on everything from elections to inequality to tax policy and public attitudes towards politics and society. What are the particular norms, attributes, chief characteristics of this new gilded age? How does this gilded age intersect with increased alienation and polarization that feed distrust and dissatisfaction with government? Osnos will share insights and anecdotes from this world—from the luxury yachts in the title to a support group for convicted white-collar criminals—and address the immense power a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals have in shaping American politics. Moderated by Joshua Yaffa.
The Haves and Have Yachts: A Discussion With Evan Osnos (Munich)
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 7 pm
Amerikahaus Munich, Karolinenpl. 3, 80333 München Across the West, and in the U.S. above all, the ultra-wealthy have come to amass enormous influence. The finance and tech sectors have minted new billionaires with great ambitions and visions for politics and society; favorable tax and regulatory systems have allowed the old, preexisting gilded classes to hold onto their wealth and pass it to their descendants.
Evan Osnos, a staff writer for The New Yorker and co-host of The New Yorker’s Political Scene podcast, will make a rare visit to Munich for the launch of the German edition of his latest book on this subject, "The Haves and the Have Yachts." This discussion will address how this new global class has emerged and what sort of effect they have on everything from elections to inequality to tax policy and public attitudes towards politics and society. What are the particular norms, attributes, chief characteristics of this new gilded age? How does this gilded age intersect with increased alienation and polarization that feed distrust and dissatisfaction with government? Osnos will share insights and anecdotes from this world—from the luxury yachts in the title to a support group for convicted white-collar criminals—and address the immense power a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals have in shaping American politics.
The Life of Others/Das Leben der Anderen: Screening and discussion
Thursday, April 30, 2026 7:30–10 pm
Lecture Hall In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the DDR secret police (Stasi) assigned to conduct surveillance on a writer and his lover finds himself becoming increasingly involved in their lives. Filmed partly in Schönholzerheide in Pankow, this Academy Award–winning movie offers a powerful depiction of life, love, and art behind the Iron Curtain.
New Book Presentation: My Own Past: Afrodescendant Contributions to Cuban Arts
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 12:30–1:30 pm
Bard College Berlin, P24, Seminar Room 8 My Own Past: Afrodescendant Contributions to Cuban Arts (Cambridge University Press, 2025) centers the artistic production and social worlds of artists of African descent in Cuba since the colonial period, offering a revisionist history of Cuban art that explores the gendered racial logics that have informed the constitution of the national canon. The book traces how ideologues of the slaveholding planter class institutionalized the association between ‘fine arts’ and key attributes of whiteness, and it examines how this association continues to shape art historical narratives in Cuba.
Part of Faculty Colloquium event series.
Cary Aileen García Yero is a Cuban-Canadian historian of Latin American arts and culture. She received her PhD in History from Harvard University in 2020. Her dissertation received Honorary Mention by the Latin American Studies Association Cuba Section in 2022, as well as the Claster Mamolen Dissertation Award by Harvard University's Afro-Latin American Research Institute. Her work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals such as the Latin American Research Review, Studies in Latin American Popular Culture, the Anuario de Historia de América Latina, Cuban Studies, among others.
W16 Learning Commons Your 4th-year project deserves more than "close enough" citations. Join Learning Commons Writing Tutor Taycia for a hands-on workshop to clean up your bibliography, dodge common errors, and turn your references into a high-quality source of academic credibility.
Lecture Hall The Community Forums are dedicated to bringing our entire community (staff, students, and faculty) together to discuss topics related to life at BCB. These are an opportunity to talk about anything on your mind or to ask questions that you have. They are co-hosted between the Student Life Committee and Student Parliament.
We're delighted to invite admitted students and their families to visit Bard College Berlin on Saturday, April 11.
Join us for a day on our campus where you can meet fellow admitted students, attend a seminar with our professors, meet our staff, take a full tour of the campus, and hear from our current students about life as a Bard Berliner.
Admitted students can access the registration link in their applicant portal.
We look forward to welcoming you to the BCB campus!
From Scaling Startups To Connecting Systems: What Data Taught Me About Impact
Monday, April 13, 2026 2–3:30 pm
Online Aurel Stenzel started his career building and scaling data-driven businesses, most notably as COO of Adjust, where he helped grow the company from a small startup into a global and profitable SaaS unicorn. Along the way, he saw firsthand how powerful data can be in driving growth and decision-making.
But he also began to notice a deeper challenge: we struggle to use data collectively, especially when it comes to solving complex problems like sustainability. This insight led him to co-found the SINE Foundation, where he now works on enabling the flow of trusted sustainability data across organizations to unlock better coordination and real-world impact. For this work, Aurel was recognized as an Ashoka Fellow in 2024.
Trained as a mathematician and now a PhD economist, his work revolves around one central question: how can we move from collecting data to connecting systems, enabling a more collaborative and sustainable economy?
Part of Prof. Dr. Israel Waichman's Environmental and Resource Economics course.
Lecture and Discussion with Epona Hamdan (HKW Berlin)
Monday, April 13, 2026 3:30–5 pm
JJK Hall Cafe (W15) This lecture explores the relationship between technology, materiality, and perception through the lens of “softness.” Drawing on the concept of technological ecologies, it examines how qualities like hardness and softness are not inherent to matter, but emerge through touch. While hardness has historically been associated with stability, control, and dominance, softness remains relational, evolving, and difficult to fix. Often embedded in practices such as textile-making, soft technologies have frequently been marginalized or erased, despite their complexity and adaptability. The look at artistic practices will be an entry point to reconsider how we understand the interplay of technology, material intelligence, and the sensory dimensions.
Part of the Seminar “New Materialisms in Philosophy & Art” by Nisaar Ulama.
Epona Hamdan is a researcher, curator, and cultural organizer working across embodied knowledge, critical theory, and cosmotechnical inquiry. Her practice explores how artistic, philosophical, scientific, and locally grounded knowledges intersect in the wide scope of perspectives on technology, law, and community. She is a researcher and producer at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), with a focus on quantum physics and artificial intelligence.
Online Student Life invites you to attend our series of programs aimed at supporting students as you make plans for post graduate life. All events take place at 5:00pm-6:00pm online.
You did it, but now what? Come learn about how to wrap up your time at BCB and transition to your next adventure, be that in Berlin or across the globe. In this session we will cover: How to wrap up your academic time at BCB What bureaucratic paperwork you need to take care of including Um- and Abmeldung, residence permits, etc.
Tuesday, April 21: Career Possibilities After Graduation Google Meet link
Come learn about your career options for after graduation. We will discuss specifics related to staying in Germany after graduation, and also general advice for finding a job.
W16 SR 9 Learn how to: → Access Stevenson Library online resources → Find resources across Berlin state/university libraries → Refine your results with search techniques
Meeting point: Platanenstraße 24, 13156 Berlin DE: Wir setzen uns in Bewegung, um sichtbar zu machen, was sonst oft unsichtbar bleibt: die alltäglichen Barrieren im Kiez und die unsichtbaren Herausforderungen, mit denen viele Menschen mit Behinderung leben. Wir begeben uns gemeinsam auf den Weg durch Niederschönhausen, zeigen konkrete Stellen, teilen Erfahrungen und setzen an jeder problematischen Stelle ein Zeichen für Veränderung!
EN: We are taking action to highlight what often remains invisible: the everyday barriers in our neighborhood and the invisible challenges that many people with disabilities face. We will make our way together through Niederschönhausen, point out specific locations, share experiences, and make a mark for change at every problematic spot!
Part of Project Sidewalk Solidarity led by Sanskriti Shrestha, in collaboration with Civic Engagement and EOPND Office.
JJK Hall Café (W15) "Abendbrot" is an informal social gathering for all students interested in speaking German. Takes place bi-weekly on Tuesdays.
14 April: Kiezrunde Interessierst du dich dafür, was gerade in unserem Kiez passiert? Möchtest du dein Deutsch nutzen, um über gesellschaftliche und politische Themen zu sprechen? Diesmal findet das Abendbrot mit der Niederschönhausen-Kiezrunde statt.Genieße Essen und Austausch bei dieser besonderen Atmosphäre!
Online (Zoom) How does the body remain healthy and heal? This lecture explores evolving premodern visions of the body across medical traditions in East and West. We will trace the shift from the authority of ancient texts to the growing prestige of experimentation in early modern medicine. We will examine how mechanical models of the body, alongside new reflections on the mind-body relationship, reshaped medical theory and practice. We will also consider the roles of physicians and midwives in widening efforts to help women understand their own bodies—a theme that continues to resonate in medical discourse today.
Part of Prof. Dr. Ewa Atanassow's IS212 Early Modern Science course
The Haves and Have Yachts: A Discussion With Evan Osnos
Monday, April 20, 2026 7 pm
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Conference Center (Schumannstraße 8, 10117 Berlin) Across the West, and in the U.S. above all, the ultra-wealthy have come to amass enormous influence. The finance and tech sectors have minted new billionaires with great ambitions and visions for politics and society; favorable tax and regulatory systems have allowed the old, preexisting gilded classes to hold onto their wealth and pass it to their descendants.
Evan Osnos, a staff writer for The New Yorker and co-host of The New Yorker’s Political Scene podcast, will make a rare visit to Munich for the launch of the German edition of his latest book on this subject, "The Haves and the Have Yachts." This discussion will address how this new global class has emerged and what sort of effect they have on everything from elections to inequality to tax policy and public attitudes towards politics and society. What are the particular norms, attributes, chief characteristics of this new gilded age? How does this gilded age intersect with increased alienation and polarization that feed distrust and dissatisfaction with government? Osnos will share insights and anecdotes from this world—from the luxury yachts in the title to a support group for convicted white-collar criminals—and address the immense power a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals have in shaping American politics. Moderated by Joshua Yaffa.
The Haves and Have Yachts: A Discussion With Evan Osnos (Munich)
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 7 pm
Amerikahaus Munich, Karolinenpl. 3, 80333 München Across the West, and in the U.S. above all, the ultra-wealthy have come to amass enormous influence. The finance and tech sectors have minted new billionaires with great ambitions and visions for politics and society; favorable tax and regulatory systems have allowed the old, preexisting gilded classes to hold onto their wealth and pass it to their descendants.
Evan Osnos, a staff writer for The New Yorker and co-host of The New Yorker’s Political Scene podcast, will make a rare visit to Munich for the launch of the German edition of his latest book on this subject, "The Haves and the Have Yachts." This discussion will address how this new global class has emerged and what sort of effect they have on everything from elections to inequality to tax policy and public attitudes towards politics and society. What are the particular norms, attributes, chief characteristics of this new gilded age? How does this gilded age intersect with increased alienation and polarization that feed distrust and dissatisfaction with government? Osnos will share insights and anecdotes from this world—from the luxury yachts in the title to a support group for convicted white-collar criminals—and address the immense power a handful of ultra-wealthy individuals have in shaping American politics.
The Life of Others/Das Leben der Anderen: Screening and discussion
Thursday, April 30, 2026 7:30–10 pm
Lecture Hall In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the DDR secret police (Stasi) assigned to conduct surveillance on a writer and his lover finds himself becoming increasingly involved in their lives. Filmed partly in Schönholzerheide in Pankow, this Academy Award–winning movie offers a powerful depiction of life, love, and art behind the Iron Curtain.
Vote for Fisher Center in NY Geothermal March Madness
We're in the Elite 6
Monday, March 30, 2026 – Wednesday, April 1, 2026 8 am – 5 pm
Vote for Bard's Fisher Center for Performing Arts--- 100% geothermal facility--- in the "New York's favorite heat pump bracket breaker" challenge! We’re going head-to-head with other Experience Clean Heat sites across the State with the hopes of winning bragging rights.
Round 2 is open 3/30 – 4/1 (until 5pm).
Online Event Sponsored by: Bard Office of Sustainability.
Save this event: