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Expanding artistic horizons: Bard College Berlin partners with Monopol-Berlin arts space

Bard College Berlin’s partnership with Monopol-Berlin, an artistic complex housed in a former distillery in Reinickendorf, has expanded opportunities for the practicing arts, opening up new classes such as glassblowing, marble sculpture, and advanced painting. Students from all majors are encouraged to enroll in classes and make use of the new space.

Glassblowing, which was offered at BCB for the first time in the fall 2023 semester, is made possible through the connection with Berlin Glas e.V., a glass workshop that has been located in the Monopol-Berlin complex since 2012 and has worked with educational institutions such as Kunsthochschule Weissensee, UdK, ETH in Zurich, the ANU in Australia, and now, Bard College Berlin.

Nadania Idriss, instructor of the glassblowing workshop, explained that the program is centered around hot glassblowing techniques. The students begin by “learning to blow glass by making introductory forms like paperweights and cups, and then moving on to making blow molds so they could make more sculptural works.” Idriss shares that some of her students had previously taken BCB’s stone carving class, which inspired them to combine the two materials to create interesting new forms.

As part of Open Studios, BCB’s end-of-semester arts exhibition, the glassblowing students gave a public demonstration exhibiting their process. BCB colleagues and friends dropped by to see the new space and experience the workshop for themselves, inspiring some to enroll in practicing arts classes next semester.

Professor John Kleckner, who teaches the painting courses at Monopol-Berlin, expressed that students have responded very positively to the new spaces. “In the Direktorenhaus we have two large seminar/workshop rooms and four private studios, with another five studios will be ready for the spring 2024 semester,” says Kleckner. The new studio at Monopol expands the existing practicing arts spaces available at BCB, adding on to the building known as The Factory located on campus.

The rooms at Monopol-Berlin have large windows and plenty of natural light, which are ideal for painting. In addition, each student has their own designated work space for the duration of the semester. Large studios for the beginning level and intermediate courses “foster a strong group dynamic, with students working together and sharing ideas, inspiration, and developing their skills with each other’s help,” observes Kleckner. For advanced courses, students have private studios where they “get first-hand experience working like a professional artist.”

Working within a community of artists such as Monopol-Berlin is an opportunity for BCB students to be exposed to other creatives and offers them experiences that prepare them to pursue higher level arts degrees after graduation. The environment is well suited for collaborative work, and offers opportunities to interact with different kinds of artists and media, says Julia Mazal, one of the students who has taken advantage of the new space. She says traveling to and from Monopol has completely changed her Berlin experience, opening her up to more arts spaces in the city and immersing her in the city’s wider arts scene. 

“It’s exciting to see and reflect on the full range of styles, techniques, scale, and experimentation in the students' art,” shares Kleckner in regards to Open Studios. “With Monopol as its new center of visual arts, BCB really has the real estate to match the scale of our students' artistic ambitions.”

Post Date: 01-15-2024
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Bard College Berlin, A Liberal Arts University gGmbH

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Bard College Berlin is institutionally accredited at the national level in Germany by the Wissenschaftsrat.

In the United States, Bard College Berlin is accredited through
Bard College by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Qualifying students receive both a German BA and an American BA. 
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