Bauhaus Beyond Borders: Exploring the Legacy in the 21st Century

This 3-day interdisciplinary symposium will explore German heritage, innovation, and culture by commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus, one of the world’s most innovative art and design schools, and highlighting its tremendous global influence. The German Bauhaus, known for its hands-on approach and its linear, functional, but elegant forms, was founded on April 1, 1919, in Weimar, and continued to operate during the Weimar Republic until 1933, when many of the artists and architects emigrated. Many moved to the USA and to Chicago, such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and László Moholy-Nagy. Perspectives will be shared via presentations, workshops, displays, and performances that highlight the Bauhaus’ many connections to various disciplines, from art, architecture, and engineering, to history, social studies, the politics of the Weimar Republic, literature, theatre, and music, and to pedagogical approaches to teaching the Bauhaus and architecture in the German curriculum.