Lehrveranstaltung des Menzel-Dachs: Beverly Buchanan / Berlin: Public Program for an Exhibition - Part 2 - Detailseite

In fall 2025, Haus am Waldsee will open a retrospective of the work of African-American artist Beverly Buchanan. In collaboration with Haus am Waldsee, the Menzel-Dach is organizing a practice-oriented course in which we realize a public program to accompany the exhibition. In particular, the aim is to relate Buchanan's work to the history and present of the black diaspora in Germany. The course will be jointly led by Prof. Karina Griffith (UdK) and Jakob Schillinger (HU) and builds on the first part of the course held in Sommersemester 2025.

The course is primarily aimed at students in the Master's program. Participation in the Sommersemester 2025 is not a requirement for participation in the Wintersemester 2025/26. The course will be held in English and German; comprehension of both languages is required.

About the exhibition:

Beverly Buchanan

3.10.2025 – 11.1.2026

This exhibition spans Beverly Buchanan’s (*1940, Fuquay, North Carolina, †2015, Ann Arbor, Michigan) wide-ranging oeuvre and marks the artist’s first survey in Germany. It brings together works from all periods of her practice, ranging from early series on canvas and paper addressing the increasing gentrification of New York in the 1970s to critically humorous writings and artist books. In her later works, Buchanan reflects on the characteristic architecture and building practices in the rural Southeast of the United States—often through interventions in the landscape or sensitive miniature recreations. Informed by an astute engagement with the topics of class, gender, or memory, her works highlight the intrinsic connection between architecture and structural disparities while celebrating the resilience and beauty of the provisional to counter the mechanisms of oppression. 

Developed with support from gta exhibitions (ETH Zürich) and in collaboration with Menzel-Dach (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Fisk University (Nashville), and others, the project aims to broaden perspectives on Buchanan’s legacy and spark local reflections on persistent inequalities and collective memory. The exhibition is accompanied by a new work by British artist Ima-Abasi Okon.

Curated by Anna Gritz, Beatrice Hilke, Pia-Marie Remmers

Supported by: Terra Foundation for American Art, Haus am Waldsee Freunde und Förderer, Rudolf Augstein Stiftung.

Participation in this course requires prior registration via Agnes and participation in the introductory session at the beginning of the semester. At the introductory session, details of the course are discussed and any questions can be clarified, before you sign up to confirm your registration for the course. Admission to the course takes place after this meeting. If there are more registrations than available spots, a lottery will be held.

We would like to enable you to complete your studies within the standard period of study. Especially if you are in an advanced semester, not attending the course might present an exceptional hardship for you. If this is the case, you can submit a request for special consideration. The reasons for such exceptional hardship include, in particular, health, social, disability-related or family reasons that make immediate participation in the course absolutely necessary. If you wish to claim exceptional hardship, please note this directly when you register in Agnes. Please refrain from sending additional emails in this regard.

The course will be held as a block seminar on Friday, 12 December and Saturday, 13 December, from 10 am to 8 pm, in room 0.12, Georgenstraße 47. More dates to follow.