The Curatorial Workshop acts and mediates between research and the public sphere. The approach of the department is multidisciplinary, combining several different forms of public communication. Exhibitions, events, performances, workshops, and various digital formats provide access to the methods and the working and living environments of the designers, artists, and architects of the historic Bauhaus – and the actors who preceded them or followed them. In this way, past perspectives can be experienced at the same time as current and future discourse, in which the approaches, ethos, and heritage of the Bauhaus become apparent.

We address the “Politics of Display”, working prototypically on new approaches to design, narratives, and the communication of culture. This includes experimental work that follows on from the traditions of the Bauhaus stage. Traditional forms of exhibiting are interrogated. This involves many aspects; for example, the fact that works of art can have more than one author, or the introduction of intentional ambiguities of design and spatial design as well as strategies to promote inclusion and sustainability that seek to go beyond the realm of clichés and mere appearances.

Our objective is to make inspiring and challenging narratives accessible to all visitors – in diverse media and multi-sensory forms. We are continually expanding our range of inclusive projects, so that all kinds of groups can become part of the Bauhaus narrative.

Activities of the Curatorial Workshop

• Curatorial development and realisation: the curatorial development, organisation, and implementation of exhibitions, events, and stage formats in cooperation with other departments of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and external partners.
• Development of design approaches: the development of prototypical design forms, exhibition displays, translation and presentation strategies; contributions to research on contemporary themes of international design practice and visual culture.
• Communication and cultural education: a broad programme of communication and cultural education beyond the boundaries of the Foundation, projects to encourage inclusion and participation with the aim of reaching as many people as possible, guided tours and educational programmes for individual visitors, students, and groups of various ages, structures of dialogue to enhance accessibility and participation.