Events

2026

• Tuesday, February 17, 2026
  

  "No, my dear Rilke!”: On Rilke’s Flirtations with Mussolini and Fascism

  

  With Literary Critic and Author Hans-Peter Kunisch
  Olin Humanities, Room 203  5:30 pm EST/GMT-5
  “What a beautiful speech by Mr. Mussolini!”, Rainer Maria Rilke writes in 1926. “No, my dear Rilke!”, the recipient of his letter, the Italian aristocrat and anarchist Lella Gallarati-Scotti, disagrees. What follows is an epistolary debate in which Rilke openly reveals his fascination with Benito Mussolini, founding figure of European fascism, and further philosophies of strength, re-birth, and domination of the time. This intricate part of Rilke’s life and work has been ignored or down-played by all biographies of this “secret king of the German soul” so far.
  As we are celebrating Rilke’s 150th anniversary, Hans-Peter Kunisch invites us to revisit his writings in the light of these little-known documents. Kunisch challenges us not to denounce Rilke, but to expand our appreciation to the uncomfortable provocations of this eminent European poet who was writing at a time, not unlike ours, of radical political transformations.
  
  
• Tuesday, September 15, 2026 – Wednesday, September 16, 2026
  

  Dutchess County Public Transit Outreach

   

  Bertelsmann Campus Center, Lobby  10:00 am – 2:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
  Find out how easy it is to ride all through Dutchess County for free six days a week.  
  
  
  Download: Dutchess-Co-09-15-26.pdf
• Monday, September 21, 2026 – Thursday, December 24, 2026
  

  Bard College Transportation Services

   

  Various Campus Locations  Visit  our website to find out about free shuttles for Bard students, staff and faculty to the Poughkeepsie Metro North train station, Rhinecliff Amtrak, Target, Walmart, Red Hook, Tivoli, Montgomery Place, Massena Campus, JFK, Albany, and La Guardia airports. 
  
  Check our homepage for delays and cancellations to our services as well.
  
  https://blogs.bard.edu/transportation
  
   
  
  
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026
  

  Opening Remarks, Abundant Intelligences: Jason Edward Lewis 

  

  We hope you will join us on the land for an afternoon of symposiums and learning.
  Massena Campus  11:00 am – 11:10 am EDT/GMT-4
  Wíhanble S’a Center’s Spring Open House at the Massena Campus is a bi-yearly event for all of our Bard community that brings together collaborations with nonhuman beings through hide work, shared meals, and conversation on the land. We are an American Indian-led research center grounded in Lakota knowledge systems, where learning happens through relation, responsibility, and community. These practices form the root of our approach to developing ethical AI tools, grounding rigorous technological research in land-based knowledge. 
  
  Our Open House supports our college community by providing structured student training and a site for faculty engagement with Wíhanble S’a Center’s ongoing initiatives, including, but not limited to, the development of Lakota Dream Language, a neuro-AI storytelling platform that enables interactive exploration of dream narratives. 
  
  This year’s events center on a symposium with scholars and artists who consider present-day realities of technological entwinement within the context of Indigenous methodologies and advance new modes of ethical engagement. Fall 2026 features practitioners such as Nathan Young, Antoine Bellamare, Mikhel Proulx, Olivia Camfield, Wills Brewer, Bradley Dry, Asinnajaq, and more. 
  
  
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026
  

  Transformations through Image: Olivia Camfield, Woodrow Hunt, Schon Duncan, and assinijaq

  

  We hope you will join us on the land for an afternoon of symposiums and learning.
   
  Massena Campus  11:30 am – 12:15 pm EDT/GMT-4
  Wíhanble S’a Center’s Spring Open House at the Massena Campus is a bi-yearly event for all of our Bard community that brings together collaborations with nonhuman beings through hide work, shared meals, and conversation on the land. We are an American Indian-led research center grounded in Lakota knowledge systems, where learning happens through relation, responsibility, and community. These practices form the root of our approach to developing ethical AI tools, grounding rigorous technological research in land-based knowledge. 
  
  Our Open House supports our college community by providing structured student training and a site for faculty engagement with Wíhanble S’a Center’s ongoing initiatives, including, but not limited to, the development of Lakota Dream Language, a neuro-AI storytelling platform that enables interactive exploration of dream narratives. 
  
  This year’s events center on a symposium with scholars and artists who consider present-day realities of technological entwinement within the context of Indigenous methodologies and advance new modes of ethical engagement. Fall 2026 features practitioners such as Nathan Young, Antoine Bellamare, Mikhel Proulx, Olivia Camfield, Wills Brewer, Bradley Dry, Asinnajaq, and more. 
  
  
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026
  

  Paper Presentation: Nathan Young

  

  We hope you will join us on the land for an afternoon of symposiums and learning.
   
  Massena Campus  2:30 pm – 3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
  Wíhanble S’a Center’s Spring Open House at the Massena Campus is a bi-yearly event for all of our Bard community that brings together collaborations with nonhuman beings through hide work, shared meals, and conversation on the land. We are an American Indian-led research center grounded in Lakota knowledge systems, where learning happens through relation, responsibility, and community. These practices form the root of our approach to developing ethical AI tools, grounding rigorous technological research in land-based knowledge. 
  
  Our Open House supports our college community by providing structured student training and a site for faculty engagement with Wíhanble S’a Center’s ongoing initiatives, including, but not limited to, the development of Lakota Dream Language, a neuro-AI storytelling platform that enables interactive exploration of dream narratives. 
  
  This year’s events center on a symposium with scholars and artists who consider present-day realities of technological entwinement within the context of Indigenous methodologies and advance new modes of ethical engagement. Fall 2026 features practitioners such as Nathan Young, Antoine Bellamare, Mikhel Proulx, Olivia Camfield, Wills Brewer, Bradley Dry, Asinnajaq, and more. 
  
  
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026
  

  Transformations through Materials: Mikayla Patton, Scott Benesiinaabandan, Wills Brewer, and Clementine Bordeaux

  

  We hope you will join us on the land for an afternoon of symposiums and learning.
  Massena Campus  3:00 pm – 3:45 pm EDT/GMT-4
  Wíhanble S’a Center’s Spring Open House at the Massena Campus is a bi-yearly event for all of our Bard community that brings together collaborations with nonhuman beings through hide work, shared meals, and conversation on the land. We are an American Indian-led research center grounded in Lakota knowledge systems, where learning happens through relation, responsibility, and community. These practices form the root of our approach to developing ethical AI tools, grounding rigorous technological research in land-based knowledge. 
  
  Our Open House supports our college community by providing structured student training and a site for faculty engagement with Wíhanble S’a Center’s ongoing initiatives, including, but not limited to, the development of Lakota Dream Language, a neuro-AI storytelling platform that enables interactive exploration of dream narratives. 
  
  This year’s events center on a symposium with scholars and artists who consider present-day realities of technological entwinement within the context of Indigenous methodologies and advance new modes of ethical engagement. Fall 2026 features practitioners such as Nathan Young, Antoine Bellamare, Mikhel Proulx, Olivia Camfield, Wills Brewer, Bradley Dry, Asinnajaq, and more. 
  
  
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026
  

  Mikhel Proulx and Suzanne Kite in discussion

   

  We hope you will join us on the land for an afternoon of symposiums and learning.
  Massena Campus  3:45 pm – 4:15 pm EDT/GMT-4
  Wíhanble S’a Center’s Spring Open House at the Massena Campus is a bi-yearly event for all of our Bard community that brings together collaborations with nonhuman beings through hide work, shared meals, and conversation on the land. We are an American Indian-led research center grounded in Lakota knowledge systems, where learning happens through relation, responsibility, and community. These practices form the root of our approach to developing ethical AI tools, grounding rigorous technological research in land-based knowledge. 
  
  Our Open House supports our college community by providing structured student training and a site for faculty engagement with Wíhanble S’a Center’s ongoing initiatives, including, but not limited to, the development of Lakota Dream Language, a neuro-AI storytelling platform that enables interactive exploration of dream narratives. 
  
  This year’s events center on a symposium with scholars and artists who consider present-day realities of technological entwinement within the context of Indigenous methodologies and advance new modes of ethical engagement. Fall 2026 features practitioners such as Nathan Young, Antoine Bellamare, Mikhel Proulx, Olivia Camfield, Wills Brewer, Bradley Dry, Asinnajaq, and more. 
  
  
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026
  

  Presentation by Antoine Bellemare

  

  We hope you will join us on the land for an afternoon of symposiums and learning.
   
  Massena Campus  4:15 pm – 5:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
  Wíhanble S’a Center’s Spring Open House at the Massena Campus is a bi-yearly event for all of our Bard community that brings together collaborations with nonhuman beings through hide work, shared meals, and conversation on the land. We are an American Indian-led research center grounded in Lakota knowledge systems, where learning happens through relation, responsibility, and community. These practices form the root of our approach to developing ethical AI tools, grounding rigorous technological research in land-based knowledge. 
  
  Our Open House supports our college community by providing structured student training and a site for faculty engagement with Wíhanble S’a Center’s ongoing initiatives, including, but not limited to, the development of Lakota Dream Language, a neuro-AI storytelling platform that enables interactive exploration of dream narratives. 
  
  This year’s events center on a symposium with scholars and artists who consider present-day realities of technological entwinement within the context of Indigenous methodologies and advance new modes of ethical engagement. Fall 2026 features practitioners such as Nathan Young, Antoine Bellamare, Mikhel Proulx, Olivia Camfield, Wills Brewer, Bradley Dry, Asinnajaq, and more. 
  
  
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026
  

  Rainer Maria Rilke’s Archive: Unknown Documents Between Inspiration and Labor (Presentation & Discussion in German!)

  

  Dr. Ulrich v. Bülow
  (Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach, Head of Archives)
  Olin Language Center, Room 206  5:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
  Rilke‘s writings have inspired readers across the globe. Lady Gaga had a quote by Rilke tattooed onto her forearm. But how were Rilke’s famous poems and prose works actually created and crafted? Rilke himself often claimed he’d received his verses from a cloud or an invisible voice mysteriously dictated them into his notebook.
  
  Can such stories be verified? Fortunately, the Deutsche Literaturarchiv in Marbach recently acquired Rilke’s papers which until then were still in the possession of his family and largely inaccessible to researchers or the general public. These documents of Rilke’s papers are truly fascinating as they provide astonishing insights into his daily writing practices, showing both: the sources of his inspiration as well as the toils and troubles of his textual labor. Dr. Ulrich von Bülow, Head of the Archives Department at Marbach, will present and discuss previously unknown documents from Rilke’s papers exclusively for the Bard community.