American Academy, Berlin

photo courtesy of Annette Hornischer

The American Academy, situated in a lakeside Villa in Berlin suburb Wannnsee, has since its opening to the public in 1998 successfully pursued its mission of `fostering a greater understanding and dialogue between the people of the US and the people of Germany`.

Initially founded by preeminent Americans and Germans, among them Richard Holbrooke, Henry Kissinger and Richard von Weizsäcker, in 1994, the academy has since risen to become a natural point of reference for American Culture and Society in Berlin and Germany as a whole.


Through offering public lectures held by prominent American experts on their fields, a wide spectra ranging from architecture to journalism to most themes related to American culture, and by granting residential fellowships to scholars and writers, the academy has become a dynamic hub of American culture in Berlin.

At the core of activities is the residential fellowship program, that allows its participants to work on a creative project, often in close relation to Berlin. Alumni of the program include awardwinning writer Jonathan Safran Foer and artist Julie Mehretu, to mention a few.


Recent lectures include "New public Spaces for Urban America" held by Edward Dimendberg, a professor of film and media studies at UCLA and currently a fellow at the Academy. Here Dimendberg argued the point that American cities "should take advantage of the moment to reinvigorate public life through the smart re-conceptualization of their potentially civic spaces" using the "elevated highway- project in Chelsea, New York by American architectfirm Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, as an example of how this can be achieved.

Forthcoming events this month are `Must I now read all of Wittgenstein" with Donald Antrim (writer New York) and a conversation with New Yorkbased artist Amy Sillman.


For further information and a full schedule of lectures, please refer www.americanacademy.de