Join us for Family and Alumni/ae Weekend 2023!
Friday, October 27 – Sunday, October 29
Friday, October 27 – Sunday, October 29
Friday, October 27
Welcome Reception
Join families of current students, faculty, and alumni/ae for refreshments.
Lobby, Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Center for Science and Computation
Registration
Visit the registration desk to check in, receive a schedule of events, sign up to attend classes and tours, and get general information about Bard and the campus. If you arrive after 6:00 pm, you can check in on Saturday between 8:30 am and noon.
Lobby, Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Center for Science and Computation
Bard Summer Research Poster Session
One of the most successful extracurricular research experiences for students at Bard is the Bard Summer Research Institute (BSRI), which supports campus-based projects in empirical and quantitative fields, including biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental studies, mathematics, physics, and psychology. Typically, students spend eight weeks in residence in June and July undertaking individual research projects designed and mentored by Bard faculty. We invite you to join the BSRI students as they present their research and engage in conversation about their experience.
Lobby, Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Center for Science and Computation
Self-Guided Walkthrough of Current Exhibitions at CCS Bard
Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969 is the first large-scale exhibition of its kind to center performance and theater as an origin point for the development of contemporary art by Native American, First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and Alaska Native artists, beginning with the role that Native artists have played in the self-determination era, sparked by the Occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes in 1969. Native artists then and now are at the vanguard of performance art practices and discourse. As part of Indian Theater, their work uses humor as a strategy for cultural critique and reflection, parses the inherent relationships between objecthood and agency, and frequently complicates representations of the Native body through signaling the body’s absence and presence via clothing, blanketing, and adornment. In the exhibition, song, dance, and music are also posited as a basis for collectivity and resistance and a means to speak back to a time when Native traditional ceremony and public gatherings were illegal in both the United States and Canada. In addition to artworks, the exhibition includes important archival material documenting the emergence of the New Native Theater movement in Santa Fe in 1969 as well as materials directly related to the early self-determination era.
Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies, Hessel Museum of Art
Fund for Visual Learning Auction and Art Sale
Join us for a benefit auction and sale of artwork by faculty, staff, and students to benefit the Fund for Visual Learning (FVL). The FVL was established in 2014 to improve access to the Studio Arts Program for students experiencing financial challenges. The FVL fund also awards grants to moderating students and to help fund Senior Project work for students who qualify. 100% of all sales goes to students. A 24-hour online auction will begin at 5:00 pm on Friday, October 27. All work displayed in-person will be available online to bid on until 5:00 pm on Sunday, October 29.
Fisher Studio Arts Building
Wellness Walk in Tivoli Bays
Join Bard Wellness Director Annia Reyes for a late afternoon walk through Tivoli Bays. Located along the Hudson River, the scenic Tivoli Bay trail passes through tidal lowlands and wooded uplands. This approximately one-hour wellness walk welcomes all skill levels and is a great way to explore more of Bard’s beautiful campus. Meet Annia on the Sosnoff Theater patio. Space is limited; sign up at registration.
Meet at the patio of Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
Friday Dinner
Enjoy dinner with other Bard families and alumni/ae. $16.50 per person; students may use their meal plan cards. Tickets can be purchased at registration or at the door.
Kline Dining Commons
Shabbat
The Jewish Students Organization and Rabbi Joshua Boettiger ’97 invite families and alumni/ae to a Bard Shabbat experience in the Beit Shalom-Salaam House of Peace meeting room. All are welcome to attend an informal Shabbat (Sabbath) service, followed by kiddush and a vegetarian Shabbat dinner with students, faculty, and staff. Advance reservations required. If you would like to attend, RSVP to [email protected] by October 16.
Beit Shalom-Salaam, Basement of Resnick Commons A
Saturday, October 28
Registration
If you missed registration on Friday, please stop by to check in, and sign up to attend a class or take a tour.
Lobby, Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Center for Science and Computation
Family Leadership Council Meeting
Members of the Family Leadership Council (FLC) play a guiding role in the Bard community through a range of activities. They develop and participate in on-campus and regional recruiting and mentoring events, promote and provide career opportunities for students, and take part in peer-to-peer fundraising. FLC families contribute to the success of the Bard College Fund through annual gifts of $1,500 or greater. The council meets two times each year—once during Family Weekend and once in the spring. If you are interested in joining the FLC and attending the meeting, please call Sasha Boak Kelly, senior director of development, at 845-758-7407.
Room 202, Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building
Tour of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
The Fisher Center at Bard is a premier professional performing arts center and a hub for research and education that serves artists at all stages of their careers. Once you’ve seen the stunning façade of the Frank Gehry–designed building, you'll want to take this guided backstage tour. Space is limited; sign up at registration.
Sosnoff Theater lobby, Richard B. Fisher for the Performing Arts
Tour the Grounds of Montgomery Place
Join guide Henry Woods for a tour of the Montgomery Place grounds, a 380-acre estate adjacent to the main Bard College campus and overlooking the Hudson River. Montgomery Place is a designated National Historic Landmark set amid rolling lawns, woodlands, and gardens, against the spectacular backdrop of the Catskill Mountains. Renowned architects, landscape designers, and horticulturists worked to create an elegant and inspiring country estate consisting of a mansion, farm, orchards, farmhouse, and other smaller buildings. The Montgomery Place estate was owned by members of the Livingston family from 1802 until the 1980s. In 1986, Livingston heir John Dennis Delafield transferred the estate to Historic Hudson Valley in whose hands it remained until 2016, when Bard College acquired the property. Meet on the Visitors Center porch. Space is limited; sign up at registration.
The Montgomery Place Campus
Men’s Basketball Open Practice
Stevenson Athletic Center
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Explore Your Options!
Join the Center for Civic Engagement in a showcase of the different opportunities and initiatives for Bard students! Civic engagement at Bard can take many different forms with our local and regional community partner network. We have established pathways (like voter outreach and youth mentorship) as well as ways to design your path (like the Trustee Leader Scholar program). What will your civic engagement path look like for you? Come explore the possibilities with us!
Schwab ’52 Atrium, Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building
Saturday Brunch
Enjoy brunch with other Bard families and alumni/ae. $14 per person; students may use their meal plan cards. Tickets can be purchased at on-site registration or at the door.
Kline Dining Commons
Fund for Visual Learning Auction and Art Sale
Art gallery is open. For more information, see the schedule for Friday at 5:00 pm.
Fisher Studio Arts Building
Historical Walking Tour
Join Bruce Chilton ’71, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion, for this incisive tour highlighting the history of Bard. Rain or shine. Space is limited; sign up at on-site registration.
Meet at Bard Hall
Academic Classes
All registrants will be emailed a link on Friday, October 27, to sign up for classes. One class per person will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If you miss online registration, you will be able to sign up in person at registration.
Bard College Alumni/ae Association Board of Governors Fall Meeting and State of the College with President Botstein
All alumni/ae are invited to join members of the Alumni/ae Association Board of Governors for the annual fall meeting. President Leon Botstein will open the meeting with State of the College remarks. Those alumni/ae guests who are interested in the work of the board are welcome to stay for the whole meeting. The meeting will start promptly at 11 am. At 10:30 am, coffee and pastries are served for Board members and alumni/ae guests. For more information on the Bard College Board of Governors email [email protected].
Seena and Arnold Davis ’44 Living Room, Anne Cox Chambers Alumni/ae Center
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Explore Your Options!
Join the Center for Civic Engagement in a showcase of our different opportunities and initiatives that Bard students can be a part of! Civic engagement at Bard can take many different forms, for different students, with our local and regional community partner network! We have established pathways (like voter outreach and youth mentorship) as well as ways to design your path (like the Trustee Leader Scholar program). What will your civic engagement path look like for you? Come explore the possibilities with us!
Schwab ’52 Atrium, Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building
Tour of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
For more information, see the schedule for Saturday at 9:00 am. Space is limited; sign up at registration.
Sosnoff Theater lobby, Richard B. Fisher for the Performing Arts
Tour the Grounds of Montgomery Place
For more information, see the schedule for Saturday at 9:00 am. Meet at the Visitors Center Porch. Space is limited. Sign up at registration.
The Montgomery Place Campus
Women’s Basketball Open Practice
Stevenson Athletic Center
Blithewood Garden Open House
You are invited to stroll through the historic Blithewood Garden and take in the views of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains. Meet Bridget Maple ’05, Bard’s formal gardener, who will be on hand to answer your garden questions.
Blithewood Garden
Academic Classes
All registrants will be emailed a link on Friday, October 27 to sign up for classes. One class per person will be offered on a first come, first serve basis. If you miss online registration, you will be able to sign up in-person at registration.
Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Leadership Showcase
Meet students from around the globe who are linking the liberal arts and community leadership through coursework, research, and community projects ranging from voter advocacy to youth engagement. This showcase will feature a poster session and roundtable discussion of student work.
Room 201, Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building
Trustee Leader Scholar (TLS) Workshop: Empathic Communication and Resilience
“Empathic Communication and Resilience” is the name that Paul Marienthal, dean for social action and director of the TLS Program, gives to interpersonal communication that promotes honest talk and positive connection between people. Getting things right when important relationships are at stake requires specific skills and practices. This is a short introduction to the kind of interpersonal communication work done in the TLS program.
Room 213, Bertelsmann Campus Center
The Bard Jazz Faculty and Bard Music Presents:
A Concert of Music from the Great American Songbook
Join faculty members John Esposito, Angelica Sanchez, and other Bard Jazz faculty for a concert of music from the Great American Songbook.
Bard Hall
Admission Campus Tour
Enjoy a tour of campus led by one of our student tour guides. The tour begins with an information session by an admission counselor and ends with a Q&A session. Space is limited; sign up at registration.
Meet at Hopson Cottage
Self-Guided Walkthrough of Current Exhibitions at CCS Bard
Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969
For more information, see the schedule for Friday at 4:00 pm. Gallery tours will also be offered at the start of each hour from noon to 4:00 pm. The museum closes promptly at 5 pm. Space is limited; sign up at registration.
Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies, Hessel Museum of Art
Study Away Opportunities
An overview of study away opportunities. Learn about Bard’s programs in New York City, Berlin, Bishkek and Vienna, Open Society University Network online courses and student mobility, tuition exchanges, the International BA designation, and other options for international and foreign language study. This event will also be livestreamed.
Olin Hall, Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building
Bard Makers Art and Craft Fair
Join us for the inaugural BardMakers Art and Craft Fair. Shop unique handmade wares from current student and alumni/ae entrepreneurs. Discover the diversity of creativity among Bard students, current and former, and get some early holiday shopping done.
Multipurpose Room, Bertelsmann Campus Center
Alumni/ae Lunch
Alumni/ae will join student and faculty guests for a luncheon that features seasonal items from the Bard Farm and local partner purveyors. Alumni/ae and guests should go through the line at Kline, then join us in the Faculty/Staff Dining Room. Hard and soft cider, beer, coffee, and dessert are included. Tickets are $14 per person.
Faculty and Staff Dining Room, Kline Dining Commons
Women’s Swimming vs. SUNY Potsdam
Stevenson Athletic Center
Men’s Soccer Game, Senior Day, and Alumni/ae Tailgate
The Raptors men’s soccer team plays its last home game of the regular season against Skidmore in a Liberty League contest. The team’s seniors will be honored at ~1:45 pm, with kickoff set for 2 pm. All Bardians from every era are invited to come back to cheer on the Raptors, meet the players after the game, and enjoy refreshments at the alumni/ae tailgate tent. This event will be livestreamed.
Lorenzo Ferrari Soccer and Lacrosse Complex
Bard Writes – Bard Reads: Selected Alumni/ae and Students Read from their Recent Work
Alumni/ae and families are invited to hear short readings by published Bardians and current students.
This event is cohosted by the BardWrites Affinity Group and the Bard Written Arts Program. BardWrites founder Maya Gottfried ’95 will introduce the readers. BardWrites is an alumni/ae-run affinity group that brings together alumni/ae and students at all stages of their writing careers to share experiences, encouragement, and community.
Room 115, Olin Language Center
Meditation Walk at Montgomery Place
Join Tatjana Myoko von Prittwitz und Gaffron, PhD, Soto Zen priest, Buddhist chaplain, and visiting assistant professor for humanities, Bard Center for Curatorial Studies, CCS ’99, for a mindful walk on the bucolic grounds of Montgomery Place. In the tradition of Japanese Forest Bathing, we will open our senses, relax the mind, and use our breath to feel our complete interconnection. Meet on the Visitors Center porch.
The Montgomery Place Campus
Why Don't Students Vote?
Join us for a conversation with Election@Bard’s student leadership team and Bard’s Executive Vice President, Director for Civic Engagement, and Vice President for Civic Engagement Jonathan Becker, reflecting on barriers to youth and student voting. What do these barriers look like? What does it mean for the future of voting more broadly? And what role should institutions of higher education play in protecting students’ right to vote?
Olin Hall, Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building
Men’s Basketball Alumni/ae Game
Any and all alums of the men’s basketball program are invited to participate!
Stevenson Athletic Center
Ask the President
Hear President Leon Botstein speak about the College and answer questions from families, students, and alumni/ae. This event will also be livestreamed.
Olin Hall, Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building
Spirits of Annandale
Join us for a tour of the Bard College Cemetery. Alumni/ae docents will tell you the stories of some of illustrious inhabitants which include members of the Bard Family, historian Hannah Arendt, empath Jean Grey, filmmaker Adolfas Mekas, novelist Philip Roth and many more. Thematic libations and treats provided. Timed admission slots available at registration.
Lych Gate, Bard Cemetery
Saturday Dinner
Enjoy dinner with other Bard families and alumni/ae. $16.50 per person; students may use their meal plan cards. Tickets can be purchased at registration or at the door.
Kline Dining Commons
CCE Alumni/ae and Student Mixer
Alumni/ae are invited to wrap up the day at a casual cocktail/mocktail hour with faculty, staff, and students from the Center for Civic Engagement. Learn about the work of the CCE, and meet the students running projects on and off campus. Students want to meet alumni/ae, grow their own networks, and talk about life after Bard. Refreshments are served.
Barringer House
Family and Alumni/ae Campfire
Student Activities invites you to join Bard families, alumni/ae, and friends for s’mores and hot chocolate, cider donuts and cider in the Meditation Garden. Enjoy live music by some of Bard’s student acoustic musicians and pumpkin carving and painting.
Anna Jones Memorial Garden
Bard Basketball Tip-Off Madness
All are invited to meet and watch the Men’s and Women’s Basketball team in an open practice that will feature skills competitions, contests, and performances by student groups.
Stevenson Athletic Center
Bard College Conservatory Orchestra Concert
A concert by the Bard Conservatory Orchestra with maestro Leon Botstein celebrating faculty members Joan Tower and Marcus Roberts. The program includes Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman and Duke Ellington’s New World A-Comin’ featuring jazz pianist Marcus Roberts with members of his jazz ensemble, and Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring to round out the program.
The Bard Conservatory Orchestra
Leon Botstein, Music Director
Tickets: Free; suggested donation $20 orchestra/$15 parterre and balcony. You may reserve tickets online, by calling 845-758-7900, or in-person at the Box Office in the Sosnoff Theater lobby, Monday – Friday, 10 am – 5 pm and one hour prior to performance.
Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
Sunday, October 29
Sunday Brunch
Enjoy brunch with other Bard families and alumni/ae. $14 per person; students may use their meal plan cards. Purchase tickets at registration or at the door.
Kline Dining Commons
Bard College Conservatory Orchestra Concert
Leon Botstein, Music Director
For details, see the schedule for Saturday at 8:00 pm.
You may reserve tickets online, by calling 845-758-7900, or in person at the Box Office in the Sosnoff Theater lobby, Monday – Friday, 10 am – 5 pm and one hour prior to performance.
Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
Land Acknowledgment for Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson
Developed in cooperation with the Stockbridge-Munsee Community
In the spirit of truth and equity, it is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are gathered on the sacred homelands of the Munsee and Muhheaconneok people, who are the original stewards of the land. Today, due to forced removal, the community resides in Northeast Wisconsin and is known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. We honor and pay respect to their ancestors past and present, as well as to Future generations, and we recognize their continuing presence in their homelands. We understand that our acknowledgment requires those of us who are settlers to recognize our own place in and responsibilities toward addressing inequity, and that this ongoing and challenging work requires that we commit to real engagement with the Munsee and Mohican communities to build an inclusive and equitable space for all.
Slavery Acknowledgement
The College acknowledges that its origins are intertwined with slavery, which has shaped the United States and American institutions from the beginning. Starting in the 16th century, European traders trafficked approximately 12 million Africans to the Americas, where they were held as property and forced to work as enslaved laborers. Their descendants were also held as slaves in perpetuity. The exploitation of enslaved people was at the foundation of the economic development of New York and the Hudson Valley, including the land now composing the Bard College campus. In the early 18th century, Barent Van Benthuysen purchased most of this land and was a slave owner. Later owners of the property also relied on Black workers they held in bondage for material gain. Montgomery Place, which became part of the College in 2016, was a working farm during the 19th century that likewise profited from the labor of enslaved people.
The founders of Bard College, John Bard (1819–99) and Margaret Johnston Bard (1825–75) inherited wealth from their families and used it to found the College. That inheritance was implicated in slavery on both sides. John’s grandfather Samuel Bard (1742–1821) owned slaves. His father William Bard (1778–1853) was the first president of the New York Life Insurance Company, which insured enslaved people as property. Margaret’s fortune derived from her father’s commercial firm, Boorman and Johnston, which traded in tobacco, sugar, and cotton produced by enslaved labor throughout the Atlantic World. Other early benefactors of the College, such as John Lloyd Aspinwall (1816–73), also derived a significant proportion of their wealth, which they donated to the College, from commercial ventures that depended on slavery. John and Margaret Bard devoted their lives and monies to educational pursuits. In his retirement John Aspinwall redirected his fortune and energies toward humanitarian pursuits.
Recognition and redress of this history are due. As students, teachers, researchers, administrators, staff, and community members, we acknowledge the pervasive legacy of slavery and commit ourselves to the pursuit of equity and restorative justice for the descendants of enslaved people within the Bard community.