“Glass, wood, and light in dialogue with New England’s forests: a journey into the Bauhaus spirit through architecture, photography, and poetry.”

This evening class, introduces the revolutionary Bauhaus school and its surprising legacy in our own region. We will explore the movement’s history, principles, and the impact of Walter Gropius and his circle in New England, before turning to the instructor’s photographic work documenting Bauhaus-inspired houses as “poetic dialogues” between architecture and nature. Along the way, we will engage with selections from German Romantic poetry (including Eichendorff’s famous evocation of Waldeinsamkeit) to reflect on solitude, landscape, and modern design.

By the end of the session, participants will gain a clearer understanding of Bauhaus ideas, recognize their relevance in everyday design, and connect them to the cultural and natural environment of New England. No prior knowledge of art, architecture, or German is required—just curiosity and openness to learning.

Mark Römisch is an award-winning lecturer and photographer whose work explores the intersections of art, architecture, and cultural history. He teaches at Harvard University, after several years at MIT, where he received the Levitan Teaching Award for Excellence. His photography has been published and exhibited internationally, most recently in a New York exhibition focused on Bauhaus architecture. Known for his precision, clarity, and nuanced sense of form, space, and light, Mark received a 2025 Mass Cultural Council Grant for Individual Creatives for his innovative work in photography and cultural history. He is the author of "FORM and LANDSCAPE – Bauhaus in New England" and is currently working on his second book.