The Periodicals

In its efforts to manage the permanent state of emergency described above, the Bauhaus gladly used established regional and national media intensively for reaching its stakeholders. “The press resounds with arguments pro and con, Gropius is publishing the collected press commentaries, a counter-brochure is appearing, a pamphlet—a newspaper campaign,” ² as Schlemmer trenchantly observed. To legitimate its activities, the Bauhaus had virtually been forced to launch counteroffensives, developing a diverse portfolio of communication measures outlined in earlier chapters—ranging from mediatized events such as the major Bauhaus exhibition in Weimar in 1923; the establishment of the Circle of Friends, consisting of prominent intellectuals; the cultivation of relationships, especially with the national press; and finally the production of its own publications. In particular the various Bauhaus portfolios, the Bauhaus books and the Bauhaus magazine (see Chapter 7) ³ are regarded as important manifestations of modernity and are thus well-documented in the literature. A main effect of these activities is easily overseen—their agenda-setting function ⁴ for media coverage and subsequent audience response (see Chapter 8). Or, in the words of a late bauhaus student: “a bauhaus magazine on its own is useless; instead one should have one’s say in all leading trade journals and thus address the general public.” ⁵