Research Institute

NEH Summer Institute - Home
Dear Colleague Letter
Application Instructions
Scope of the Institute
Content
Faculty
Housing and BGC Resources
Schedule
Contact

Facilities 
During the four-week Summer Institute, participants will have all of the academic resources of the BGC available to them. The newly renovated Bard Graduate Center academic building is fully integrated with its research library, which has doubled in size—to 8,000 linear feet of shelf space—creating both a physical and a concep­tual core to the institution. The expanded library houses a significant research collection to support advanced studies in the history of the decorative arts, design history, and material culture. The collection comprises approximately 45,000 items, including monographs, reference materials, microfilms, rare books, and specialized auction catalogues. In addition, the library subscribes to more than 300 periodicals and provides online access to numerous electronic journals, including JSTOR and Project MUSE. The library’s complete holdings are represented in our online catalogue, DECOPAC.  The Visual Media Resources department maintains an extensive collection of slides and digital media. The Digital Media Lab provides a number of resources for the BGC community, all of which are aimed at increasing the integration and implementation of new media tools within the curricular and research goals of the institution. The Lab provides a well-equipped space (14 Mac and Windows desktops) for participants to work on media projects that require significant computing resources such as audio and video editing, rendering of three-dimensional virtual spaces, and the development of multimedia online virtual exhibitions.
Alongside its physical expansion, the BGC will also unveil an enhanced online presence, giving researchers on- and off-campus access to the library’s specialized subject guides and electronic databases, including Art Abstracts, Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, Bibliography of the History of Art, Design and Applied Arts Index, Design Arts Retrospective, ArtFact, and the Index to 19th-Century American Art Periodicals. The Web site will also provide access to a growing number of e-books and journals. All scholars will have a session with the Library staff to help them with their research needs. Over the years, the BGC has developed close working relationships with other nearby cultural institutions, most strongly with The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New-York Historical Society. Summer Scholars will take advantage of these relationships by having special access to collections and archives that may not be available to the general public.

Stipends and Housing:
NEH Summer Scholars will receive the NEH-stipulated stipend of $3,300 to cover their expenses during the four weeks of the institute.  The first check will be paid upon arrival and the second during the third week.  Participants needing accommodations will stay at the BGC’s residence facility. Bard Hall, located at 410 West 58th Street, provides housing for visiting scholars.  Scholars will be assigned to a shared two-bedroom apartment, with a separate bedroom for each scholar. The living room and kitchen are shared. The building is equipped with 24-hour security, a double-height lounge that opens onto a land­scaped outdoor space, an exercise room, conference and study rooms, and laundry facilities. Apartments are equipped for phone, cable TV, and Internet connections. Student apartments are furnished and, depending on size and design, contain a daybed/sofa, small dining table and chairs, desk, bookcase, twin or full-size bed, and chest of drawers. Guests must provide their own bed linens and towels.

The cost for housing for the duration of the NEH Institute is $1,200 per scholar—a very reasonable cost for New York. This amount will be deducted from your second stipend check. Our housing is limited; preference will go to those scholars requesting single accommodations.  We cannot guarantee Bard Hall housing for those coming to New York with a partner/spouse or family. NYU offers some summer housing to visiting scholars; their information will be available after January 1, 2011. They have not yet set their fees. For additional information about housing at NYU, contact Beth Ader at NYU at bja1@nyu.edu after January 1 to arrange your own housing.

We would encourage institute participants to bring laptop computers. Bard Hall has wired internet access. Those who do not bring a laptop will have access to computers in the BGC library; the Digital Media Lab has internet connections and a printer.

The BGC will host an opening and closing banquet.  Weekly lunches will offer the opportunity to meet the guest co-leader. We also envision offering evening and weekend activities and excursions to participants on an optional rather than required basis. These may include dinners with speakers, further museum visits, and outings to relevant New York sites, to further enliven material understanding of the city in the nineteenth century.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has designated this institute as part of its “We the People” initiative, designed to encourage and enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American history, culture, and democratic principles.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.