Bard Graduate Center is devoted to the study of decorative arts, design history, and material culture through research, advanced degrees, exhibitions, publications, and events.

Bard Graduate Center advances the study of decorative arts, design history, and material culture through its object-centered approach to teaching, research, exhibitions, publications, and events.

At BGC, we study the human past and present through their material expressions. We focus on objects and other material forms—from those valued for their aesthetic elements to the ordinary things used in everyday life.

Our accomplished interdisciplinary faculty inspires and prepares students in our MA and PhD programs for successful careers in academia, museums, and the private sector. We bring equal intellectual rigor to our acclaimed exhibitions, award-winning catalogues and scholarly publications, and innovative public programs, and we view all of these integrated elements as vital to our curriculum.

BGC’s campus comprises a state-of-the-art academic programs building at 38 West 86th Street, a gallery at 18 West 86th Street, and a residence hall at 410 West 58th Street. A new collection study center will open at 8 West 86th Street in 2026.

Founded by Dr. Susan Weber in 1993, Bard Graduate Center has become the preeminent institute for academic research and exhibition of decorative arts, design history, and material culture. BGC is an accredited unit of Bard College and a member of the Association of Research Institutes in Art History (ARIAH).

Unknown artist of the Guérin School (designer), Édouard Ballanger (decorator), Vase des Pommerets, ca. 1900 (design)/1903 (this example). Pâte nouvelle porcelain with engraving and colored pastes. Manufacture et Musée nationaux, Sèvres, MNC 2014.1.202. Photo by Da Ping Luo.

28th Annual Iris Foundation Awards Luncheon
Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Honoring:
Irene Roosevelt Aitken—Outstanding Patron
Dr. Julius Bryant—Outstanding Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Meredith Martin—Outstanding Mid-Career Scholar
Katherine Purcell—Outstanding Dealer

The Iris Foundation Awards were created in 1997 to recognize scholars, patrons, and professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the study and appreciation of the decorative arts and thereby help to sustain the cultural heritage of our world.

Host
Dr. Susan Weber, Founder and Director of Bard Graduate Center

Event Co-Chairs
Deborah Miller Zabel – David Mann

Sponsors
Jan and Warren Adelson – Irene Roosevelt Aitken – Michele Beiny Harkins – The David Berg Foundation – Nancy and Michael Druckman – Elizabeth English – Agnes Gund – MR Architecture & Decor – Barbara Nessim and Jules Demchick – Liliane Peck – Ann Pyne, MA ’06 – A. Alfred Taubman Foundation – Shelby White – The Hon. Kimba Wood and Frank E. Richardson – Hélène David-Weill

Host Committee
Edward Lee Cave – Brandy S. Culp, MA ’04 – Christian Ayne Crouch – Gus N. Davis – Benoist Drut – Helen W. Drutt English – Marilyn Friedland – Cristina Grajales – Carol Grossman – Ana Horta Osório – Holly Hotchner – Fernanda Kellogg – Wolfram Koeppe – Sarah E. Lawrence – Arnold L. Lehman – Martin P. Levy – Caryl McFarlane – Geraldine Fabrikant Metz – Philippe de Montebello – Steven Nelson – Jennifer Olshin, MA ’98 – Janet Ozarchuk – Lisa Beth Podos – Linda Roth – Sir Paul Ruddock – Emma Scully, MA ’14 – Gregory Soros – Charlotte Vignon – Philip L. Yang Jr. – Barbara and Benjamin Zucker

Proceeds from the Iris Foundation Awards Luncheon benefit the Bard Graduate Center Scholarship Fund.

For further event information, please contact Molly Fagan at molly.fagan@bgc.bard.edu.