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).

Susan Weber. Photo by Da Ping Luo.

Greetings from West 86th Street!

In this season of renewal, I am thrilled to report that in September, the Bard Graduate Center Gallery will resume exhibition programming with our signature research-based presentations, including the return of Sèvres Extraordinaire: Sculpture from 1740 until Today, originally slated for fall 2024, now on view September 10–November 16, 2025. This show explores the full sweep of the design and production of sculpture from France’s famed porcelain manufactory at Sèvres.

I’m also delighted to announce the exhibitions scheduled for 2026. In January, we will present Viollet-le-Duc Drawing Worlds, the first major US exhibition dedicated to the life and work of visionary architect, designer, and theorist Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (1814–79), best known for his iconic nineteenth-century restoration of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Paris. In fall 2026, Goddesses in the Machine: Fashion in American Silent Film, will transport visitors to the glamorous world of early cinema, tracing the development and professionalization of costuming in the film industry at the turn of the century. I look forward to seeing you in the gallery for these outstanding exhibitions.

Spring is also the moment when we look toward graduation and summer travel and research. Our first-year MA students are eagerly preparing for their study trip to Paris and Venice, while the second-years are just as eagerly readying themselves for the annual Qualifying Paper Symposium, the capstone event of their time at BGC. You can learn more about the accomplishments of our students, faculty, and outstanding alumni in this issue of the newsletter, which also includes stories about the impact of summer internships and Materials Days.

Meanwhile, I am preparing for the annual Iris Foundation Awards luncheon which takes place next Wednesday, April 23, at the Cosmopolitan Club. This marks the twenty-eighth year that we have given these awards in honor of those who have advanced the field of decorative arts, design history, and material culture. This year’s honorees include Irene Roosevelt Aitken (Outstanding Patron), Dr. Julius Bryant (Outstanding Lifetime Achievement), Dr. Meredith Martin (Outstanding Mid-Career Scholar), and Katherine Purcell (Outstanding Dealer).

Dr. Martin will give the Iris Foundation Awards Lecture on April 22, and it promises to be an exciting evening which includes 3D-printed replicas of the choiseul box Martin will discuss created by our Digital Media Lab. The proceeds from the luncheon benefit the BGC Scholarship Fund, and as our program grows, the need is greater than ever. If you cannot attend, I hope you will consider making a donation to the fund in honor of these pillars of our field.

I look forward to seeing you at the awards luncheon, an upcoming Wednesdays@BGC event, or back in the gallery very soon!

Susan Weber
Director and Founder