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).

Elissa Auther, visiting associate professor and Windgate Research and Collections Curator, Museum of Arts and Design, along with Bard Graduate Center students and alumni participated in the American Craft Council’s 12th national conference, Present Tense, held October 13-15, 2016, in Omaha, Nebraska.

Among the attendees were Grace Reff, second-year master’s student; Mei-Ling Israel, PhD candidate; Lara Schilling (MA, 2016), assistant for public programs and engagement at Bard Graduate Center; Amanda Thompson (MA, 2016), project manager at New-York Historical Society; Emily Banas (MA, 2015), curatorial assistant in decorative arts and design at the RISD Museum; Andrew Gardner (MA, 2015), design gallery and fair programming liaison at Artsy; Sequoia Miller (MA, 2012), PhD candidate in the history of art at Yale University; and Sarah Archer (MA 2006), writer and independent curator. Also at the conference, 2000 Bard Graduate Center Iris Award honoree Edward S. Cooke, Jr., professor of the history of art at Yale University, was made an honorory fellow of the Council. Scholarships and travel assistance enabled students and emerging professionals to attend.