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).

photo credit: Maria Baranova

Since its opening in 1993, Bard Graduate Center has brought scholars and artists together to explore the human past. The study of objects—from those created for obvious aesthetic value to the ordinary things that are part of everyday life—brings us closer to discovering who we are in the world. A quarter century after its founding, Bard Graduate Center has established itself as one of the most important institutions for research of material culture, scholarly training, and enlightening exhibitions.

We rely on support from various sources, and we are most grateful for the support we receive from you. Your charitable contribution enables us to pursue the activities that have defined us through the years. Please consider making a gift before June 30, 2019 to ensure that emerging and established scholars will have a forum for their work, curators have a place in which to mount remarkable exhibitions, and lovers of decorative arts, design history, and material culture have a thriving, world-class home in New York City. Make your donation here.