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).

Daniella Ohad (PhD ‘06) is a design historian, educator, writer, talk show hostess, curator, and an influencer. For the past two decades, she has been committed to education in the field of design culture; history and theory; interiors; material culture; contemporary design; connoisseurship; and the decorative arts. She has taught at the School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute, Parsons New School for Design, Cooper Union, and the New York School of Interior Design. She publishes a blog, Daniella on Design. and writes articles and critiques for magazines and peer-review journals. She has curated and hosted the program Dialogues with Design Legends at the 92 Street Y and the talk show Spring/Harvest Dialogues on design and architecture. Ohad is a moderator in various design events and has been a member in various acquisition committees in NYC museums.

What attracted you to the BGC’s program?
Before attending BGC, I had completed my MA degree at FIT in Museum Studies: Decorative Arts. I was teaching design history, and knew that I wanted to devote my career to education in design culture. BGC was the perfect choice, because it is the only education institution that puts an emphasis on the scholarly, academic study of design and the decorative arts. It leads you to think differently about the study of design history.

What was your focus of study here, how did you find yourself involved with it?
My focus was European design culture of the interwar years and the topic of my dissertation was national tourism and hotel design in British Mandate Palestine.

Describe your position and how you came to it. What sort of projects are you working on?
I am an educator through a variety of mediums, including lectures, keynote speeches, articles, and social media. Recently I taught a seminar on the Masters of Contemporary Furniture Design at the New York School of Interior Design, and this spring, in partnership with American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York, I presented a program called The Story of Modern Design: an overview of mid-century modern design in America, France, Scandinavia, Italy, and Brazil. I also created a video series, The Collector, and my new podcast, Designing the 21st Century, illuminates the work of visionaries forging the landscape of contemporary design and architecture.

How has your experience at BGC helped your career?
When you earn a PhD degree at the BGC, when you have something to say and know how to say it, every door is open to you