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).

Image by Danny Evans.

Like many in the decorative arts world, we at Bard Graduate Center were very sad to learn that our friend and board member, Philip Hewat-Jaboor, died earlier this month at his home in Jersey, Channel Islands.

Dr. Susan Weber, BGC’s founder and director, reflected on Hewat-Jaboor’s impact at the most recent meeting of its Board of Trustees, noting that he had supported the institution since its founding. She said, “He was curious about and involved in every aspect of BGC’s work, and he was instrumental to our growth.”

In 2008, Hewat-Jaboor co-curated the exhibition, Thomas Hope: Regency Designer, and served as co-editor for its catalogue. In addition, he supported some of BGC’s most iconic exhibitions, including William Kent: Designing Georgian Britain (2013–14) and James “Athenian” Stuart, 1713–1788: The Rediscovery of Antiquity (2006–07), among others. He joined the Bard Graduate Center Board of Trustees in 2015 and chaired the nominating committee from 2019 through 2021.

Philip will be deeply missed. Our sympathies go out to his husband Rodney Keenan and his many friends.