An after-dark celebration of objects, ideas, cocktails, and dancing—where things matter.
Come curious. Stay late.
Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 7–11 pm
Bard Graduate Center
38 West 86th Street, New York City
Join artists, designers, collectors, scholars, and the culturally curious for Material World, a new annual celebration at BGC.
Creatively directed by internationally acclaimed artist Richard Tuttle, the evening transforms BGC’s academic building into an immersive world inspired by Goddesses in the Machine: Fashion in American Silent Film.
Expect cocktails, light bites, dancing, playful encounters with objects, a fantastical photo booth, unexpected connections, and special after-hours access to the BGC Gallery.
Music by DJ Holly T.
Silver-screen sparkle, shine, and goddess-inspired glamour encouraged.
Tickets
Individual — $125Patron — $250 · Includes special recognition
Material World Council — $500 · Includes two tickets and recognition on the event webpage and materials
Material World Council
Emma Cormack · Michelle Finamore · Keli Goff · Laura Microulis · Zesty Meyers · Jennifer Olshin · Eliza Rubin · Emma Scully · Evan Snyderman · Richard Tuttle*In formation
Join the Council and help bring a new generation of artists, designers, collectors, scholars, and friends into BGC’s orbit.
Contact [email protected] with the subject line Material World Council 2026.
About Material World
Material World brings BGC’s exploration of objects and material culture into a lively, social setting—inviting guests to encounter BGC, and one another, in a new way.Proceeds support BGC’s exhibitions, scholarship, research, and public programs through the BGC Design Circle.
Discover the BGC Design Circle
Material World is also an invitation to discover the BGC Design Circle, a community for people who share a curiosity about objects, design, and the ideas that shape the material world.Design Circle members enjoy opportunities to experience BGC more deeply through exhibition previews, curator-led conversations, visits to private collections and studios, and gatherings with artists, designers, scholars, and fellow members.
Membership supports BGC’s exhibitions, research, teaching, and public programs while helping cultivate the next generation of people who care about objects and their histories.
The BGC Design Circle brings together people who share a curiosity about objects, design, and the ideas that shape our material world. Members enjoy exhibition previews, curator-led conversations, private collection and studio visits, and gatherings with artists, designers, and scholars.
Join the Design Circle
About the Exhibition
Goddesses in the Machine: Fashion in American Silent Film explores how fashion shaped storytelling, identity, and glamour during the silent-screen era.On view September 18, 2026–January 3, 2027, at BGC Gallery, 18 West 86th Street.
