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).

Digital Project Requirement:
I created a digital exhibition entitled: Embodying Modernity: The Modernization of Dress in Meiji Japan using SketchUp software and Adobe Photoshop.

What was the value of this project for you?
My digital project functioned as a link between my final paper for Professor Michele Majer and my Qualifying Paper. My final paper focused on the Western reception of the modernization of dress in Meiji Japan, while my digital exhibition examined four aspects of change in Meiji-era fashion—technology, hairstyles, elite fashions, and imperial fashions. The digital exhibition broadened the historical breadth of my final paper and pushed me to conceptualize the content as an exhibition. Although my QP focused on hairstyling, the research I conducted for my final paper and digital exhibition provided an extensive historical foundation for my QP. The form of the digital exhibit also allowed me to exercise my creative skills regarding colour schemes, gallery layouts, font selection, and overall design. In addition, the digital project gave me the opportunity to learn new digital skills regarding SketchUp and Photoshop.

Other:
I am currently pursuing language training in Mandarin Chinese at the lower-Intermediate Level.

Qualifying Paper:
Tonsorial Transformations: Women’s Sokuhatsu in Nineteenth-Century Meiji Japan

Next Steps:
My perfect post-grad position includes working directly with Chinese and/or Japanese museum collections and with archives in a major city in North America or in East Asia. The type of work I am interested in involves researching primary source material, collaborating with colleagues, and educating public and academic audiences. I would love to work on creative projects—whether digital or in-person—that allow me to work with design. I am applying to jobs in Canada, the United States, China, Taiwan, and Japan. I am open to remote positions as well.