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).

Elizabeth Koehn is a Ph.D. candidate in Design History at Bard Graduate Center and an Assistant Curator at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. At the BGC, she works on material relating to architecture, design, and consumer culture across the 20th century and through to the present. Recent teaching posts include the graduate seminar Design and Revolution in 20th Century Europe (BGC), Design and Culture (Purchase College, SUNY), and various guest lectures on topics including the history of modern design exhibitions, Cold War design in East and West Germany, and speculative design from the postwar period to the present. Prior to joining the BGC, Elizabeth earned her BA in History and Art History from Oberlin College in 2009, and held artist liaison and sales positions at the New York-based galleries Gavin Brown’s Enterprise and David Zwirner.