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).

Jeremy Reeves’s research interests focus on the cultural and artistic history of early modern European arms and armor. He is particularly interested in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century firearms and their effects on conceptions of nobility and chivalry in Germany. Before coming to the Bard Graduate Center, Jeremy was the Curator at the Brome County Historical Society from 2018-2021 where he led the preservation and promotion of a diverse collection and co-edited the Wood & Wheeler catalogue. Jeremy earned an MPhil in Archaeological Heritage and Museum Management from the University of Cambridge (Darwin College) and also completed a dual BA at SciencesPo Paris and Columbia University where he studied History and Art History. Beyond his academic and curatorial work, Jeremy also interned at the Hispanic Society of America where he contributed research to the Visions of the Hispanic World: Treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library exhibition catalogue.