Greetings from West 86th Street!

The new year has brought a flurry of activity to Bard Graduate Center. We are reviewing applications from a very robust field of prospective MA and PhD students. Associate professor Freyja Hartzell is planning her summer course for undergraduates, Designing Utopia. We are welcoming research fellows, installing a new exhibition, and launching an engaging slate of spring events.

Sonia Delaunay: Living Art opens in the BGC Gallery starting this Friday, February 23. The exhibition highlights the full scope of the artist’s boundary-breaking work throughout her career. It presents several objects that have never before been on view, as well as the famous Robe Simultanée (Simultaneous Dress) and other pieces that have never been seen in the US. The exhibition is accompanied by a meticulously researched catalogue designed by the inimitable Irma Boom.

As ever, BGC alumni inspire me with their achievements. Recently Deborah Krohn, chair of academic programs, and BGC student Mackensie Griffin (MA ’24) hosted a roundtable discussion with three graduates of our program who hold major curatorial positions at the Met and the Denver Art Museum. That conversation provides a wonderful view of the impact our graduates have in the museum world today.

I’m happy to announce this year’s Iris Awards honorees: Marilyn Friedland, outstanding patron; Wayne Modest, outstanding mid-career scholar; Diana Scarisbrick, lifetime achievement; and Eli Wilner, outstanding dealer. Please join us on April 3 when we celebrate the important contributions they have made to our field.

The year is still new, and there’s already so much happening on 86th Street. I hope to see you here soon.

Susan Weber
Founder and Director