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).

“New York Crystal Palace 1853 at Bard Graduate Center (BGC) Gallery in Manhattan attempts to return visitors to the 15-month period of its existence. The compact exhibition was curated by BGC Professor and Head of New Media Research David Jaffee, who died on January 20, in collaboration with BGC students. It reunites objects presented beneath the palace dome (or similar to those that were on view), souvenirs adorned with images of the architecture, lithographs of the fair’s displays, and even a small ticket. An accompanying digital publication offers additional research and materials, building on Jaffee’s 2015 focus project Visualizing 19th-Century New York. The Crystal Palace show was also developed as a focus project, a collaborative initiative at BGC that involves research, teaching, and an exhibition.” — Allison Meier, Staff Writer for Hyperallergic.