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).

Two Bard Graduate Center publications are among the “50 Books | 50 Covers” of 2016—the best examples of book and cover design—announced by AIGA, the professional association for design, and Design Observer on July 13, 2017.

Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World, designed by Irma Boom and edited by Nina Stritzler-Levine and Timo Riekko, and Charles Percier: Architecture and Design in an Age of Revolutions, designed by Barbara Glauber, of the firm Heavy Meta, and edited by Jean-Philippe Garric, were among the books cited. Juror Jessica Helfland noted of Artek and the Aaltos that it is “printed on lightweight, semi-transparent vellum… lies flat, reads easily, and holds colors in a magical way—a magnificent volume from cover to cover” She said of Percier, that “this is the way to design a book that feels like an immersive, almost theatrical experience. Impeccable choices—from sequencing to color selection.”

Nearly 700 book designers and publishers from more than 23 countries entered this year’s competition. A complete list of winners is available on the association’s website. The books will become part of the AIGA collection at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University’s Butler Library and at the Robert Haas Arts Library at Yale University.