Publications
Shop Our Store!
Exhibition catalogues, books, journals, accessories, and more!
Bard Graduate Center is an advanced graduate research institute in New York City dedicated to the cultural histories of the material world. Our MA and PhD degree programs, Gallery exhibitions, research initiatives, scholarly publications and public programs explore new ways of thinking about decorative arts, design history, and material culture.

MA/PhD
Apply Now!
Applications for our MA program may be submitted until March 1, 2025





About

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).



Bard Graduate Center mourns the acts of racial violence that have ignited protests across the country and around the world. We affirm the statement of Bard College President Leon Botstein.
Words cannot properly express the anger, sadness and despair each of us feels at the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the killing, by two civilians, of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick Georgia, and the murder, once again by officers sworn to uphold the law, of Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky.

On behalf of the entire Bard College community, I want to express our solidarity with all who grieve for the deaths, with all who live in constant fear of the brutality of racial discrimination, and with all who find themselves without hope in these dark and violent times. — Bard College President Leon Botstein
Bard Graduate Center acknowledges that throughout history, many voices have been silenced as the result of systemic racism and oppression. We commit to do our part to honor those voices in our own field. Specifically, we will
  • continue to facilitate annual racial justice trainings for our students, faculty, and staff;
  • continue to fund our Fields of the Future Initiative, a research fellowship and mentorship program that promotes diversity and inclusion in the advanced study of the material world;
  • bring underrepresented voices into the curriculum and programming Bard Graduate Center convenes;
  • promote equitable hiring practices; and
  • continue to promote study of decorative arts, design history, and material culture among teens and college students of diverse backgrounds.