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).

Sarah Scaturro researches cultural heritage preservation with expertise in the conservation and curation of fashion and textiles. She is the Eric and Jane Nord Chief Conservator at the Cleveland Museum of Art; previously she directed the conservation lab of the Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has curated seven exhibitions on fashion and/or textiles, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Cleveland Museum of Art. Her writing is found in dozens of peer-reviewed journals, anthologies, digital publications, exhibition catalogs, and more. Sarah’s work and impact has been covered by media outlets like Vogue, The New Yorker, New York Times, New York Post, Los Angeles Times, Art News, The Art Newspaper, NBC, Vice, and BBC, among many others. A prolific public speaker, she regularly delivers keynote and invited lectures internationally. Her dissertation examines costume conservation in the US, Canada, and the UK during the 20th century through an investigation of gender, craft, science, and the professionalization of the fields of textile conservation and dress studies. She can be found at www.exhibitingfashion.com.