Study Material Culture, Design History, and Decorative Arts at Bard Graduate Center in NYC

Passionate about decorative arts, design history, or material culture? Eager to discover how object-based study can advance your curatorial and scholarly interests?

Attend an open house at Bard Graduate Center’s NYC campus to learn about our outstanding faculty, thriving and close-knit community, and institutional relationships with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, and American Museum of Natural History.

At our open houses, you will meet members of the faculty and hear about their research and teaching. You can also meet current students, tour the library, learn about our acclaimed exhibitions, and hear about our financial aid and housing options. More than 90% of our students receive housing assistance and more than 65% live in Bard Hall, our apartment complex for students, faculty, and staff.

At Bard Graduate Center, we study the human past and present through their material expressions, focusing on objects and other material forms — from those valued for their aesthetic elements to the ordinary things used in everyday life. We apply equal intellectual rigor to our acclaimed exhibitions, award-winning catalogues and scholarly publications, and innovative public programs, all of which are vital to our curriculum.

You will find our alumni working in museums, auction houses, and universities around the world, including the Met, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Arts and Design, New-York Historical Society, the Jewish Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Sotheby’s, Phillips, Gurr Johns, Parsons School of Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, Queens University, and more.

Join us for an Open House!

Can’t make one of these dates? Email admissions@bgc.bard.edu to schedule a visit at any time.

To reserve your spot and learn more, visit bgc.bard.edu.