Did you know that the BGC has its own collection of study objects?

The Object Lab on the third floor of our academic building serves as an excellent research tool for students and faculty alike. Here faculty, fellows, students, and collectors give “Object Hour” talks, encouraging the close study of materials, the making process, and object histories. The Object Lab is also used in many classes, including the Craft and Design course I am taking this semester with Professor Catherine Whalen, in which we spent a day honing in on kitchen objects from the 1950s, of which the Lab has many.

Students have open access to the Lab, and are encouraged to incorporate objects from it throughout their coursework. I was able to work extensively with a Japanese-made toy gun (pictured above) in the study collection, which inspired my interest in toys and the Japanese tin trade, a subject that has evolved into the focus of my Qualifying Paper.

I may have met you at one of our Open Houses or sent you admissions materials in the mail, but if you have any questions about the object lab or life at BGC more generally, please feel free to get in contact with me!

—Maddy Warner, MA Class of 2020
Admissions Ambassador
madeline.warner@bgc.bard.edu