Dear Prospective Students,

I hope you are well! I am so glad that I was able to see some of you at our October virtual open house. I hope I’ll have a chance to meet many more of you at our next in-person event on November 14!

During the past couple of weeks here at the BGC, my fellow students and I have been working hard on our midterms, balancing our research, reading, and much, much writing with other activities on and off campus. In my letter to you today, I want to share with you what my week at the BGC—and a midterm week no less!—looked like. Hopefully, this will help you picture what it’s like to be a BGC student!

Day 1 – Wednesday, October 20

My day started with me leaving Bard Hall. I was running a little late so I forewent the 30-minute walk and instead took the 12-minute subway ride up to 86th street. This morning, I had “Art and Ecology,” a class co-taught by Professors Caspar Meyer and Ittai Weinryb. In this class, we have been discussing pre-modern humans’ relationship to nature. Today’s topic was plants. In preparation, we read some captivating readings about the thorough taxonomic efforts of early Spanish travelers to the Americas, the logic of landscape garden, and the fascinating cultural history of tulips.

In my afternoon class, “Staging the Table,” with Professor Deborah Krohn, we discussed Renaissance table settings by examining depictions of dining scenes in early modern European paintings (creases on table cloths were apparently desired!). As part of studying Renaissance food culture, my classmates and I took turns recreating recipes at home and bringing them in for tasting. This week, it was Professor Krohn and a PhD candidate Jeremy’s turn to cook. Jeremy brought in salmon poached in a white wine broth, which he warned us against having, while Professor Krohn brought in a large bowl of cheesy rice flavored with saffron — both dishes were a hit!

Day 2 – Thursday, October 21

My financial aid campus employment involves me working with the education department in developing and leading public programs. Today, I spent some time drafting a tour on the domestication of nature in the 19th century for the exhibition Majolica Mania, currently on view at our gallery.

Later that day, I worked on my eco-critical midterm paper, which happened to be about paper, in which I explored the material’s storied history and what it can tell us about the ways humans have related and made use of nature in our pre-modern past. In what seems like an act of irony, I submitted the paper digitally at the end of the day.

Day 3 – Friday, October 22

The deadline for submitting the proposal for my qualifying paper was fast approaching. So, today I met with Professor Meredith Linn who will be advising me on my research. We discussed my interests in the consolation of material books during the experiences of sickness and uncertainty alongside how the material culture of reading can help us navigate the process of healing.

Today was also the day of the library books giveaway and our bi-monthly happy hour so, after my meeting, I rushed to 86th street in time to secure a lovely book on letterpress printing from among the tomes. I spent some time chatting to the faculty, staff, and my fellow classmates about their week and the books they have gathered in their arms. After which, I sat outside on the 6th floor terrace, talking over a can of cider, and enjoying the last bit of the not-too-cold weather.

Days 4 & 5 – Saturday and Sunday, October 23-24

Because of my interest in the material book, I applied for funding to go and take a beginner’s book binding class at the New York Center for Book Arts. Since my application was approved (hooray!), I spent the weekend cutting paper with giant board shears with a large curved blade that looked as though they came out of a Dickensian factory scene. I learned how to make pamphlets, drum leaf books, and concertina books with connected pages stretching two feet long! I have found my hobby of choice and learned much about the many considerations a binder has to take into account when constructing a book.

Day 6 – Monday, October 25

This morning, I made my way to the Met where our class with Professor Krohn was visiting the Ratti Center to look at table linens. The textile conservator Giulia Chiostrini kindly guided us through her process and the many decisions a conservator makes when restoring a piece of textile. She pointed out to us some potential food stains which conservators tend to keep as historical evidence showing signs of use. It occurred to me how remarkable it was that the stain preserved the presence of a past human, someone who, just like me that morning, spilled a little bit of their meal.

That afternoon, I had a class on the archaeology of New York, “Excavating the Empire City”, with Professor Meredith Linn. We had a visitor to the class, Felipe Gaitan-Ammann, this week’s scholar-in-residence. Felipe told us about the first time he found a toothbrush at one of his archaeological digs and how it got to become the focus of his article on the elite culture in 19th century Bogotà, Colombia.

Day 7 – Tuesday, October 26

This morning I have a class with Professor Ivan Gaskell. This was a very small class consisting of Professor Gaskell, myself, and my classmates Julia and Marion. Every week, we would read three chapters from The Oxford Handbook of History and Material Culture (which Ivan co-edited) and the four of us would be joined by each of the contributor via Zoom. It has been such a privilege to get to ask questions directly to the writers of the chapters and to discuss their ideas. This week’s visitors were Professors Daniel Lord Smail whose chapters were on medieval Lucca and Marseilles, Laura Johnson who worked on weaving and the colonial encounter in La Florida, and Melissa Calaresu whose article about ice-cream in early modern Naples was a favorite!

I hope that the account of my week here shows you the variety of classes and different academic opportunities available here at the BGC. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or if you are interested to know more about any of things I’ve mentioned above.

Warmly,

Pim Supavarasuwat, MA ’22
Admissions Ambassador
pim.supavarasuwat@bgc.bard.edu