Hello Alumni,

I hope you each are well as we move into our second month of widespread shut down. Based on where you are in the world, what everyone is experiencing is somewhat nuanced, but we are all in this together and impacted in some way. 

The silver lining might be the wonderful programming that has appeared online in the recent weeks as organizations pivot to support their communities online. To that end, we’ve added a new section for virtual events happening around the world below. Please let us know if your organization is hosting any creative online programming and we will be sure to share in future newsletters. You’ll also see some news from BGC, and a few job openings listed below.

Until next time, please stay safe and healthy!

Best,
Grace Reff (MA ’17)
alumni@bgc.bard.edu

Alumni Spotlight

Earlier this year, Persephone Allen (MA ‘17) published an updated version of her Qualifying Paper, “The Metallic Sphere as Mechanical Eye,” in Dust & Data: Traces of the Bauhaus across 100 years, a new book with essays from architectural, art, and design historians organized by the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar to mark the Bauhaus centennial in 2019. Congratulations, Persephone!

News from BGC

Professor Paul Stirton’s Retirement
Paul Stirton has made a huge impact on the BGC through his teaching and editing of W86th. It is therefore with gratitude and sadness that we announce his retirement at the end of this academic year. Watch Three Questions with Paul Stirton to look back on his time at BGC and read Dan Lee’s tribute to Paul’s 10 years with West 86th. 

Judith Gura’s Passing
We are saddened to announce the passing of BGC alum Judith Gura (MA ‘99). Judith Gura was an impactful figure in the design world, lecturing at the New York School of Interior Design and Pratt Institute, and writing for publications such as Architectural Digest.

New Eileen Gray Virtual Exhibition Site
Make sure to take a visit to the new Eileen Gray virtual site from the Bard Graduate Center Gallery. The site offers several digital features, including a flipbook of Gray’s portfolio and wonderful photographs that reveal the range of her multifaceted practice as a designer, architect, artist, and photographer. There are tools for educators, too, including a wonderful Educator Guide, a fun resource for at-home learning.  

Bard Graduate Center Student Emergency Fund 
BGC has launched a Student Emergency Fund to provide relief from extraordinary financial stress and enable students to maintain engagement in their BGC research and academic careers. The fund aims to assist students who are experiencing unexpected, significant challenges during this current crisis.  Brandy Culp (MA ’04) is on the committee for the fund.  If you would like to contribute to this effort or learn more about it, there is more information online here.   If you have any questions, you can email BGCemergencyfund@bgc.ard.edu. 

Select Career Opportunities

*Because of COVID-19, please double-check job links for changing deadlines or elimination of positions.*

Virtual Events Out In The World

Accessibility and Inclusion Online Symposium 
Sunday, April 26
10am – 3pm
The Penn Museum and PA Museums partner to present a virtual symposium focused on making museums more accessible. A wide variety of topics will be presented including sessions on language inclusion, programs for visitors with special needs, and addressing physical access through virtual programs.

Measure and Meaning- A Conversation: Emanuele Lugli & Finbarr Barry Flood
Thursday, April 30
6:00 pm
The idea of measure is intrinsic to the idea of modernity itself, often seen as an index of the quantitative values that underpin scientific rationalism. However, a transcultural and transregional perspective suggests a much more complicated relationship between qualitative and quantitative dimensions of measure. This online conversation from NYU’s Center for Material Histories will explore the meanings of measure and its centrality to forms of social practice in pre- and early modern Europe and the Islamic world. 

Designing Homes: Jews and Midcentury Modernism
Thursday, April 30
6:30 pm
The Center for Jerwish History presents this talk in conjunction with the Art Deco Society of New York and independent curator Donald Albrecht. Explore the contributions of Jewish designers, architects, patrons, and merchants in the creation of a distinctly modern, Twentieth-century American domestic landscape.