About the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College
CCS Bard is distinguished by its singular resources: the Hessel Museum of Art, dedicated to innovative and experimental approaches to curating; the CCS Bard Library, one of the leading contemporary art research collections focusing on post-1960s art in the US; and the CCS Bard Archives, which contain archives and manuscripts from preeminent curators, inventive commercial art galleries, artist-run spaces, artists’ initiatives, and artists. Together, these resources support one of the world’s most forward-thinking teaching and learning environments for contemporary art research and the study of contemporary curatorial practices.

Curriculum: Academic Research and Curatorial Practice
The two-year graduate program at CCS Bard offers seminars in art and exhibition history and cultural and social theory with an intensive focus on the formation of museums, biennials, alternative spaces, postcolonial theory and history, Black studies, queer and feminist studies, ecology and infrastructure, media theory and technology, and embodiment and performance studies, among other areas. The academic curriculum is balanced with an emphasis on curatorial practice and designed to deepen students’ understanding of the true tasks of curating in practice.

Thesis Project and Hands-on Curating
The program culminates in individually curated exhibitions and original research papers. Thesis exhibitions can include works from the Hessel Collection, temporary loans, new commissions, performance, combinations of the above, and more. While at CCS, students are offered opportunities to realize curatorial projects in collaboration with partnering institutions. During the summer between the first and second years, each student conducts an accredited work placement work at an art institution with a curator, scholar, critic, or other arts professional.

Financial Aid
CCS Bard provides generous scholarship and fellowship support to international students and US citizens alike on the basis of academic merit and financial need. More on aid and scholarships here.

The application deadline is February 1, 2022. Learn more at ccs.bard.edu.

With inquiries, please call (845) 758-7588 or email ccsadmissions@bard.edu.