Founded in 1990, the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (CCS Bard) is an exhibition and research center dedicated to the study of art and exhibition practices from the 1960s to the present. The Center initiated its graduate program in 1994 and is one of the oldest institutions in curatorial pedagogy, offering a two-year graduate-degree program in curating. Hundreds of curators, writers, critics, artists, and scholars taught seminars and lectured in practicums. The Center alumni/ae include more than 200 individuals working in contemporary art field in the U.S. and internationally.

History

The CCS graduate program is one of eight graduate programs at

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic ...

Annandale-on-Hudson, New York Annandale-on-Hudson is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States, located in the Hudson Valley town of Red Hook, across the Hudson River from Kingston. The hamlet consists mainly of the Bard College campus. Municipal services Emerge ...

. Since its inception in 1994, the graduate program has awarded M.A. degrees to more than 275 students. The Center's original facility, designed by architect Jim Goettsch and design consultant Nada Andric, was completed in December 1991. Expanded in 2006, the Center now features the Hessel Museum of Art, a exhibition space dedicated to the Marieluise Hessel Collection of over 1,700 works of contemporary art. The building also includes a library, classrooms, and a student lounge where CCS graduate students can meet informally about exhibitions and class projects.

Library and Archives

Serving as the Director of the Library and Archives, Ann Butler has been instrumental in building the Library & Archives at the CCS Bard. The Library consists of over 30,000 volumes focusing on post-1960s contemporary art and curatorial practices. The collection contains international exhibition catalogues, artists' monographs, and international art journals and periodicals. The Special Collections feature historic artist-produced periodicals, a collection of limited edition, signed, and out of print exhibition catalogues, a media collection, and a collection of artists' books. The Archives comprise the institutional archives of CCS Bard and the Hessel Museum of Art, the archives of select galleries, artist-run spaces, the personal papers of select curators and artists, as well as a collection of artist files for artists represented in the Hessel Museum Collection.

Directors

The current executive director Tom Eccles joined CCS Bard in 2005, built the Hessel Museum of Art, and organized the inaugural exhibition of the Marieluise Hessel Collection, entitled ''Wrestle'' (2006). In an interview with Althea Viafora-Kress, Eccles states, "We have two central issues that we deal with: one is that we’re at Bard. We’re not in the center of the city, so people have to have a reason to come here. And the second is that we’re a school. So we try things that might not be able to be done in other places."

Vasif Kortun Vasif Kortun (born November 6, 1958) is a curator, writer and educator in the field of contemporary art, its institutions, and exhibition practices. Kortun served as the founding director of several international institutions, including SALT, Platfo ...

was the first Director of the Museum of the Center for Curatorial Studies (1994–97). Directors of the Graduate Program have included Associate Professor of Philosophy and Art History Norton Batkin (1991–2008), curators Maria Lind (2008–2010), Johanna Burton (2010–2012), Paul O'Neill (2013–2017), and Lauren Cornell (2017–ongoing). For the first time in the program's history, Cornell is the director of the graduate program and also the chief curator of the Hessel Museum of Art. Her position includes curriculum and faculty development, directing research initiatives, and overseeing artist- and curator-in-residence programs. In 2016, Cornell co-curated ''Invisible Adversaries'' with Tom Eccles in 2016. This exhibition is the 10th anniversary exhibition of the Hessel Collection.

Notable alumni

Cecilia Alemani Cecilia Alemani is an Italian curator based in New York City. She is the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art and the Artistic Director of the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022. She previously curated the 2017 Biennale ...

* Cecilia Brunson *

Candice Hopkins Candice Hopkins (born 1977) is a Carcross/Tagish First Nation independent curator, writer, and researcher who predominantly explores areas of indigenous history, and art. Early life and education Candice Hopkins was born 1977 in Whitehorse, Yuk ...

* C. Davida Ingram * Inés Katzenstein * Chus Martínez * Gabi Ngcobo * Victoria Noorthoorn *

Carina Plath Carina may refer to: Places Australia * Carina, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane * Carina Heights, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane * Carina, Victoria, a locality in Mildura Serbia * Carina, Osečina, a village in the Kolubara District P ...

Tomáš Pospiszyl Tomáš () is a Czech and Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas. It may refer to: * Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937), first President of Czechoslovakia * Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932), Czech footwear entrepreneur * Tomáš Berdych ( ...

Ben Portis Ben Portis (December 9, 1960 – July 20, 2017) was a Canadian artist, curator, and critic working in the fields of contemporary art including sound art, performance, music, and architecture. Biography Portis had an MFA from the University of ...

Laurel Ptak Laurel Ptak is an artist, curator, writer and educator based in New York City. Career She previously served as director and curator of the artist-founded non-profit organization Art in General in New York City from 2017 to 2020. A multidisciplin ...

Yasmil Raymond Yasmil Raymond is a visual art curator and the rector of the Städelschule in Frankfurt. Education Raymond received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Master of Arts from the Center for Curatorial Studie ...

References

External links

CCS Bard
- Center for Curatorial Studies {{authority control Bard College Art museums established in 1991 Educational institutions established in 1990 Museums in Dutchess County, New York Art museums and galleries in New York (state) Contemporary art galleries in the United States University art museums and galleries in New York (state) University museums in New York (state) Annandale-on-Hudson, New York 1990 establishments in New York (state)