Catalogue

Hudsonia, Ltd.: Founded in 1981 and based at the Bard College Field Station, Hudsonia is an independent, not-for-profit institute for environmental science research and education. Funding for Hudsonia projects comes from government agencies, foundations, conservation and citizens’ groups, businesses, and individuals. Hudsonia focuses on biodiversity mapping and assessment, conservation science of rare species and their habitats, wetland and aquatic ecology, the Hudson River, urban biodiversity, and ecology and management of non-native species. Student interns and employees participate in project work, collections management, and research collaborations. Some current subjects are assessment of the biological impacts of solar photovoltaic facilities, studies of rare plants and animals in wetlands and other habitats, documentation of the interactions of weeds with other biota and people, management of a regional herbarium, and the education of professionals in land use and conservation. To learn more, visit hudsonia.org.

Human Rights Project (HRP): The Human Rights Project enables students to learn about, and engage in, the human rights movement. The Project links theoretical inquiry and critical explorations of human rights practice with active research and involvement in contemporary issues. Ongoing collaborations include projects on human rights forensics (with the Forensic Architecture agency at Goldsmiths, University of London); the intersections between the arts and human rights (with the Center for Curatorial Studies and the OSUN Center for Human Rights and the Arts); economic, housing, and racial justice in the Hudson Valley (with community-based organizations in Kingston, New York); and forced displacement and migration (through a consortium with Bard College Berlin, Vassar College, Sarah Lawrence College, and Bennington College).
 
Within the framework of the Open Society University Network, HRP has helped develop a graduate program in human rights and the arts (see page 314) as well as a range of research collaborations globally. HRP supports Human Rights Radio, a broadcast and podcast series on contemporary rights issues, and The Draft​​, a student-led discussion forum and journal. The Project, together with the Center for Curatorial Studies, hosts the annual Keith Haring Fellow in Art and Activism. HRP also sponsors a regular lecture and film series on campus. Since 2001, HRP has supported extensive research travel by students as well as student internships at human rights and humanitarian organizations, governmental and international agencies, media outlets, community groups, hospitals and clinics, and research centers from Montgomery, Alabama, to Cairo, Egypt. To learn more about HRP activities, visit hrp.bard.edu.

Institute of Advanced Theology (IAT):The Institute began its program of local discussion among professional theologians in 1988, and on that basis developed research projects, interdisciplinary conferences, and focused sequences of lectures. The great majority of events are open to the public, and membership is offered for those who wish to take advantage of the full range of activities. By special arrangement, members of the Institute may pursue higher degrees with the Graduate Theological Foundation.. To learn more, visit bard.edu/iat.

John Cage Trust: The John Cage Trust was created in 1993 to maintain and nurture the artistic legacy of John Cage, the late American composer, philosopher, poet, and visual artist. Since 2007, the Trust has been in residence at Bard College, and in 2013 that residency became permanent. The Trust provides access to its diverse holdings through on-site research, courses, workshops, concerts, and other educational activities and programs. For more information, see johncage.org.

The Khanga Project, Textiles That Talk: Textiles That Talk (Methali Za Khanga) is a digital archive of East African textile designs located on the ArtStor platform (also available on JStor) and sponsored by Bard College. An accompanying blog provides news, analysis, background, and links to textiles in the ArtStor collection. Textiles That Talk has so far published records of more than 100 examples of khangas, the rectangular printed cotton fabrics that have been worn by women in East Africa from the 19th century to the present day. Khangas are distinguished by a combination of spectacular polychrome designs with inscriptions that range from Swahili proverbs, song lyrics, and riddles to political slogans and public announcements. The archive forms an expanding virtual catalogue of this important aspect of the cultural history of East Africa. Each record in the khanga archive consists of high-resolution images accompanied by searchable metadata recording inscriptions, visual motifs, manufacturers’ marks, and technical details. The project director is John Ryle, Legrand Ramsey Professor of Anthropology; the student administrator is Sabayo Matiku ’23. Other Bard faculty and staff serve as advisers, and students have the opportunity to participate as researchers and photographers. The Khanga Project is supported by the J. M. Kaplan Fund and Bard’s Center for Experimental Humanities. To learn more, visit library.artstor.org/#/collection/87731955.

Landscape and Arboretum Program at Bard College: The Landscape and Arboretum Program is charged with promoting tree conservation and preservation on the Bard campus. As a long-standing Tree Campus USA college in conjunction with the Arbor Day Foundation and a Level II accredited arboretum with ArbNet, an international community of arboreta and tree-focused professionals, the Bard Arboretum offers an annual Arbor Day tree celebration, campus garden tours, and lectures. Additionally, the Arboretum offers a summer internship and work-study positions to several undergraduate students each year.

With the recent acquisition of Montgomery Place, the Bard campus is home to several of New York’s biggest tree species, as listed on the New York Big Tree Registry. In 2017, the Arboretum established the Friends of Blithewood Garden in partnership with the Garden Conservancy to rehabilitate the architectural elements of the historic Beaux Arts garden. For up-to-date information on events and courses, visit bard.edu/arboretum.

Open Society University Network (OSUN) Center for Human Rights and the Arts: The Center for Human Rights and the Arts (CHRA) looks beyond art institutions and nonprofit organizations to engage with international practices of activism, art production, and education. CHRA is committed to creating networks of collaboration and solidarity. Through its MA program, launching in fall 2021 (see Graduate Programs chapter), the Center opens a space for activists, artists, and scholars to co-learn and co-create; and through its public program—operating in New York’s Hudson Valley and internationally—it presents innovative art practices that investigate human rights violations and grassroots activism that uses technology and creative tools of resistance. Learn more at chra.bard.edu.

Rift Valley Institute (RVI): The Rift Valley Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization, founded in Sudan in 2001 and currently working in seven countries in Eastern and Central Africa. The aim of the Institute is to advance knowledge of the region and its diverse communities, bringing understanding of local realities to bear on social and political action. In those countries where government structures are intact and educational institutions remain functional, RVI offers specialist services to development agencies, universities, and research organizations. Where war has disrupted government and eroded civic life, the Institute aligns itself with researchers and community activists—from the region and its diasporas—in an effort to sustain local institutions and restore standards of research and public information. In 2014 RVI was ranked in the top 10 in the University of Pennsylvania’s list of leading think tanks in Eastern Africa.

RVI programs are designed for long-term impact: shaping aid interventions, expanding space for public participation in policy, supporting local research capacity, preserving communal histories, and promoting social justice. Current programs include the Nairobi Forum, which sponsors a continuing series of seminars and public meetings designed to facilitate discussion between policy makers, researchers, and community leaders in the region; and the Customary Authorities Project, which works with young South Sudanese researchers to document the changing role of traditional leadership in South Sudan, using field-based oral history and community meetings. The Institute is implementing justice and security projects in Somalia and Somaliland, and a program for the conservation and digitization of the National Archive of South Sudan. RVI is a signatory of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (2001); all Institute publications are free for download from riftvalley.net.

The Institute’s U.S. office is located at Bard College. John Ryle, Legrand Ramsey Professor of Anthropology at Bard, is cofounder of RVI and was executive director until 2017. He is currently lead researcher on the South Sudan Customary Authorities Project. The U.S. board of the Institute consists of Ryle, Kwame Anthony Appiah (New York University), and Kenneth Anderson (American University). Bard students have various opportunities to assist with RVI activities, including editing video material, remote collaboration on the Customary Authorities Project, and working on a new project involving visual documentation of East African textiles. The Institute sponsors talks, films, and other events on campus.