In Memoriam

Bard Graduate Center remembers two individuals who made enduring contributions to the institution through their scholarship, passion for decorative arts, and generosity.

Heather Jane McCormick (BGC MA ’98, MPhil ’09)

Heather Jane McCormick, who passed away in October 2021 at her home in Nova Scotia, Canada, was an outstanding scholar and a dear friend to many. Heather was one of Bard Graduate Center’s earliest graduates, earning her master’s degree in 1998 and her MPhil in 2009. She was a contributing author to the Vasemania catalogue and the managing editor of BGC’s influential textbook, History of Design: Decorative Arts and Material Culture, 1400–2000.

According to Susan Weber, “Heather Jane was a gifted researcher and writer, and a valued member of the BGC community.” In her honor, BGC established the Heather Jane McCormick Prize. It will be presented annually by the faculty to a master’s student for outstanding work in the decorative arts, design history, and material culture of New York. The inaugural prize winner was Laura Mogulescu (MA ’22) for her qualifying paper, The Foreign-Born Mother and the Materiality of Americanization: Photography and the Creation and Documentation of Americanization by the Educational Committee for Non-English Speaking Women.

Philip HewatJaboor

Like many in the decorative arts world, we at Bard Graduate Center were very sad to learn that our friend and board member, Philip HewatJaboor, died in January of 2022 at his home in Jersey, Channel Islands.

Susan Weber reflected on Hewat-Jaboor’s impact at a recent meeting of its Board of Trustees, noting that he had supported the institution since its founding. She said, “He was curious about and involved in every aspect of BGC’s work, and he was instrumental to our growth.”

In 2008, Hewat-Jaboor co-curated the exhibition Thomas Hope: Regency Designer and served as co-editor for its catalogue. In addition, he co-curated William Beckford 1760–1844: An Eye for the Magnificent, and he supported some of BGC’s most iconic exhibitions, including William Kent: Designing Georgian Britain (2013–14) and James “Athenian” Stuart, 1713–1788: The Rediscovery of Antiquity (2006–07), among others. He joined the Bard Graduate Center Board of Trustees in 2015 and chaired the nominating committee from 2019 through 2021. Everyone at Bard Graduate Center is grateful for all Philip did to support our mission and build a bright future for the study and exhibition of the decorative arts. An award has been established in Philip’s memory to support student research and travel. The inaugural winners of the award will be announced in 2023.

Left: Heather Jane McCormick. Photo courtesy of Caroline Hannah.

Right: Philip Hewat-Jaboor. Photo by Danny Evans.