Visit the Fisher Center

The parliament of reality

Across the street from the Fisher Center is the parliament of reality, a permanent sculptural environment created by the internationally renowned artist Olafur Eliasson. Commissioned by Bard’s Center for Curatorial Studies, the installation consists of a circular pond surrounded by a ring of trees and punctuated by an island that visitors reach via a stone bridge enclosed in a steel latticework tunnel.

Center for Curatorial Studies and Hessel Museum of Art

The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (CCS Bard) is an exhibition, education, and research center dedicated to the study of art and curatorial practices. Designed by architects Jim Goettsch and Nada Andric, CCS Bard houses the Hessel Museum of Art and the Marieluise Hessel Collection of more than 2,000 contemporary works. Museum hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 am – 6 pm. Free admission.

Blithewood Manor

Blithewood is the home of the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Both the mansion, built in 1900, and its site were originally designed by the celebrated landscape architect A. J. Downing. Blithewood is famous for its Italianate garden and its glorious view of the Hudson River.

Montgomery Place

Montgomery Place, a 380-acre estate adjacent to the main Bard College campus and overlooking the Hudson River, is a designated National Historic Landmark set amid rolling lawns, woodlands, and gardens, against the spectacular backdrop of the Catskill Mountains. Renowned architects, landscape designers, and horticulturists worked to create an elegant and inspiring country estate consisting of a mansion, farm, orchards, farmhouse, and other smaller buildings.