Heather Jane McCormick photographed by Caroline Hannah.


Bard Graduate Center notes with great sadness the passing of former MA/PhD student Heather Jane McCormick. She passed away on September 27 in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, surrounded by her family and her husband, Ian. McCormick valiantly battled metastatic breast cancer for more than a decade.

According to BGC Founder and Director Susan Weber, “Heather Jane was a gifted researcher and writer, and one of BGC’s very first students. She was instrumental in the publication of our textbook, History of Design: Decorative Arts and Material Culture, 1400–2000. She was a valued member of the BGC community and worked to the end of her life on related research projects. We will plan a memorial in honor of Heather Jane at BGC in the near future.”