Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

cooper hewitt explores the future of mobility with exhibition.

Dec 14, 2018

cooper hewitt, smithsonian design museum presents “the road ahead: reimagining mobility” exhibition. featuring 40 projects that explore salient topics around the future of mobility and the urban environment, the exhibition will be punctuated with six provocations and a selection of design responses that reimagine livable streets and the way people, goods and services will move in a new age of connected and transformational mobility.

organized by cara mccarty, the museum’s director of curatorial; cynthia e. smith, curator of socially responsible design; and julie pastor, curatorial assistant, “the road ahead” addresses the fundamental question: how do people want to live?

“‘the road ahead’ points to several possible futures for our cities and asks audiences to consider how design will improve and expand options for urban transport,” said cooper hewitt director caroline baumann. “inviting our visitors to consider and creatively think about the possible outcomes provided by the revolutionary new technologies on the horizon—from grocery-delivering robots to autonomous shuttle services—the exhibition encourages public engagement in the civic dialogue needed to ensure that new designs for mobility are sustainable, equitable and life-improving for all.”

energizing the everyday: george r kravis collecting. cooper hewitt design museum.

Apr 28, 2016

energizing the everyday recognizes the collecting vision of george r. kravis ii and its synergy with cooper hewitt’s broad and diverse collection of modern and contemporary design. energizing the everyday recognizes the collecting vision of george r. kravis ii and its synergy with cooper hewitt’s broad and diverse collection of modern and contemporary design. an early interest in records and a background in broadcasting inform kravis’s enthusiasm for and knowledge of radios, televisions, and technology. as kravis’s passion for design grew, he expanded his collecting efforts beyond american electronic devices to include industrial design and furnishings for the home and office from the united states, europe and asia. the exhibition features highlights of the kravis collection dating from the early 20th century to the present. from industrial design and furniture to tableware and textiles, the exhibition makes visual and material connections across time and geography to relate the far-reaching impact of design on the enhancement of daily life.

cooper hewitt high school student design challenge winner. #thinkoutside

Apr 6, 2016

and the winner is…claire christianson, a sophomore at providence academy, chose as her inspiration object a painted porcelain art nouveau vase. christianson explained, “i was inspired by the media of the art nouveau vase. my chair’s form was taken from the tons of little ribbons of clay trimmings that the potter cut off in pursuit of his masterpiece.”

cooper hewitt, smithsonian design museum announces the launch of student design challenge #thinkoutside, its first-ever nationwide competition for high school students, inviting them to submit ideas for an outdoor chair inspired by objects from the museum’s collection. organized by cooper hewitt in collaboration with target, the challenge’s winning chair design will be manufactured by the retailer for exclusive use in the museum’s recently redesigned arthur ross terrace and garden.

above> vase, 1903; painted by samuel schellink (danish, 1876-1958); manufactured by rozenburg pottery and porcelain factory (the hague, netherlands); painted porcelain; gift of arthur altschul, 1994.

fellow [ finalists ] lauren schrempp (new york), valerie taranto (new jersey), ryan thompson (illinois), and tanner wall (florida), traveled to new york to participate in a design workshop at cooper hewitt with members of target’s design team and museum educators. on sunday, april 3, the finalists presented his or her design in person to the judges.

[ the judges ] cooper hewitt director caroline baumann was joined by a panel of creative experts to evaluate the finalists’ designs, including national design award winner walter hood, principal and founder, hood design; steven keating, head of performance footwear design, puma; rachel shechtman, founder, story; tana smith, youtube star “tanamontana100” and author; todd waterbury, chief creative officer, target; and tony whitfield, associate professor of art and design, parsons school of design. susanna sirefman, president of dovetail design strategists and competition advisor for the challenge moderated the panel’s deliberations. [ details ] #thinkoutside

cooper hewitt high school student design challenge. #thinkoutside

Jan 17, 2016

cooper hewitt, smithsonian design museum announces the launch of student design challenge #thinkoutside, its first-ever nationwide competition for high school students, inviting them to submit ideas for an outdoor chair inspired by objects from the museum’s collection. organized by cooper hewitt in collaboration with target, the challenge’s winning chair design will be manufactured by the retailer for exclusive use in the museum’s recently redesigned arthur ross terrace and garden. the deadline for entries is feb. 21.

inspiration (above) purse – early 17th century | silk and metallic macramé | museum purchase from au panier fleuri, mcneil and general acquisitions endowment funds. (below) wrapping cloth (pojagi), sewn and pieced silk – ca. 1900 | museum purchase from roy and niuta titus foundation fund.

“as the nation’s design museum, we have the responsibility to encourage and celebrate our country’s aspiring young designers,” said caroline baumann, director of cooper hewitt. “our student design challenge is an amazing opportunity for students to express and share their design creativity with the world, and i am thrilled that cooper hewitt will give these talented young designers recognition for their vision and ingenuity.”

“design is an essential part of target’s dna—it’s infused into the best of everything we do,” said todd waterbury, chief creative officer, target. “working with cooper hewitt, an organization that’s at the epicenter of cultivating and celebrating great design, allows us to share target’s passion with a new audience and connect students to our own design team, helping young designers bring their ideas to life.”

inspiration (above) vase – ca. 1960 | made by salviati & company (murano, italy) | gift of michael lewis balamuth. (below) sugar bowl and creamer – ca. 1928 | designed by ilonka karasz | manufactured by paye & baker manufacturing company | gift of george r. kravis ii.

cooper hewitt will showcase, in a special online exhibition, the designs of five finalists and four honorable mentions, to be announced march 4. the winner will be announced on april 4, and the winning design will be manufactured into seven limited-edition chairs—five will be installed in cooper hewitt’s arthur ross terrace and garden and unveiled during national design week from oct. 15–23, and two will be awarded to the winning designer.

additionally, the finalists will work with members of target’s internal design team, via videoconference in early march, to help them refine their chair designs in advance of the presentation stage of the challenge. during the weekend of april 1, each finalist will visit new york city to attend a workshop with target designers at cooper hewitt, and to present his or her design to the student design challenge judges.

inspiration (above) man’s hat (ashetu) (cameroon), mid- to late 20th century | crocheted cotton, wood splints. museum purchase through gift of mrs. william goulding. (below) ph artichoke hanging lamp – 1958 | poul henningsen | manufactured by louis poulson & co

caroline baumann and todd waterbury will be joined by a world-class panel of creative experts to evaluate the finalists’ designs and select a winner in early april, including walter hood, principal and founder, hood design; steven keating, head of performance footwear design, puma; rachel shechtman, founder, story; tana smith, youtube star “tanamontana100” and author; and tony whitfield, associate professor of art and design, parsons school of design. susanna sirefman, president of dovetail design strategists, is the competition advisor overseeing the development and management of the competition.

in mid-may, the winning designer will travel to target’s headquarters in minneapolis, where target designers will give the winner a firsthand look at the prototyping and manufacturing process for his or her chair.

the student design challenge is an extension of cooper hewitt’s educational outreach initiatives: designprep offers free in-depth design education programs to more than 1,000 new york city high school students each year, introducing them to college and career opportunities in design, and design in the classroom, which introduces students in grades k–12 to design thinking and learning through interactive workshops, has reached 80,000 students in six pilot cities with plans underway to take the program nationwide.

for more information about the student design challenge #thinkoutside, including eligibility requirements, submission guidelines, rules and conditions, and resources for students and teachers, visit [ cooper hewitt | design challenge ] the website also features a comprehensive design lesson plan that teachers may use to encourage their students to participate in the challenge.

founded in 1897, [ cooper hewitt ] is the only museum in the united states devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. on dec. 12, 2014, cooper hewitt opened in the renovated and restored carnegie mansion, which offers 60 percent more exhibition space to showcase one of the most diverse and comprehensive collections of design works in existence. the renovation of the carnegie mansion and museum campus was recognized with leed silver certification. currently on view are 9 exhibitions and installations featuring hundreds of objects throughout four floors of the mansion, many of which draw from the museum’s permanent collection of more than 210,000 objects that span 30 centuries. the fifth installment of the museum’s popular contemporary design exhibition series, “beauty―cooper hewitt design triennial,” on view from feb. 12–aug. 21, will celebrate design as a creative endeavor that engages the mind, body and senses, and will feature more than 250 works by 63 international designers organized around seven themes: extravagant, intricate, ethereal, transgressive, emergent, elemental and transformative. visitors can experience a full range of new interactive capabilities, including the opportunity to explore the collection digitally on ultra-high-definition touch-screen tables, draw their own designs in the immersion room and address design problems in the process lab.

minneapolis-based [ target corporation ] serves guests at 1,805 stores since 1946, target has given five percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million a week.

iittala’s ruutu honored by cooper-hewitt.

Nov 10, 2015

[ iittala ] ruutu vases are honored by the cooper-hewitt, national design museum permanent collection. updating the museum’s holding of scandinavian and contemporary glass, ruutu joins previously selected iittala glassware by tapio wirkkala in this curated and highly respected collection.

iittala’s first collaboration with ronan and erwan bouroullec, ruutu is a series of 10 vases available in five sizes and seven colors. when collected and combined, they make a seamless installation where both the strength and delicate qualities of glass come alive. meaning diamond in finnish, ruutu is created from mouth-blown glass in iittala’s finland factory. each vase takes seven craftsman 24 hours to produce. the large color version presents the biggest manufacturing challenge: reaching an even, delicate color requires the exact temperature, timing and a great deal of expertise in glass-mass chemistry. precise execution of a well-conceived design makes ruutu a natural fit for a museum devoted to advancing the public understanding of design and human creativity both past and present.

located in new york city, the [ cooper-hewitt ] is one of nineteen museums that falls under the wing of the smithsonian institution and is the only museum in the united states devoted to historical and contemporary design. the permanent collection consists of more than 200,000 objects representing contemporary and historical design in four curatorial departments – drawings, prints, and graphic design; product design and decorative arts; textiles; and wallcoverings.

[ iittala ] started as a glass factory in iittala, finland in 1881, today celebrates generations of essential objects that are made to enrich people’s everyday lives. iittala believes objects should be distinctive, combinable and multi-functional, with lasting design that inspires individual use and expression. as a company based in fin-land, where quality, aesthetics and functionality are important values, iittala believes in interior design that lasts a lifetime. the progressive philosophy of finnish design heroes, kaj franck and alvar aalto, acts as in inspiration to keep iittala forever relevant.

editor’s note> ruutu possesses extraordinary technical detailing, the corners for example, the clearness and purity of color, the gradation of color due to the variance in thickness, i.e., the lightening at the very thin and unique 30 degrees corners. photography does not do this collection justice. click on photo > enlarge

michael graves awarded national design award for lifetime achievement.

May 5, 2015

Michael Graves was awarded the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. He’s best known for his Postmodernist-style, a label he was not happy with. Graves also designed products for both Alessi and Target which required a high-design as well as an eye for the masses mentality.

[ official release ] Michael Graves (1934 – 2015), the late celebrated architect and designer and founder of Michael Graves Architecture & Design has won the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Graves is best known for broadening the role of the architect in society and raising public interest in good design as essential to the quality of everyday life. Winners will be honored during National Design Week at a Gala on Thursday, October 15 at Pier Sixty in New York.

Graves, a prominent voice in architecture and design since founding his practice in 1964 has designed with his firm over 350 buildings and more than 2,000 products for clients such as Target, Alessi, Stryker, Kimberly-Clark and Disney.

Few are credited with spearheading a single design movement. Michael Graves led three. In the 1980’s he redirected the architectural conversation away from abstract modernism toward a more humanistic approach to architecture and urban planning – an approach that MGA&D still practices today. In the 1990’s, his partnership with Target defined America’s expectation that great design should be available to all. Over the past decade Michael became a passionate advocate for the disabled and used the power of design to improve healthcare experiences for patients, families and clinicians.

Graves has received prestigious awards including the AIA Gold Medal, the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton, and the Topaz Medallion from the AIA/ACSA. Graves is the 2012 Richard H. Driehaus Prize Laureate. Michael Graves has become internationally recognized as a healthcare design advocate, with the Center for Health Design naming him one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Healthcare Design. In 2013, President Obama appointed Graves to the United States Access Board. The American Institute of Architects acknowledged Michael’s career with a Presidential Citation. He was the first architect inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and was the first recipient of the Michael Graves Lifetime Achievement Award from the AIA-NJ. Fast Company recently named MGA&D one of the 10 most innovative design firms in the world.

In 2014 MGA&D celebrated its 50th anniversary with a major exhibition at the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. In addition, Michael’s lifelong contributions to design were celebrated by the Architectural League with a daylong symposium at Parsons New School for Design.

about phil patton

Architectmade. Designer gifts 2013.

Nov 9, 2013

bird

[ Architectmade ] started in 2005 obtaining the rights to manufacture iconic designs from Danish Designers such as Hans Bolling, Finn Juhl, etc. Featured on the [ Cooper-Hewitt web site ] (Cooper Hewitt is under renovation and will reopen in 2014) is a selection from this handcrafted and well-designed collection.

circle bowl

child’s chair

duck and duckling

optimist and pessimist

oscar

oscar

about diane o’donnel

Cooper-hewitt awarded $5M from nyc for renovation.

Oct 7, 2013

campus/mansion

The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum has received a $5 million allocation through the City of New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs. The funding supports Cooper-Hewitt’s renovation of the historic Carnegie Mansion and grounds, which will result in 60 percent more gallery space when the museum reopens in fall 2014. This is a major additional allocation from the City, which has previously supported this renovation, and will go toward further restoration of millwork, woodwork, flooring, stone and windows, as well as upgrading the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden.

[ official release ]
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum has received a $5 million allocation through the City of New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs. The funding supports Cooper-Hewitt’s renovation of the historic Carnegie Mansion and grounds, which will result in 60 percent more gallery space when the museum reopens in fall 2014. This is a major additional allocation from the City, which has previously supported this renovation, and will go toward further restoration of millwork, woodwork, flooring, stone and windows, as well as upgrading the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden.

“The City is pleased to continue its support for Cooper-Hewitt’s transformative project, which will make the institution an even more vibrant destination on Museum Mile,” said Kate D. Levin, commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. “The renovation of the Carnegie Mansion will make design accessible to museumgoers with expanded gallery space, the restoration and preservation of historic rooms, innovative landscape design.”

old ground floor
new ground floor

“We are so grateful to the City and the Department of Cultural Affairs for their continuing support of the largest capital campaign in Cooper-Hewitt’s history as well as their commitment to safeguarding this national treasure,” said Caroline Baumann, director of Cooper-Hewitt. “We are proud stewards of the Andrew Carnegie mansion, an iconic New York City landmark, and its preservation is one of the driving forces behind this expansion. This grant makes the past and future of design more accessible and impactful to the public.”

Cooper-Hewitt’s renovation is part of an $89 million capital campaign launched in 2006, which includes a $79 million renovation and a $10 million endowment. The expansion includes enlarged and enhanced facilities for exhibitions, collections display, education programming and the National Design Library, and an increased endowment. To date the museum has raised $73.4 million against the $79 million renovation goal, which includes $14.3 million from New York City, and $7.3 million toward the $10 million endowment goal. The scope of the renovation grew as a result of the museum’s desire to increase visitor interactivity and accessibility. The expanded scope, an increase of $25 million, brought the overall cost from $54 million to $79 million. To date the museum has raised 91 percent of its goal.

The museum is working with a team of designers to realize the new Cooper-Hewitt. Design stories will come alive in the exciting new galleries that are being reimagined by Diller Scofidio + Renfro—winners of the 2005 National Design Award for architecture. Local Projects, participatory media designers and 2013 National Design Award winner for interaction design, are developing engaging ways for visitors to become designers. Cooper-Hewitt’s ambition to increase accessibility extends to the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, which is being designed by Walter Hood, the 2009 National Design Award winner for Landscape Architecture. A new graphic identity for the museum is being designed by Pentagram. Thinc Design is realizing the new temporary exhibition space on the third floor.

The overall expansion is a collaboration between design architect Gluckman Mayner Architects and executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle. The program of historic preservation, working within preservation parameters established by Beyer Blinder Belle, will aim for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

The first phase of the expansion involved renovating the museum’s East 90th Street townhouses in order to move the National Design Library and administrative functions from the Carnegie Mansion to the townhouses, enabling the creation of 60 percent more exhibition gallery space within the museum. The renovation of the townhouses was completed in September 2011. The second phase of the renovation, which involves mansion restoration and the creation of a new 7,000-square-foot gallery, is nearly 70 percent complete.

new gallery
new textiles

During the mansion renovation, Cooper-Hewitt’s usual schedule of exhibitions, education programs and events are being staged at various off-site locations, including the Cooper-Hewitt Design Center in Harlem, which has serviced more than 19,000 people since its opening in May 2012. Sold- out programs cater to a broad audience, providing immersive experiences for pre-schoolers and adults. The museum’s “Design in the Classroom” program, which teaches 21st-century skills by using design as a tool across the curriculum, has served more than 36,000 New York City K–12 public school children during the past two years.

[ About the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum ]
Founded in 1897, Cooper-Hewitt is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design through educational programs, exhibitions and publications. International in scope and possessing one of the most diverse and comprehensive collections of design works in existence, the museum’s rich holdings range from Egypt’s Late Period/New Kingdom (1100 B.C.) to the present day and total more than 217,000 objects.

The museum has more than 70 full-time staff members, including curators, conservators and design education specialists, and the fiscal year 2013 operating budget is $16 million. The museum is 70 percent funded by earned and contributed income, the remainder coming from federal appropriations.

National design week 2012.

Oct 16, 2012

We are reminded that [ National Design Week ] runs from 13 > 21 October. NDW is Cooper-Hewitt’s largest education initiative and aims to draw national attention to the ways in which design enriches everyday life.

Launched in 2006, National Design Week is held each year in conjunction with the National Design Awards program. During National Design Week, Cooper-Hewitt’s award-winning Education Department hosts a series of free public programs based on the vision and work of the National Design Awards honorees. National Design Week culminates with the National Design Awards gala ceremony.

In recognition of the importance of design education, organizations and institutions across the country sponsor design events throughout the month. [ details ]

Bill moggridge. 1943-2012.

Sep 10, 2012

Bill Moggridge, director of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum since 2010, died Sept. 8, following a battle with cancer. He was 69 years old. Designer of the first laptop computer and co-founder of IDEO, the renowned innovation and design firm, Moggridge pioneered interaction design and integrated human factors into the design of computer software and hardware.

compass computer for grid systems 1982 | click > enlarge

“All of us at the Smithsonian mourn the loss of a great friend, leader and design mind,” said Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough. “In his two short years as director of Cooper-Hewitt, Bill transformed the museum into the Smithsonian’s design lens on the world, and we are forever grateful for his extraordinary leadership and contributions.”

As Cooper-Hewitt’s fourth director, Moggridge oversaw the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. In this role, he worked to establish the museum as the pre-eminent national design resource, enhance its profile as one of the world’s leading authorities on the role of design in everyday life and develop and present exhibitions—both real and virtual.

“During his tenure, Bill led the museum to the highest exhibition attendance numbers on record, pioneered bringing design into the K-12 classroom and dramatically increased digital access to the collection through vehicles like the Google Art Project,” said Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Under Secretary for History, Art and Culture. “His innovative vision for the future of the museum will be realized upon reopening, and his foresight will impact museum visitors and design thinkers of tomorrow. He will be greatly missed.”

“Bill’s death is a tremendous loss to the Cooper-Hewitt family,” said Paul Herzan, chairman of the board of trustees. “We will all continue to work together to see that his strategic vision is implemented. As a designer, Bill set in motion a retelling of the story of design—its place in history and future possibilities—within the bold and interactive context of a renovated Cooper-Hewitt campus.”

“Beloved by the museum staff and the design community at large, Bill touched the lives of so many through his wise council, boundary-pushing ideas and cheerful camaraderie,” said Caroline Baumann, associate director of the museum. “A true team builder and convener by nature, his efforts at Cooper-Hewitt and throughout the design world will be forever remembered.”

Moggridge joined Cooper-Hewitt at a critical juncture, as the museum is enhancing its exhibition and visitor facilities with a fully fundraised $54 million program to increase exhibition space by 60 percent, create a new National Design Library, restore the Carnegie Mansion’s historic structure and accommodate growth of its permanent collection with a new off-site collection-storage and conservation facility. Phase One of the renovation project, involving work on the museum’s two townhouses, was completed in 2011 and includes the new National Design Library, an additional classroom, administrative and curatorial offices, and a new staff and public entrance from 9 East 90th Street. Phase Two, renovation of the Carnegie Mansion, commenced in 2012, and the new Cooper-Hewitt will reopen in 2014.

Under Moggridge’s leadership, Cooper-Hewitt is reimagining the entire museum experience, working with Diller Scofidio + Renfro on the conceptualization, transformation and creation of immersive museum spaces and memorable visitor experiences. Local Projects, a media design firm, is developing innovative media and storytelling approaches to content delivery. His expertise in interaction design informed plans to make design stories come alive with multiple interactive components focusing on the design process and transformed the museum visit from passive to participatory.

During the Carnegie Mansion renovation, Moggridge ensured that Cooper-Hewitt will remain highly visible and engaged with the public, on both national and international platforms. Off-site exhibitions were staged at the United Nations and Governors Island in New York, the Cooper-Hewitt Design Center opened in Harlem in May 2012 to bring design programming to an underserved community and his popular Bill’s Design Talk series was held at The Greene Space and webcast to the world. Further, he expanded Cooper-Hewitt’s touring program, with museum exhibitions traveling this fall to Los Angeles, St. Louis, Portland, Ore., and Paris.

A Royal Designer for Industry, 2010 winner of the Prince Philip Designers Prize, and 2009 winner of Cooper-Hewitt’s National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement, Moggridge described his career as having three phases, first as a designer, second as a leader of design teams and third as a communicator. For the first two decades as a designer, he developed his business internationally in 10 countries, designing high-tech products, including the Grid Compass, the first laptop computer, released in 1982. With the co-founding of IDEO in 1991 with David Kelley and Mike Nuttall, he turned his focus to developing practices for interdisciplinary teams and built client relationships with multinational companies. Since 2000, he had been a spokesperson for the value of design in everyday life, writing books, producing videos, giving presentations and teaching, which were further supported by the historical depth and contemporary reach of the museum.

A graduate of the Central School of Design in London, his professional activities included those of advisor to the British government on design education (1974), trustee of the Design Museum in London (1992-1995), visiting professor in interaction design at the Royal College of Art in London (1993) and member of the Steering Committee for the Interaction Design Institute in Ivrea, Italy (2003). He was the author of Designing Media, published by MIT Press in November 2010, which examines the connections between traditional mainstream media and the emerging digital realm and Designing Interactions, published by MIT Press in October 2006, which explores how interaction design is transforming daily life.

Moggridge succeeded Paul Thompson, who was Cooper-Hewitt’s director for eight years. Baumann will serve as the acting director.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Karin, and two sons, Alex and Erik.

[ cooper-hewitt national design museum ]
Founded in 1897, the museum has been a branch of the Smithsonian since 1967. Cooper-Hewitt presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design on daily life through active educational programs, exhibitions and publications.