This campaign will transform Cooper-Hewitt and make it the place to go, virtually and in person, to understand how design improves economic competitiveness and enhances our quality of life.
James Rosenthal, Board President
Director's Statement
Paul Warwick Thompson
Director
Design is the language of form and function that connects everyone on this planet. It is arguably the most accessible form of visual culture, and a discipline which impacts quality-of-life issues ranging from aesthetics to stewardship of the natural environment.
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s growing range of exhibitions and programs is attracting an increasing number of visitors and participants every year. After a thorough review of the Museum’s mission, vision, and operations, the Smithsonian and Cooper-Hewitt’s Board of Trustees have recognized that the Museum must expand and renovate its facilities, increase its educational outreach, and build its endowment. Cooper-Hewitt is ready for a re:Design.
The re:Design campaign will achieve three main goals:
- re:New - The renovation will honor the Museum’s landmark status yet transform its facilities into a twenty-first-century museum, creating a dramatically improved learning environment for students and the public.
- re:Educate - The Online National Design Museum will be an open theater of ideas providing a unique and innovative forum for college professors and high-school students to participate in the design discourse.
- re:Assure - Building the Museum’s endowment will provide increased and guaranteed annual funding to support collection growth, the expansion of educational programs, and the number and variety of exhibitions Cooper-Hewitt presents.
The physical expansion, reinvigorated online presence, and strong financial foundation will create a truly national design museum for the United States, and allow Cooper-Hewitt to provide its visitors with a greater understanding of the cultural relevance of historic and contemporary design.
