Previously On View: October 5, 2018 through June 16, 2019

See exhibitions currently on view.

About the exhibition

Designer, artist, and educator Rebeca Méndez is the 17th guest curator of the Selects series, for which designers, artists, writers, and cultural figures are invited to mine and interpret the permanent collection. Winner of the 2012 National Design Award for Communication Design, Rebeca Méndez was born in Mexico and is the founder of Los Angeles-based Rebeca Méndez Design. For her installation, Méndez draws on the tragic history of Aztec ruler Moctezuma II’s private aviary to reflect on birds as sources of design inspiration and scientific study, as well as victims of climate change and human avarice. Selecting design objects from Cooper Hewitt’s permanent collection, bird specimens from the National Museum of Natural History, and rare books from the Smithsonian Libraries, Méndez evokes the tensions arising from humankind’s conflicting impulses towards nature. Animated with the sounds and images of bird life, Rebeca Méndez Selects invites visitors to consider how culture, design, technology, and the natural world have converged throughout history.

#RebecaMéndezSelects

Highlights

A selection of objects featured in the exhibition.

Exhibition Brochure

The cover of the exhibition brochure with the exhibition title set against an ombre pattern of gold, light blue, white, and gold bands of color. Click on the image to open the pdf of the brochure.

Supporters

Rebeca Méndez Selects is made possible by the Marks Family Foundation Endowment Fund and received federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Exhibition Dates
October 5, 2018 through June 16, 2019
View All Exhibition Objects
Rebeca Méndez Selects
Image of Curator Christina de Leon and Rebeca Mendez, sitting on stage at Cooper Hewitt
FEATHERED BY DESIGN: AN EVENING WITH REBECA MÉNDEZ
A conversation with designer and artist Rebeca Ménde
Post Type
Video
Date
May 14, 2019
Image features a large egg carved with the allegorical image of "America" as a female figure wearing a robe and feather headdress, holding arrows, and seated before a palm tree and crocodile within a landscape. Please scroll down to read the blog post about this object.
A Hard Shell to Crack
This ostrich egg is carved with allegorical figures representing the Four Continents—Europe, Asia, Africa, and America—a subject that originated in sixteenth-century drawings and prints and that later gained popularity in the decorative arts.[1] The collection of the late James Hazen Hyde, from which the ostrich egg comes, comprised hundreds of objects and prints depicting the...
Read Time
3 minutes
Posted By
Nick Stagliano
Date
February 11, 2019
Designer Rebeca Mendez stands next to a yellow and light blue gradient textile.
Feathered by Design: An Evening with Rebeca Méndez
A conversation with designer and artist Rebeca Méndez and Christina De León, Associate Curator of Latino Design at Cooper Hewitt will focus on the process of organizing the installation Rebeca Méndez Selects, an exploration on humanity’s complex relationship with the natural world and our ties with other species. The exhibition is framed by the Spanish...
Post Type
Event
Event Date
March 28, 2019
Image of Designer Rebeca Mendez teaches a master class during the 2018 National Design Awards Winners Salon
2018 NDA Winners’ Salon | Master Class with Rebeca MÉNDEZ
2012 National Design Award winner Rebeca Méndez leads a master class exploring the themes on view in Rebeca Méndez Selects, and her research and practice around ‘artistic fieldwork practice.’ Méndez also discusses the CounterForce Lab, a center she created within UCLA, School of Art and Architecture with a focus on art, design and environment.
Post Type
Video
Date
November 28, 2018
Practicing at the Boundaries: Where Design, Science, and Cultures Meet
Written by Rebeca Méndez Since I can remember, I have always spent hours observing nature, asking “Why do living things and physical phenomena take the form they do? What are the essential mechanisms of nature?” I was born and raised in Mexico City by parents educated as chemical engineers. They taught me to see the...
Read Time
6 minutes
Posted By
Christina L. De León
Date
November 16, 2018
Image features a tornado-like object composed of metal strips at center; text in blue above in a wavy line; text on either side, and photographs of buildings. Please scroll down to read the blog post about this object.
In the Eye of the Tornado: Rethinking the Limits of Design
Today’s Object of the Day celebrates the winners of Cooper Hewitt’s National Design Awards. Honoring lasting achievement in American design, the Awards take place annually during National Design Week, with festivities for all ages celebrating design creativity and innovation. Today’s blog post was originally published on March 29, 2018. As design director for her alma mater, Art Center...
Read Time
3 minutes
Posted By
Maeve Coudrelle
Date
October 15, 2018
Image features: A robe of dark blue silk with a deep wave border at the bottom and sleeve hems. Tapestry-woven design of eight large circular medallions showing five white cranes with red crests and blue cloud bands. Lined with light blue silk. Please scroll down to read the blog post about this object.
Flying Cranes
Today’s Object of the Day is on view in Rebeca Méndez Selects (October 5, 2018–June 16, 2019) This semi-formal court surcoat (ji fu gua吉服褂) would have been worn by the wife of an imperial prince, a high-ranking clan member, or a Manchu official. Surcoats often featured flowers or birds. Here, roundels feature five cranes flying...
Read Time
2 minutes
Posted By
Rachel Silberstein
Date
October 8, 2018
Image features poster asymmetrically bisected into two separate color fields, featuring white egg on red-orange ground at right, with uneven black splotches gravitating towards (or emanating from) it; white ground at left, with black text at top left. Please scroll down to read the blog post about this object.
Hatching Good Design
Today’s Object of the Day is on view in Rebeca Méndez Selects (October 5, 2018–June 16, 2019) Produced by renowned American graphic designer Paul Rand, this poster announces the 1966 International Design Conference in Aspen (IDCA). Rand is known for his influential contributions to the advertising industry, including his logos for IBM, Westinghouse, ABC, and...
Read Time
2 minutes
Posted By
Christina L. De León
Date
October 5, 2018