What’s On

Coinciding with Design Across Time—Cooper Hewitt’s current exhibition showcasing 125 works from its permanent collection of 215,000+ objects—join us for the launch of Making the Museum, a new public program series convening design leaders working with museums and collections from around the world as they share an inside look at redefining cultural institutions through design strategies. The series explores how design plays a role in the ways in which these organizations are adapting to shifting social, architectural, environmental, and technological contexts while still ensuring public access to these vast and intricate collections that tell the stories of our lives. Making the Museum kicks off on Wednesday, October 21 with an inside look at the recently opened V&A East Storehouse. In this first edition, hear from architect Elizabeth Diller and curators Brendan Cormier and Catherine Ince, the team behind the V&A East Storehouse, in conversation with Cooper Hewitt’s Director Maria Nicanor. View full event details here.

In a new landmark presentation of Cooper Hewitt’s collection, Design Across Time: Exploring Smithsonian’s Design Collection brings together more than 125 works across multiple design disciplines, including product and graphic design, fashion, textiles, digital design, wallcoverings and architecture. Join the curatorial team for an inside look at how this major new installation came together, from shaping its central themes to choosing objects from the... View full event details here.

Join designer Fan Kong for a hands-on workshop exploring the language of materials through bioplastics and bioglass. Inspired by Gaetano Pesce’s Nobody’s Perfect chair, this session considers how designers and scientists alike have reimagined materials as active, transformative systems.   View full event details here.

In conjunction with Frederic Church in Jamaica, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Victoria Johnson shares the dramatic and consequential life of the artist Frederic Church, whose footsteps she followed around the globe for her new biography of Church, Glorious Country. Church’s curiosity, bravery, and passion for nature drove him to explore the world,... View full event details here.

Inspired by the exhibition Frederic Church in Jamaica, create your own botanical prints using gel plates. See botanical sketches made by Church on long treks in Jamaica’s majestic landscape. Using ferns and other botanical pressings, create your own gel plate prints to capture and bring home the exquisite details of nature. View full event details here.

Come with us to the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library for a visual description and tactile tour and workshop. View full event details here.

Join us for a sensory-friendly evening of structured fun at Cooper Hewitt. Explore sketching from nature in the Church in Jamaica exhibition with interactive experiences, conversation, and creativity.  View full event details here.

Build your design toolkit! Teen Drop In is a series of free workshops for high school students exploring techniques, strategies, and careers in design. No prior experience required, just bring yourself and a creative mindset.  This month, create a professional mood board using real design materials like upholstery fabrics, paint chips, found objects, and more. Mix, match, layer, and experiment to build a board that expresses a theme, mood, or concept.  View full event details here.

Mix, pour, and create objects using Jesmonite, a water-based eco-resin. Try out this modern take on Egyptian faience, used to make the oldest object in Cooper Hewitt's collection, the Lotus-shaped cup, c. 1100 BC. View full event details here.