Acquired! Shaping the National Design Collection | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

What does it mean to be a design museum today? Acquired! Shaping the National Design Collection highlights how Cooper Hewitt acquires new work to shape the collection to better reflect current issues and design’s evolving role in daily interactions. The exhibition features more than 150 works, including objects that represent the museum’s collecting legacy, as well as works brought into the collection since 2017.

The national design collection, which has been part of the Smithsonian since 1967, is a living one that continues to grow and change as new works and ideas that define our times are added. What design meant in the late 19th century when Cooper Hewitt’s collection was started is not what design means now.  Once rooted in aspirational decorative arts ideals, the criteria for acquisition are now more expansive and aim to better represent previously unexplored areas. As a result, the collection showcases aesthetic values and mastery of technique, but also speaks to the importance of socially responsible practices, racial and social justice, and the impact of the digital era and the climate crisis in our lives.   

Currently, the collection of over 215,000 objects spans more than 30 centuries across cultures from all over the globe. The entirety of the collection, its offerings interwoven together, tells nuanced stories about who we are that both embrace and confront the past and help inform our possible futures.   

Exhibition Highlights

A thick, bell-shaped ceramic cup, its vibrant blue surface striped with dull brown and pockmarked with age. — Lotus-shaped Cup (Egypt)
circa 1100 BCE
Maker unidentified
Colored faience (ceramic frit)
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Museum purchase through gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt, 1960-29-1
Image © Smithsonian Institution

Model of the Covid-19 Coronavirus
2020
Designed by Alissa Eckert (American, born 1980) and Dan Higgins (American, born 1969) for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
3D-printed nylon
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A cylindrical stool covered on all sides with a completely smooth layer of rainbow sprinkles. — Rainbow Sprinkle Drum Stool
2017
Designed and made by Fernando Mastrangelo (American, born 1978)
Sugar sprinkles, resin
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of Fernando Mastrangelo, 2018-24-1
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A banana-yellow corded phone with a receiver and base that connect in a donut-like loop. — Sculptura Telephone from the Design Line Series
circa 1974
Designed by Donald M. Genaro (American, born 1932), Office of Henry Dreyfuss Associates
Manufactured by Western Electric Manufacturing Company (New York, New York, USA) (housing) and Bell System Division, AT&T (Parsippany, New Jersey, USA) (works)
Thermoplastic, electronic components
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of Donald M. Genaro, 2018‑40‑1
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A textile striped horizontally with the pinks and oranges of a sunset and covered in black sketches of leaves and flowers. — Textile, Van Gogh
Designed late 1950s; printed early 1960s
Designed by Althea McNish (British, born Trinidad, 1924–2020) Manufactured by Hull Traders, Ltd. (UK)
Screen-printed cotton plain weave
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund, 2021-1-2
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A map of New York City and the surrounding areas, rendered like a watercolor painting. — Website, Watercolor Maps
2012–15
Designed by Eric Rodenbeck (American, born 1970), Zachary Watson (American, 1985–2014), Geraldine Sarmiento (American, born 1972), Nathaniel Kelso (American, born 1980), Michal Migurski (Polish, born 1977), and George Oates (Australian, born 1973) of Stamen Design (San Francisco, California, USA)
Software: Source code, computer generated images
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of Stamen Design in honor of Zachary Watson, 2021-5-1/3

A wallpaper with delicate blue illustrations of Saint Nicholas and Black Pete within the squares of a grid on a white background. — Sidewall, *Zwarte Piet* (Black Pete) Delft Tile
2021
Designed by Sheila Bridges (American, born 1964)
Manufactured by Sheila Bridges Home
Printed by twenty2 wallpaper (Bantam, Connecticut, USA)
Digital print on paper
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of twenty2 wallpaper, 2021-22-1
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A collage-like poster in yellow, purple, and blue featuring a nude person with large butterfly wings seen from behind, with the word [Love] repeated beneath them. — Poster, Love (Butterfly)
1970
Edgardo Giménez (Argentinian, born 1942)
Screenprint on paper
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), 2021-29-16
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A tangled grid of colorful lines refracts into infinite blackness. — Video, Choreography of Life
2019
Charles Reilly (New Zealander, born 1983), Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)
Video, color and sound
Duration: 03:27 minutes
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of Charles Reilly, 2021-42-2-1

A painting of a brown-skinned man whose body seems to morph with the yellow lounge chair in front of him. — Drawing, Seated Man in Blue on Wide Base Lounge #3
2022
Tschabalala Self (American, born 1990)
Colored pencil, acrylic paint, gouache, charcoal, graphite on archival inkjet print
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Museum purchase through the American Women’s History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Women’s History Initiative, 2022-23-1
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A chair with a yellow wire back and a disproportionately long cushioned seat upholstered with various patterned fabrics. — Wide Base Lounge #3 (Yellow) for *Sounding Board*
2021
New York, New York, USA
Designed by Tschabalala Self (American, born 1990)
Fabrics hand-dyed by Montgomery Harris, Isa Rodrigues (Portuguese, born 1985)
Powder-coated steel; custom fabric, Dacron
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Museum purchase through the American Women’s History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Women’s History Initiative, 2022-23-2-a,b
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A tan textile depicting five smiling woman in a playful, colorful style. — Textile, Girls
1972
Designed by Alexander Hayden Girard (American, 1907–1993)
Manufactured by Herman Miller Furniture Company (Zeeland, Michigan, USA)
Screen-printed cotton plain weave
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of Virginia Bayer, 2023-15-1
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A poster depicting workers bent over in a field under the Spanish heading [¡Sácale el jugo a tu tierra!]. — Poster, *Sácale el jugo a tu tierra* (Make the Most of Your Land)
1968–73 
Jesús Ruiz Durand (Peruvian, born 1940)
Offset lithograph on paper 
  Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund, 2023-17-5

A dark blue-gray wall covering textured to look as if it is made of fur. — Sidewall, Wire Pattern
2022
Designed by Nick Cave (American, born 1959)
Manufactured by Knoll Textiles (New York, New York, USA)
Nonphthalate vinyl, polyester metallic Mylar
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of Knoll, 2024-3-5
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A black rose made of fabric — Ballistic Rose Brooch
2004
Designed by Tobias Wong, (Canadian, 1974–2010); Collaborator: CITIZEN:Citizen
Produced in New York, New York, USA
Ballistic nylon (Kevlar®), velvet, platinum
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
The Tobias Wong Collection, Gift of Phyllis Chan and Gordon Wong, 2024-4-1
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A graphic depicting the words [Climate Change] in bold white font degrading over time like ice melting. — Variable font, Climate Crisis
2020
Designed by Eino Korkala (Finnish, born 1985) and Daniel Coull (South African, born 1990) for Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki, Finland) and TBWA/Helsinki (Helsinki, Finland)
Digital typeface
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
File in public domain, collected by Cooper Hewitt in collaboration with the designers, 2021-30-1

A delicate yellow and white cup and saucer set, decorated with intricate depictions of flowers. — Cup and Saucer
Mid-18th century
Manufactured by Meissen Porcelain Manufactory (Meissen, Germany)
Hard-paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of Mrs. Edward Luckemeyer, 1912-13-16-a,b
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A vibrant red poster with an illustration of a man in fancy dress, announcing that Harper's Magazine only costs one shilling. — Poster, Harper’s
1895
Designed by Beggarstaffs (British, active 1893–1899): William Nicholson (British, 1872–1949); James Pryde (British, 1866–1941)
Printed by Artistic Supply Co. Ltd. (England, UK)
Printed by Stafford and Company Limited (Netherfield, Nottingham, England, UK)
Published by *Harper’s Weekly*
Lithograph on paper
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Gift of Merrill C. Berman and Dalia S. Berman, 2019-15-1
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

A green and purple poster featuring the all-caps words [Women Free Yourself] printed repeatedly. — Poster, Woman Free Yourself
1971
Faith Ringgold (American, born 1930)
Offset lithograph on paper
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Museum purchase through the American Women’s History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, and from the General Acquisitions Endowment Fund, 2022-20-1
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

An angular, light green floor lamp made of a couple of sleek metal poles and standing on three legs. — Floor Lamp
circa 1947
Designed by Greta Magnusson Grossman (American, born Sweden, 1906–1999)
Manufactured by Ralph O. Smith Co. (Burbank, California, USA)
Steel, aluminum, paint
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Museum purchase through the American Women’s History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Women’s History Initiative and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund, 2020‑14‑3
Photo by Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

Publication

To mark the occasion of Cooper Hewitt’s reopening in 2014, the museum published an expansive book based on its unparalleled collection. Designed by Irma Boom, Making Design features more than 1,100 collection objects, which are organized entirely by Boom’s visual sequencing of images; her design and the curators’ essays weave parallel narratives throughout the book. Learn more about the publication.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The exhibition is organized by Maria Nicanor, Director; Matilda McQuaid, Acting Director of Curatorial; Christina De León, Acting Deputy Director of Curatorial and Associate Curator of Latino Design; Cynthia Trope, Associate Curator, Product Design and Decorative Arts; and Sophia Gebara, Curatorial Assistant.

Exhibition design by Field Guide Architecture and Design with Castro Watson. Graphic design by Kelly Sung.

Support

Generous support for Acquired! Shaping the National Design Collection is provided by Cooper Hewitt’s Collections Committee and by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation.