FROM THE DIRECTOR

As the world begins to define and build a post-pandemic reality, we are faced with essential questions about how we want to redesign our world and its imperfect systems.

This great challenge is also the opportunity of a lifetime. In this new landscape, advancing a deeper understanding of design as a public good and a right for all is more necessary now than ever—an effort that needs to come from re-thought models of governance, academia, practice, and yes, museums.

It has been my honor to join the Smithsonian and Cooper Hewitt this year, at this crucial crossroad, as the museum marks its 125th anniversary.

Founded by visionary sisters Sarah and Eleanor Hewitt in 1897 as “a practical working lab,” Cooper Hewitt has always been more than a museum, inviting audiences to explore how everything around us is designed and discover the ways in which each of us can become active agents of change.

In the coming years, we will honor the experimental legacy that Cooper Hewitt has always been known for while reimagining the role of the museum in design education for the next generation.

We will do this on campus, and beyond, with newly forged partners, collaborators, and friends, as we elevate diverse voices, tell unconventional design stories, and experiment with new pathways for the expansion of civic life, participation, and play in our spaces.

We are already beginning this work, together with you. I invite you to explore some of our 2022 highlights below as we work in earnest in the year to come.

With all my gratitude for your support, and for being on this journey with us.

Maria Nicanor
Director

EXHIBITIONS

Over the past year, Cooper Hewitt offered exhibitions that enabled visitors to see our collections through a different lens; recognize their ability to affect change through design; and realize that design is never neutral.

Duro Olowu Selects (March 18 to August 28, 2022) was the 20th installment of the Selects series, in which guest curators explore and interpret objects in the museum’s collection. Nigerian-British fashion designer Duro Olowu’s exhibition brought to life the ubiquity of pattern and repetition, demonstrating the ways they have been used by skilled and novice makers throughout history and cultures to express meaningful ideas.

“Excellent, fine-grained…” – The New York Times

Silver, oblong-shaped brooch, with a straight side on the left, resembling the deck of a trade ship viewed from above. The deck is densely packed with silver stick figures. Five gold heads in profile hang from the bottom.

The Middle Passage—African Holocaust Brooch, Phyllis Bowdwin, 1993-96. Museum purchase from Monet Jewelry Fund, 1997-3-2. Photo: Matt Flynn

Several vibrantly colored and patterned textiles are displayed behind a glass case.

Installation view of Duro Olowu Selects. Photo: Matt Flynn

A map of the Chicago Metropolitan area covered in tiny areas colored differently based on their security grade.

Cadastral Shaking (Chicago v1), Amanda Williams, 2019. Museum purchase through the American Women’s History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, 2021-26-1. Photo: Matt Flynn

Designing Peace (on view through Sept. 4, 2023) explores the role of design in pursuing peace, from challenging existing structures to facilitating reconciliation. Through interactive installations, a printed publication, and an online experience accessible to all, Designing Peace invites audiences to understand design as process and collaboration—and to consider their own agency in designing for peace.

“[Designing Peace] opens at a critical time in human history, with almost 30 ongoing conflicts around the world…” – Fast Company

Bold, yellow letters stand in the middle of a highway spelling out [Act Now] behind a large yellow circle containing an X.

Extinction Symbol, ESP, Global, 2011. Photo: Martin Reis

A few brown-skinned children sit and smile on hot pink teeter-totters, the other end of the teeter-totters not visible beyond the tall metal fence that they run through.

Teeter-Totter Wall, Rael San Fratello, Mexico and USA, 2019. Photo: Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello

A group of soldiers in army fatigues crouch down to grab from a pile of clear and blue plastic balls.

Christmas Operations, MullenLowe SSP3, Colombia, 2010-2013. Photo: SSP3

Deconstructing Power: W. E. B. Du Bois at the 1900 World’s Fair (on view through May 29, 2023) showcases the original data visualizations created to celebrate the social and economic achievements of Black Americans while critiquing institutionalized racism. The groundbreaking diagrams, in dialogue with other objects on display at the 1900 Paris World’s Fair, reveal how design reinforces power dynamics and can also be a tool for change.

“Not to be missed…” – Vulture

Three colorful, hand-drawn data visualizations in unique shapes showing different types of data about Black Americans in the late 1800s.

Left: Assessed valuation of all taxable property owned by Georgia Negroes, W.E.B. Du Bois, ca. 1900. Photo: Library of Congress
Center: City and rural population 1890, W.E.B. Du Bois, ca. 1900. Photo: Library of Congress
Right: Land owned by Negroes in Georgia, U.S.A. 1870-1900, W.E.B. Du Bois, ca. 1900. Photo: Library of Congress

EDUCATION

Cooper Hewitt’s education programs empower the next generation of designers through mentorship opportunities for students, classroom tools for educators, and resources for lifelong learners.

The 2022 Design Career Fair welcomed ninth and tenth grade students from New York City’s High School of Art + Design. The event facilitated intimate conversations between students and professionals representing design firms, design colleges, design-minded companies, and independent practices—with the goal of making careers and education pathways in design more understandable, accessible, diverse, and equitable.

300STUDENTS+ 50Designersin conversation

Two high school students listen attentively, chins resting on their hands, facing designer Sughanda Gupta, whose back is to the camera.

Design Career Fair, October 19, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

Several people sit and talk around a table in a gymnasium filled with other tables and people. Piled on this table are fabric samples with different patterns.

Design Career Fair, October 19, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

A designer stands and leans over a table to demonstrate something to a circle of seated students.

Design Career Fair, October 19, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

The 2022 National High School Design Competition challenged students to develop designs that contribute to a more peaceful and just world, providing a platform for emerging designers to explore ideas that address real-world issues and amplify their voices on a national stage. Three finalists were selected to participate in virtual mentoring workshops with design experts and presented their final designs to a panel of judges.

722entriesfrom across the country

Eight posters featuring graphics depicting different areas of the human body as well as visual scales for different pieces of information like temperature, pain, and hydration.

Aid To-Go, Erin Saya Ahn, 2022 National High School Design Competition Winner

In 2022, the first cohort of students graduated from the Design Hive program. Together, they explored the museum’s exhibitions, collections, and resources; built relationships with design practitioners and mentors; worked on collaborative projects with museum staff and with each other; and received a stipend for their work.

Nine students,every Thursday,over six months

Three Polaroids showing high school students smiling together and creating design prototypes.

NATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS

Bestowed annually by Cooper Hewitt, the National Design Awards connect the public with innovative design and seek to increase national awareness of the role of design in our everyday lives.

In September, we honored nine design thought leaders at the 23rd annual National Design Awards celebration, bringing together today’s foremost design minds on a national stage and kicking off a year-long series of public programs. Launched in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards program is Cooper Hewitt’s flagship education initiative.

NineWinnerschanging the future of design

A person holds up a massive red balloon on an empty beach with a few other people gathered around.

Voices of the Salton Sea, Kounkuey Design Initiative, 2015-Ongoing. Kounkuey Design is the winner of the 2022 National Design Award for Landscape Architecture.

Two barefoot models pose on a couch; one wears a black sweater that says [Good Luck] in white stitched script on the front along with pale yellow pants with red pinstripes. The other wears black pants and a sweater with horizontal stripes in the same shades of yellow and red.

Excerpt from Bode SS21 Lookbook, Emily Adams Bode, 2021. Emily Adams Bode is the winner of the 2022 National Design Award for Emerging Designer.

Children gather outside a long, bright blue barn-like building with large white text along the side that reads [Boys and Girls Club. West Alabama Greensboro].

Greensboro Boys & Girls Club, Rural Studio, 2012. Rural Studio is the winner of the 2022 National Design Award for Architecture / Interior Design.

As part of the National Design Awards, October marked the return of in-person programs during National Design Week, with free museum admission and special events including museum tours, workshops, and open studios. National Design Week reflects Cooper Hewitt’s commitment to being a space for all learners—no matter where they are on their design journey—to come together to learn, experiment, and collaborate through design.

1,118participants+4,148visitorsduring National Design Week

Several children gather around a touch screen interactive table in the Great Hall of Cooper Hewitt.

National Design Week, October 17-23, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

A person sits with their head tilted back on a chair in an otherwise empty wood-paneled room. They face a large screen playing a live feed of themself.

National Design Week, October 17-23, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

Two people smile as they look at an architectural model in a glass case.

National Design Week, October 17-23, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

MEMBERSHIP

Members enjoyed special events and behind-the-scenes access—and provided crucial support for our work, from curatorial research and collections care to education programs and online resources.

In June, the Summer Garden Party brought Cooper Hewitt members, friends, and family back together for our first major in-person gathering in over two years. The event, which marked the museum’s 125th anniversary, celebrated the people who make our work possible and introduced new director Maria Nicanor to the Cooper Hewitt community.

Cooper Hewitt Director Maria Nicanor smiles as she speaks at a podium beneath an outdoor tent.

Summer Garden Party, June 21, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

Two Cooper Hewitt staff members smile together in the Cooper Hewitt garden.

Summer Garden Party, June 21, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

Several people gather beneath a large, white tent festooned with greenery.

Summer Garden Party, June 21, 2022. Photo: Liz Ligon

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT THIS YEAR

WHAT’S NEXT?

From sharing new perspectives on design history to connecting emerging designers with today’s thought leaders, upcoming exhibitions and programs will promote design as a public good—creating opportunities for discovery, participation, and dialogue about our shared future.

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General support for museum programs is generously provided by Edward & Helen Hintz, the Ravenel and Elizabeth Curry Foundation, Adobe Inc., the Ambrose Monell Foundation, Yaroslav Faybishenko, and the Kelson Foundation.

Duro Olowu Selects: Works from the Permanent Collection is made possible with generous support from the Marks Family Foundation Endowment Fund. Additional support is provided by the Cooper Hewitt Master’s Program Fund.

Designing Peace is made possible with lead support from

Major support is provided by Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer.

Generous support is also provided by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Helen and Edward Hintz, and the Barbara and Morton Mandel Design Gallery Endowment Fund.

Additional support is provided by Agnes Gund, the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York as part of the Dutch Culture USA program, the Cooper Hewitt Master’s Program Fund, the Netherland-America Foundation, the Norwegian Consulate General, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

In-kind support is provided by Tretford Americas and Consolidated Flooring.

Deconstructing Power: W.E.B. Du Bois at the 1900 World’s Fair is made possible with major support from Denise Littlefield Sobel. Additional support is provided by the Ehrenkranz Fund and The Felicia Fund.

Design Career Fair is made possible with major support from

Generous support is provided by The Hirsch Family Foundation and The Pinkerton Foundation.

The National High School Design Competition is made possible with major support from Shelby and Frederick Gans. Generous support is also provided by Adobe.

Design Hive is made possible with major support from Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Richard and Jean Coyne Family Foundation, and The Pinkerton Foundation. Generous support is also provided by Adobe and The Hirsch Family Foundation.

National Design Week programs are made possible with major support from

Generous support is provided by The Hirsch Family Foundation and The Pinkerton Foundation.

The National Design Awards are made possible with major support from

Major support is also provided by Helen and Edward Hintz and Shelby and Frederick Gans. Generous support is provided by Alexandra and Paul Herzan, Crystal and Chris Sacca, and Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer.

Additional support is provided by Agnes Gund, Amita and Purnendu Chatterjee, Esme Usdan and James Snyder, Jon C. Iwata, Keith Yamashita, Kim and Mac Schuessler, Margery and Edgar Masinter, Richard M. Smith and Dr. Soon-Young Yoon, and Cooper Hewitt’s Board of Trustees.

National Design Award trophies are created by The Corning Museum of Glass.