What's On

While Cooper-Hewitt is closed for renovation we have an ongoing series of events and public programs happening in venues around the city to stimulate and deepen your engagement with design.


Target Design Kids: Design Tales Tue, 05/22/2012 - 10:00 - 11:00 Join us as we explore design basics for preschoolers between the ages of 2 – 5. Caregivers are invited to participate in interactive reading sessions that focus on design based books.
Teen Program: DesignPrep Studio Visit - Material ConneXion Wed, 05/23/2012 - 16:30 - 17:30 Join us for a studio visit a global materials consultancy with the world's library of advanced, innovative and sustainable materials and processes.
Bill's Design Talks: Product Design with Scott Wilson, MINIMAL Thu, 05/24/2012 - 18:30 - 20:00 In 2007, Scott Wilson founded MINIMAL, a hybrid design studio that balances creating new experiences for global brands with his passion for entrepreneurial ventures. Having designed at three consultancies, four corporations, and five start-ups, Wilson consistently defies existing categories and establishes new ones, from Nike's Presto Digital Bracelet to Coalesses's SW1 Collection, the Xbox 360 + Kinect, and the Microsoft Courier, which preceded the iPad. His Tik Tok + LunaTik project, which transforms the iPod nano into a multi-touch watch, raised $1 million in thirty days via Kickstarter, turning Wilson into a posterboy for crowd funding. He will talk to Bill about his design practice and process and divulge some of the secrets behind his success.
Target Design Kids: Creative Communications Sat, 05/26/2012 - 11:00 - 16:00 Children ages five and older are invited to join Architect and Creative Coach Alla Kazovsky in designing pieces that make a true statement! All participants will be guided in creating a mind map of ideas and designing a mini billboard.
Target Design Kids: Imagination Playground Tue, 05/29/2012 - 10:00 - 11:00 Imagination Playground empowers children to be inspired by the space around them through unstructured free play and encourages child directed play. Make a date to build and dream with our indoor Imagination Playground, for children ages 2 to 5.
We Made This: Post-Digital Culture and Spanish Design Sat, 06/02/2012 - 14:00 - 16:00 How does design get made today? Join leading designers from Spain, the U.S. and abroad as they talk about their work and the state of graphic design in today's global, connected design world. The convergence of hand processes, traditional printing methods, and digital production are creating new ways to make and consume media.
Teen Program: DesignPrep - Jewelry Design with Monique Pean Wed, 06/06/2012 - 16:30 - Thu, 06/07/2012 - 18:00 Meet jewelry design Monique Pean and learn about her design process. Draw from her inspiration to create your own one-of-a-kind pieces
Cooper-Hewitt at Museum Mile Festival Tue, 06/12/2012 - 18:00 - 21:00 Enjoy 23 car-free blocks along Fifth Avenue! Museums along Museum Mile collectively open their doors from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., free of charge. Join Cooper-Hewitt’s education team for chalk designs and learn more about the various off-site exhibition and education programs around NYC during the RE:DESIGN renovation project.
Wicked Problems in Type Design Mon, 06/18/2012 - 18:30 - 20:00 Six leading and emerging voices in the field of type design talk about problems central to their work. Each speaker will address a burning question concerning the design, use, culture, technology, or business of fonts and typefaces.
Graphic Design - Under Discussion Thu, 07/19/2012 - 18:30 - 20:00 Join curators and a panel of designers and critics for an evening of debate and discussion about the exhibition: Why this show now? What does the exhibition aim to achieve? What questions does it raise? What will the field look like fifteen years from now?
Indie Publishing: Books, Magazine, and Monsters Sat, 07/21/2012 - 14:00 - 16:00 Meet editors, designers, and authors of independent books and magazines. Learn about the ups and downs of print and media in the new millennium.
America's Most-Wanted Eco Posters Sat, 08/25/2012 - 14:00 - 16:00 Be a part of history as Ed Morris, the co-author of Green Patriot Posters, leads a team of designers, thinkers, environmentalists and audience participants in creating America’s Most-Wanted Eco-Poster in real time!
Graphic Design - The Final Hours Sat, 09/01/2012 - 14:00 - 16:00 During the final weekend of the exhibition “Graphic Design—Now In Production” on Governors Island, come talk with some of the field’s leading practitioners about life, death, and visual communications. Hear about how new and old media are changing how designers work; commiserate on the loss of some of the world’s greatest logotypes; and celebrate the birth of new design methods and talents.