For the eighth installment of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s popular Design by Hand series, the museum will present hands-on workshops with the celebrated Dutch industrial design studio Scholten & Baijings. Taking place September 25–27, the programs will offer a unique opportunity for the public to explore the design studio’s process and investigations of color, form and material.
Augmenting the series, an interactive installation in the museum’s Process Lab, “Scholten & Baijings: Lessons from the Studio,” on view through March 2019, invites visitors to engage with the studio’s experimental design process.
“Thanks to our long-standing partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels, our celebrated Design by Hand series continues to grow in influence and reach,” said Caroline Baumann, director of Cooper Hewitt. “This fall, Scholten & Baijings will add a dynamic new dimension to the series through their artisanal approach to design. Scholten & Baijings engage with materials at each step of their design process, from mixing their own colors to building paper models to assembling recipe books of ingredients and techniques.”
“We’ve accepted 30 of the team’s innovative works into our collection—including their most recent textiles inspired by our holdings of 18th-century Dutch darning samplers. Educators and innovators, Scholten & Baijings’ experimental thinking will inform the Design by Hand series throughout, as well as be the focus of the newest installation in our Process Lab,” Baumann continued.
“We are proud to continue our support of the Design by Hand series,” said Helen King, President & C.E.O of Van Cleef & Arpels, Americas. “Our collaboration is inspired by our common mission and passion for the sharing and preservation of craftsmanship and superb design.”
Design by Hand is a biannual program dedicated to the importance of craftsmanship in contemporary design. Launched in partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels in 2013, the Design by Hand series previously has featured programs with Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (2017); Maison Lesage (2016); Estudio Campana (2016), Pixar Animations Studios (2015), Ralph Rucci (2015), Heath Ceramics (2014) and Marimekko (2013).
Design by Hand is made possible by the support of Van Cleef & Arpels.
Process Lab is made possible by major support from Alice Gottesman.
DESIGN BY HAND EVENT INFORMATION
All programs take place at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (2 E. 91st St., New York City) and require advance registration at cooperhewitt.org/events.
Design Talk with Scholten & Baijings
Tuesday, Sept. 25; 7–8:30 p.m.
$20 for general admission, $10 for members, educators, students and seniors
Carole Baijings of Scholten & Baijings will discuss the studio’s singular design philosophy and working methods informed by their research into traditional craft practices and commitment to working by hand to develop new forms and materials. The talk will be followed by a viewing of “Scholten & Baijings: Lessons from the Studio” in the Process Lab.
Color Workshop with Scholten & Baijings
Wednesday, Sept. 26; 2–4 p.m.
$30 for general admission, $20 for students and educators, $10 for members and seniors
Scholten & Baijings will share the studio’s investigations into the dynamic interaction of color through their Maharam Darning Sampler project. Participants will use various materials to explore how layering, opacity and proximity can transform relationships between colors.
Form Workshop with Scholten & Baijings
Thursday, Sept. 27; 10:30 a.m. –12:30 p.m.
$30 for general admission, $20 for students and educators, $10 for members and seniors
In a workshop based on the studio’s examination of elasticity of form in their Vegetables project, Scholten & Baijings will guide participants through a process of transforming complex forms into simple shapes.
Material and Prototype Workshop with Scholten & Baijings
Thursday, Sept. 27; 2–4 p.m.
$30 for general admission, $20 for students and educators, $10 for members and seniors
Inspired by Scholten & Baijings’ Paper Porcelain project, participants will create prototypes of everyday objects by taking cues from the materials’ makeup. All materials will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite cup or mug to reference during program.
ABOUT COOPER HEWITT
Cooper Hewitt is America’s design museum. Inclusive, innovative and experimental, the museum’s dynamic exhibitions, education programs, master’s program, publications and online resources inspire, educate and empower people through design. An integral part of the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum and research complex—Cooper Hewitt is located on New York City’s Museum Mile in the historic, landmark Carnegie Mansion. Steward of one of the world’s most diverse and comprehensive design collections—over 210,000 objects that range from an ancient Egyptian faience cup dating to about 1100 BCE to contemporary 3D-printed objects and digital code—Cooper Hewitt welcomes everyone to discover the importance of design and its power to change the world. Cooper Hewitt knits digital into experiences to enhance ideas, extend reach beyond museum walls, and enable greater access, personalization, experimentation and connection. In 2018, the London Design Biennale awarded a medal to Cooper Hewitt for its presentation “Face Values,” an immersive installation that explores the pervasive but often hidden role of facial-detection technology in contemporary society.
Cooper Hewitt is located at 2 East 91st Street at Fifth Avenue in New York City. Hours are Sunday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, accessible without an admissions ticket, opens at 8 a.m., Monday through Friday. The Tarallucci e Vino café is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Public transit routes include the Lexington Avenue 4, 5 and 6 subways (86th or 96th Street stations), the Second Avenue Q subway (96th Street station), and the Fifth and Madison Avenue buses. Adult admission, $16 in advance via tickets.cooperhewitt.org, $18 at door; seniors, $10 in advance via tickets.cooperhewitt.org, $12 at door; students, $7 in advance via tickets.cooperhewitt.org, $9 at door. Cooper Hewitt members and children younger than age 18 are admitted free. Pay What You Wish every Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m. The museum is fully accessible.
For further information, call (212) 849-8400, visit Cooper Hewitt’s website at www.cooperhewitt.org and follow the museum on www.twitter.com/cooperhewitt, www.facebook.com/cooperhewitt and www.instagram.com/cooperhewitt.
ABOUT SCHOLTEN & BAIJINGS
For Dutch designers Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings, the creative tensions between color and pattern, surface and form, and design and production define every project the studio undertakes. Partners in work and life, they established Scholten & Baijings as a formal practice in 2000.
The Amsterdam-based studio has produced highly coveted objects in textiles, carpets, glass and ceramic, alongside tableware, textiles, furniture and lighting collections. They have produced showcase home designs, museum exhibitions, installations, even a concept car for MINI. Clients include The Art Institute of Chicago, Victoria & Albert Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Rijksmuseum, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, 1616 / arita japan, Georg Jensen, Herman Miller, MINI, Maharam, Thomas Eyck, Karimoku New Standard and HAY, among others. The studio’s work has been recognized by three ELLE Decoration International Design Awards and four Dutch Design Awards. The studio’s first monograph, Reproducing Scholten & Baijings, was published by Phaidon in 2015.
ABOUT VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Van Cleef & Arpels was born in Paris’ Place Vendôme in 1906, following Alfred Van Cleef’s marriage to Estelle Arpels in 1895. Always striving for excellence, the Maison has become a worldwide reference through its unique designs, its choice of exceptional stones and its virtuoso craftsmanship, offering jewels and timepieces that tell stories and bring enchantment to life. In 2011, Cooper Hewitt mounted the exhibition “Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels,” which explored the historical significance of the house’s contributions to jewelry design in the 20th century.