Adult Programs

A photograph of a light skinned adult with short brown hair leans over a table to demonstrate an activity to an older, dark sinned adult who sits across from her. To the right of the adult sitting a dark-skinned adult with closely shaved white hair and gold rimmed glasses is painting a small white object. In the background there are other adults sitting around a table.

Adult programs

As the nation’s design museum, Cooper Hewitt offers a range of adult public programs and events that engage with our exhibitions and collections through exploring contemporary and historic design topics. From lectures and panel discussions to studio visits and hands-on workshops, our programming aims to share the power and possibilities of design.

For information about mansion and exhibition tours, please visit Tours.

A photograph of a room full of adults sitting down drawing at multiple tables scattered around a room. At the back of the room there is a screen that has a black and white photograph of an interior space. To the left of the room are three large dome shaped windows, and on the right side of the room there is a fireplace with bookshelves on both sides.

A photograph of a bird's eye view of a light skinned person with curly red hair sitting at a table and drawing an interior space on a piece of paper attached to a clip board.

A photograph of two women holding microphones and stand in front of an audience giving a presentation. The light skinned woman with long straight black hair speaking on the right is Es Devlin, she wears a yellow sweater and a chunky necklace. The light-skinned woman with short brown hair on the left is looking and smiling at Es Devlin. Behind them is a screen projecting an image of a stage composed of large-scale hands and playing cards that appear to be thrown into the air. The stage is set on a waterfront, and in the background the sun is setting.

A photograph of four people sitting in chairs across a stage. The light skinned man sitting in the middle, Seymour Chwast, is speaking into a microphone, he has a grey beard, wears glasses, and a baseball cap. Behind the group is a large screen projecting multiple images of posters and illustrations that relate to War, each designed by Seymour Chawst.

A photograph of two adults giving a presentation in front of a room of adults. The light-skinned adult with brown hair slicked back into a ponytail is speaking to the group. Behind them is a large screen titled, â€œConservation: an introductionâ€, that has multiple images of people doing conservation work. In front of them is a table of various decorative objects that look like vases or candle holders.

A photograph, taken from above, of a group of people sitting down at a table and painting colourful dots onto small circular objects the size of a quarter. Various art materials are scattered across the table, including markers, paintbrushes, stencils, and coloring pages with circular designs that mimic the real-life objects that people are painting.

A photograph of a woman with shoulder length grey-blonde hair and a white knitted cardigan stands at a podium speaking in front of an audience. Behind her is a screen projecting a slide of multiple images, such as a color sample sheet, textile samples on a table, and a mood board.

A photograph of a group of people standing and looking at prints, carving tools, and carved wooden blocks or linocut. The light skinned person with short blond hair standing in the center of the group is taking a picture of the prints on their phone. The medium skinned person on the far right rests their head on their hand, looking inquisitive.

Upcoming Adult Programs

To see programs for all age levels, view our Calendar.

Upcoming Events

Three individuals pictured in separate portrait photographs with outdoor backgrounds.

09/24

Thursday

Director’s Talks: Maria Nicanor in Conversation with Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman, 2026 National Design Award Winner, Climate Action

Thu. September 24, 2026
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET

Join Cooper Hewitt for a talk with Climate Action winner Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman—the latest program in a new series spotlighting the 2026 National Design Award winners in conversation with Director Maria Nicanor. Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman lead an internationally recognized research-based design practice working along the U.S.–Mexico border. Their winning project, UCSD Community Stations, is a collaborative network of civic spaces—co-designed with local partners on both sides of the border wall—integrating cultural programming, scientific research, and community engagement to advance climate resilience and social equity. View full event details here.

Event Address:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
2 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128

Get your tickets today.

$25 Adult, $10 Museum Member, $12 Educator, Senior, Student, Visitors with Disabilities

10/01

Thursday

Radical Gardens: An Ecological and Ever Evolving Design Manifesto

Thu. October 1, 2026
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Join landscape architects and 2025 National Design Award winners TERREMOTO as they discuss their newly released principles of radical gardening, a practice-wide commitment to creating “omni-positive” gardens that are deeply empathetic, ecologically restorative, and thoughtfully designed to support all living things at every scale. TERREMOTO is a landscape architecture design studio with offices in Los Angeles and Berkeley California founded in 2012 with the intention of building gardens and landscapes that were explorations and investigations into ideas and culture. They create site-specific landscapes that respond to client needs while challenging historical and contemporary landscape construction methods, materials, and formal conventions. Spanning projects of diverse scales and typologies, TERREMOTO's portfolio reflects a belief that gardens can respond to the needs of all, and that this expansiveness gives rise to novel forms of beauty. Kasey Toomey and Story Wiggins from TERREMOTO will be joined by Billy Fleming, interdisciplinary scholar of climate justice and design, for a conversation about how they translate their values into practice through landscapes that embrace process-based stewardship, closed-loop systems, and care for both human and non-human communities. Together, they will explore how gardens can serve as powerful tools for imagining a radical future built and tended with love. View full event details here.

Event Address:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
2 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128

Get your tickets today.

$20 Adult, $10 Museum Member, $12 Educator, Senior, Student, Visitors with Disabilities

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