Author: Katie Shelly

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Design By Hand | Ralph Rucci
Public Lecture: Join us as Ralph Rucci talks about his creative process, inspiration, and the role of the hand in his work. About the Design by Hand series: Launched in fall 2013 with the iconic Finnish brand Marimekko, the Design by Hand series focuses on the craftsmanship, innovations, and merits of contemporary global designers. Special...
Design Talks I Game Changers: Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO
Announcing “Game Changers,” a new series of design conversations with influential and innovative practitioners, thinkers, and industry leaders across design disciplines. The series launches on April 21, with a conversation between Cooper Hewitt Senior Curator of Contemporary Design Ellen Lupton and game changer Tim Brown, the CEO and President of IDEO, a world-renowned innovation and...
Beautiful Users | Hacking Consumer Goods
Personal 3D printing technologies are moving design and manufacturing into the hands of users, allowing makers to create—and share—digital files for producing physical objects. Hacking, long associated with penetrating the secrets of software, has extended its conquest to the world of physical things. Users are now taking apart and reassembling consumer products, treating the world...
Image features a color photo of two brides holding hands, and mouths open as though yelling. One woman with a thought bubble that reads: “Not what I had / in mind!” They are standing on a table covered with silver and china. Across the poster, in pink: “Is it worth being / Boring / for a Blender?” Lower margin: “GAY MARRIAGE / You might as well be straight.” Upper left: “Poster sponsored / in part by / HX FOR HER / NEW YORK CITY”. Upper right: “ANOTHER PUBLIC ART PROJECT BROUGHT TO YOU BY / DAM! [DYKE ACTION MACHINE] / dam@echonyc.com.
Gays Against Gay Marriage
This provocative poster was designed in 1997, one year after the US Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act. Known simply as “DOMA,” the Act barred same-sex married couples from being recognized by federal law. The poster is the work of Dyke Action Machine!, a New York activist duo consisting of photographer Sue Schaffner and...
Robot Invasion: Are Smart Products Running Your Life?
Advanced robotic prosthetics are breaking down the difference between human and machine, while consumer products equipped with cameras, sensors, and software seek to observe and learn from our behavior. As smart phones, thermostats, and robotic vacuum cleaners become more autonomous and lifelike, people develop emotional relationships with them. Join Cooper Hewitt curator Ellen Lupton as...
Maira Kalman: My Favorite Things, a film by Gael Towey
Don’t miss the world premiere of Gael Towey’s latest short film, Maira Kalman: My Favorite Things. The film profiles renowned visual storyteller Maira Kalman as she curates Maira Kalman Selects, one of our ten inaugural exhibitions. On the occasion of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, the film will delight you with the story of his pocket watch—one...
a deep blue hardcover book with tattered edges, and title printed in gold relief.
The Chakras
Last year, our librarian Stephen Van Dyk picked up this slender blue hardcover at a rare book auction. He didn’t know exactly what a “chakra” was, but still he found the worn old book remarkable, if not a bit weird, for its striking illustrations of big painted circles. I was surprised to see this book...
Lockwood de Forest | Passion for the Exotic
Join Cooper Hewitt curators Sarah Coffin and Gail Davidson, and Lockwood de Forest scholar Roberta Mayer for three presentations celebrating the Carnegie Mansion’s newly restored Teak Room. Topics covered will include De Forest’s clients and earlier commissions, his relationship with Frederic Church, his interest in India and sources for the Teak Room commission.
Officials cut an orange ribbon to open the museum on 121214
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Full remarks from Smithsonian leadership and New York City government officials at the grand-reopening of the Cooper Hewitt museum on December 12th, 2014.