This program is designed for blind and low vision audiences. Anyone who benefits from the verbal description of visuals is welcome.
Join Cooper Hewitt for a tour of A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes, co-led by exhibition curators Susan Brown and Alexa Griffith. American textile designer, weaver, and color authority Dorothy Liebes (1897–1972) had a profound influence across design fields, helping to shape American tastes in areas from interiors and transportation to industrial design, fashion, and film. Through rich verbal description, along with touchable fabric samples replicating some of Liebes’s most iconic pieces, we will explore her signature “Liebes Look,” which combined vivid color, lush texture, and often a glint of metallic. Her vibrant patterns became inextricably linked with the American modern aesthetic.
When: Friday, December 1, 2:00– 4:00 p.m. ET
Where: Cooper Hewitt, 2 E 91st St
Participation Level: High – Participants will take a tour of the galleries and touch fabric samples.
Register here, or send an email with your name to CHAccess@si.edu or call Kirsten Sweeney at 212.849.8384.
Accessibility:
- Location: The tour will take place in Cooper Hewitt’s second-floor galleries, accessible via stairs or elevator. Portable stools are available for participants who cannot stand for long periods of time.
- For general questions, including requests for additional accessibility services such as Pro-Tactile interpreting, please email us at CHAccess@si.edu or let us know when registering. Please make your accommodation request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least one week before the program date.
Support:
A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes is made possible by The Coby Foundation; The Decorative Arts Trust; the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, a program of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum; and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
The project received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Generous support is provided by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation; the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation; Mergentime Family Archive; and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, administered by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation.
Support is also provided by Elizabeth Whelan, The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, and Patsy Orlofsky.
Additional support for the publication is provided by the Andrew Mellon Foundation Publications Fund and Furthermore: a program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund.
