Current Exhibitions

The Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Photo: Agaton Strom Photography

FREDERIC CHURCH IN JAMAICA
On view THROUGH FEBRUARY 15, 2027

Very detailed painted botanical sketch of three palm trees growing on a steep hillside in Jamaica.

Frederic Church in Jamaica centers on the artist’s rarely exhibited sketches from his 1865 travels, presented within their historical context. The works document Jamaica’s plant life and landscapes in detailed observational studies.Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Frederic Church’s birth, this exhibition draws from Cooper Hewitt’s holdings of over 2,000 of the artists’ oil and graphite sketches, the largest collection of Church works in the world.

Learn more about Frederic Church in Jamaica →

Design Across Time: Exploring the Smithsonian’s Design Collection
ONGOING

Grid of twelve objects showing examples of wearables, lamps, dishware, wallpaper, and seating that have changed over time.

Occupying the entire first floor of the museum’s Carnegie Mansion, Design Across Time expands public access to Cooper Hewitt’s collection and includes significant works newly brought out of storage. Through objects spanning time, geography, and discipline—including graphic design, product design, fashion, textiles, furniture, wallcoverings, digital design, and architecture—this exhibition highlights the breadth of the national design collection.

Design Across Time organizes the museum’s vast collection around thematic clusters to explore some of the many approaches designers use in their creative process. Designers Play and Tweak to experiment and iterate ideas. They Repeat elements to reinforce messages; Transform materials into sustainable solutions; Show Off craftsmanship to create objects of beauty; or Simplify complex shapes and information.

Learn more about Design Across Time →

The Substitute
On View Through February 15, 2027

Part of Design Across Time, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg’s The Substitute is an immersive video and sound installation that digitally resurrects the extinct male Northern white rhino using artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art visual effects.

Learn more about The Substitute →

SUPPORT

Frederic Church in Jamaica is made possible by the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Robert Lehman Foundation, The Lunder Foundation, The Felicia Fund, and the HRBT Foundation.

Design Across Time: Exploring the Smithsonian’s Design Collection received major support from Jon and Shigemi Iwata, and Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer. Additional generous support has been made by Amita and Purnendu Chatterjee, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation, Irene Au and Bradley Horowitz, and Chris and Irma Fralic. This project received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years.