People sit working at large textile looms in front of a high wall of shelves filled to the brim with vibrant and colorful yarn and other kinds of thread; another person stands and watches their work.
A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes
Previously On View: Friday, July 7, 2023 to Sunday, February 4, 2024

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. The “Liebes Look”—which combined vivid color, lush texture, and often a glint of metallic—became inextricably linked with the American modern aesthetic....

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Three photos in a collage: From left, a young boy in a bright red shirt and black shorts and a teenage girl in a pink shirt and floral pants are seen riding a hot pink teeter totter on one side of a tall, rusty wall. Families crowd around the area observing the action and taking photos; top right photo shows clear plastic orbs filled with messages, which are being handled by men in camouflage attire; bottom right photo shows a large street installation reading in bright yellow, all caps "ACT NOW" and a symbol in the foreground. A group of people carrying flags and banners is visible in the distance.
Designing Peace
Previously On View: Friday, June 10, 2022 to Sunday, August 6, 2023

What would be possible if we were to design for peace? Designing Peace explores the unique role design can play in pursuing peace. Visitors will encounter a wide range of design responses from around the world that look at ways to create and sustain a more durable peace, and will be encouraged to consider their own agency in...

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Two visitors admire botanical models on view at Cooper Hewitt
Nature By Design: Botanical Lessons
Previously On View: Saturday, June 8, 2019 to Monday, May 29, 2023

Nature by Design presents distinct stories drawn from Cooper Hewitt’s collection of over 215,000 design objects. Throughout history, designers have observed nature, investigated its materials, and imitated and abstracted its patterns and shapes. Textiles, jewelry, furniture, cutlery, and more show how designers have interpreted nature’s rich beauty and astonishing complexity. Across scales from microscopic to monumental, and in forms familiar ...

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View of exhibition space with three framed artworks on a slanted table in foreground and colorful vases in a glass vitrine in background.
Deconstructing Power: W. E. B. Du Bois at the 1900 World’s Fair
Previously On View: Friday, December 9, 2022 to Monday, May 29, 2023

Deconstructing Power: W. E. B. Du Bois at the 1900 World’s Fair places decorative arts from Cooper Hewitt’s permanent collection in dialogue with 20 innovative data visualizations that W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) created for the 1900 Paris World’s Fair to explore how design can both reveal and mask dynamics of power and equity....

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Sepia toned postcard with man sketching at drafting table with ornate fireplace in back. Top of postcard reads "Le Style Guimard"
Hector Guimard: How Paris Got Its Curves
Previously On View: Friday, November 18, 2022 to Sunday, May 21, 2023

Hector Guimard: How Paris Got Its Curves invites a new understanding of France’s most famous art nouveau architect, Hector Guimard (1867–1942). Guimard is perhaps best known for his designs for the Paris Métro stations (1898–1900) and private residences like Castel Béranger (1895–97)—both important commissions broadcasting the art nouveau style he was developing at the turn of the century. The repeated ...

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A collage of four images, from left to right: the illuminated exterior of a cholera treatment center; a figure putting on a multi-colored mask with a clear section over the lips; a hand holds a lozenge-shaped green plastic device; a person wearing blue and white scrubs against a pink background.
Design and Healing: Creative Responses to Epidemics
Previously On View: Friday, December 10, 2021 to Sunday, March 19, 2023

What is design’s role in times of crisis? Communities and individuals come together to aid each other, push for change, and create new spaces, objects, and services. Epidemics—both in the past and in the present—have triggered the discovery of new ways to treat and prevent disease while exposing systemic gaps and failures.

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View exhibitions prior to 2015 on the collection site