Paul Johnson, who established Johnson Trading Gallery in 2007, welcomed Design Watch Members for a look into the gallery’s mix of vintage and contemporary pieces by emerging designers. Highlights included Max Lamb’s hand-molded wax and nanocrystalline copper chairs; Kwangho Lee’s customized electric cables hand-woven and fashioned into lamps; Ricky Clifton’s Egyptian-styled furniture and...
Design Watch Members enjoyed a special evening with Cooper-Hewitt trustee Richard Meier at the opening of Art in Architecture: Selected Works by Richard Meier in Brooklyn. This exhibition is hosted in Richard Meier’s own architectural project, Richard Meier on Prospect Park. Meier’s collages and sculptures complement his architecture in various, unexpected ways. In contrast to...
The materials want to be something, they are waiting. Each material has its own function and potential. -Shigeru Ban Earlier this week, Cooper-Hewitt’s Design Watch Members had the special privilege of visiting Metal Shutter Houses, Shigeru Ban’s first condominium project in the United States, with Dean Maltz, Partner at Shigeru Ban Architects, and developer...
A small group of Cooper-Hewitt Members had the special privilege of going on an installation tour of Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay. In the galleries, geometric prints popped with color and movement. Members previewed gorgeous gouache on paper and finished fashion pieces—embroidered swimsuits and a coat made for silent film star Gloria...
Moorhead & Moorhead, brothers Granger and Robert, welcomed Cooper-Hewitt Members to their studio last evening. Their work explores issues of function and materiality, at scales ranging from furniture to architecture. An exploration of elasticity, the Rubber Lamp is a flexible silicone shell that flips up or down. Tape Wound Borne, featured in Design Life Now:...
Design is about people, not things… Not just a catchphrase, it’s the key to Smart Design’s success. Over 90% of their designs have been brought to market, an impressive statistic for any industry. Their formula is simple: understanding the differing needs of people results in design that is truly universal. Cooper-Hewitt Members enjoyed a ‘fireside...
SIMS Municipal Recycling Facility in Brooklyn. Image courtesy of Selldorf Architects. Selldorf Architects, located at Manhattan’s Union Square, recently opened their studio to Cooper-Hewitt’s Design Watch Members. The firm has acquired an international reputation for work that is sensitive to context and program, thoughtful in execution and timeless. The firm has worked on public and...
Design Watch Members from across the nation – Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa, New York, and Miami – gathered for an action-packed week of design in Miami. Joined by Cooper-Hewitt’s Caroline Baumann, Associate Director, and Matilda McQuaid, Deputy Curatorial Director, we explored the Design Miami/, Art Basel Miami Beach, and surrounding fairs; made new...
Another day with Design Watch Members in Miami…. First stop: 1111 Lincoln Road with architect Nils Sanderson from Swiss architects’ Herzog & de Mueron’s office. Nils started the tour in front of this just completed parking garage (but this is no ordinary parking garage) that anchors the western end of the pedestrian Lincoln Road. Starting...
