This fall, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will present “Frederic Church in Jamaica,” featuring the artist’s rarely exhibited sketches from his 1865 travels to Jamaica. On view Friday, Oct. 30, through Monday, Feb. 15, 2027, the exhibition brings together over 60 works documenting Jamaica’s plant life and landscapes in detailed observational studies, framed within Church’s personal biography, grieving the loss of his two young children, and the wider context of a society and environment under colonial rule. The post “Frederic Church in Jamaica” to Open This Fall at Cooper Hewitt as Part of Global Celebrations of Church’s 200th Birth Anniversary first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Join MTA Arts & Design and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum for a special conversation celebrating the opening of MTA Arts and Design’s In Service: MTA Photographs by Christopher Payne and the closing of Cooper Hewitt’s Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne. Photographer Christopher Payne will discuss his process and share stories... The post The Inside Track: Christopher Payne on Photographing the MTA first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

In conjunction with Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne, join Cooper Hewitt for an illustrated talk on the critical role photography has played at MillerKnoll across the histories of both Herman Miller and Knoll. Whether documenting manufacturing processes or creating images for advertising, photographs of MillerKnoll’s furniture and textiles have shaped our... The post Image Making and Innovation at MillerKnoll first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Join Cooper Hewitt for a talk with Design Visionary Award winner Robert Earl Paige—the first program in a new series spotlighting the 2026 National Design Award winners in conversation with Director Maria Nicanor. Paige is an artist, designer, and educator whose work disregards boundaries between fine art, craft, and design. A participant in the Black... The post Maria Nicanor talks with Robert Earl Paige, 2026 National Design Awards Winner, Design Visionary first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

A virtual lunchtime talk with Jules Sherman, winner of the 2025 National Design Award in Product Design, as she reflects on how her design practice has evolved over the past decade. Drawing from her work in medical device design and healthcare innovation, Sherman will share the fundamentals of her process—tracing her early use of hand-drawn... The post Designing Healthcare in the AI Era, National Design Award Winner Jules Sherman & Figma’s Amber Bravo first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

This summer, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will unveil its permanent collection galleries with a landmark presentation, “Design Across Time: Exploring the Smithsonian’s Design Collection.” Opening Friday, June 26, and on view for an extended, two-year display, “Design Across Time” will showcase a selection drawn from the national design collection of Cooper Hewitt, the New York City-based Smithsonian museum entirely devoted to design. Installed throughout the first floor of the museum’s Carnegie Mansion, the exhibition provides visitors with a new thematic take on one of the most diverse and comprehensive design collections in the world. The post Cooper Hewitt Unveils Permanent Collection Galleries Showcasing a Multi-Year Presentation of the National Design Collection first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum honored the winners of the 2026 National Design Awards alongside a distinguished group of Gala Honorees at the annual Smithsonian National Design Awards Gala in New York City on May 19, bringing together more than 300 leaders from the design, cultural, business and philanthropic communities for the museum’s premier fundraising event. The post Cooper Hewitt Celebrates 2026 National Design Award Winners and Honorees at Annual Gala first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum today announced the appointment of Michelle Millar Fisher, Ph.D. as Chief Curator, effective July 13. As Chief Curator, Fisher will define the creative vision and direction of content for Cooper Hewitt, lead the museum’s five curatorial departments and conservation team, and steward the permanent collection, composed of more than 215,000 objects. Fisher will succeed Matilda McQuaid, who will be retiring from Cooper Hewitt this spring after an impactful 24-year tenure at the museum. The post Michelle Millar Fisher is Appointed Chief Curator of Cooper Hewitt first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Kalina Prospect High School Cook County, IL Student Design Strong connections to oneself and community are essential for well-being, yet increasing dependence on technology has led to widespread digital overstimulation and social isolation. Offline Oasis responds by creating a space that encourages individuals to slow down and reconnect with themselves while also supporting meaningful interaction.... The post Midwest Winner first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Leehyun, Seoyoon, and Celine The Taft School, Kent School, and Deerfield Academy Litchfield County, CT; and Franklin County, MA Student Design Our “Undulating Landscape” replaces rigid linear desks with a multi-functional, organic environment for kindergarteners. Children naturally transition between recessed curves for quiet rest and elevated ridges that serve as intuitive surfaces for creative work.... The post Northeast Winner first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Sol Orange County School of the Arts Orange County, CA Student Design Urban runoff affects all Southern Californians, especially people in Santa Ana. This Portable Biofilter Planter captures pollutants before they reach sewers. Inspired by the Zanja Madre’s visible water management, it utilizes river stones and native plants to slow floods at curbs and parking... The post Northwest Winner first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Junaid Independence High School Williamson County, TN Student Design As someone with special needs, therapeutic horseback riding has fostered inclusion, healing, and growth for individuals like me in communities across our nation. Standard stirrups are often inadequate for riders who require enhanced support and safety. This patent-pending specialized stirrup, featuring a heel rest with adjustable... The post Southeast Winner first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

What do you mean by design? Opening up the question at the heart of his practice and business, Room for Magic and Deem Journal, Nu Goteh—winner of the 2025 National Design Award for Emerging Designer— will present his renowned work that spans his community-centered research, branding, publishing, and social practice. He will explore the ways... The post The Latest in Design with 2025 National Design Awards Winner Nu Goteh first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Ish Collin County, TX Liberty High School Student Design EcoFlow addresses menstrual waste polluting Frisco’s waterways and landfills, impacting our community’s environment. This biodegradable tampon applicator is made from compressed seaweed bioplastic with a water-based lubricant coating. The ribbed grip and rounded tip maintain familiar handling while decomposing in 6-7 days after flushing, versus 500... The post Southwest Regional Winner first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum today announced a new distinction to be introduced at this year’s Smithsonian National Design Awards Gala: a group of Gala Honorees recognized for their lasting contributions to the field of design. The honorees will be celebrated alongside the winners of the 2026 National Design Awards at the annual awards gala Tuesday, May 19 in New York City. The post Cooper Hewitt Announces Gala Honorees to be Recognized Alongside the 2026 National Design Award Winners first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

For Part 2, enjoy a dynamic conversation where writer and curator Vince Aletti speaks with DJ partners and publishers Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele of Love Injection. Together with moderator Matthew Higgs, they’ll unpack the visual language of album covers, posters and flyers. Discover how music’s graphic design including typography, color, and production techniques help... The post An Afternoon on Sound & Music Design Part 2 first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

In Part 1, dive into the world of contemporary speaker design with fast-paced presentations by New York’s rising audio innovators—Deborah Garcia, Mo Yasin, and Zoë Mowat and Dave Shaw of Waves and Frequencies. Learn about their strategies for spatial activation, home audio enhancement, and live event sound system set ups. SPEAKERS PART 1 Deborah Garcia... The post An Afternoon on Sound & Music Design Part 1 first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Join Michael Maltzan, 2025 National Design Award winner in Architecture, and Florian Idenburg, co-founder of Brooklyn-based architecture firm SO-IL, for a discussion on urban housing in Los Angeles and New York. Despite the cities’ distinct housing landscapes, both Maltzan and Idenburg employ imaginative, experimental, and persistent strategies to expand architectural possibilities through projects ranging from... The post A Conversation on Urban Housing with 2025 NDA Winner Michael Maltzan and Architect Florian Idenburg first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Join multidisciplinary artist Devon Turnbull and renowned radio host and author John Schaefer for an evening conversation on music, their work crafting listening experiences, and Turnbull’s latest installation at Cooper Hewitt, HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3. The installation features a large scale, handmade, audio system designed to envelop the listener in sound that... The post A Conversation with Devon Turnbull and John Schaefer first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum announced today the winners of the 2026 National Design Awards. Launched in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards celebrate excellence and leadership in design, recognizing the innovation and impact of individual designers and organizations across 10 categories. Award recipients are selected by a multidisciplinary jury of practitioners, educators and leaders from a wide range of design fields and will be honored at the Smithsonian National Design Awards Gala May 19 in New York City. The post Cooper Hewitt Announces 2026 National Design Award Winners first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Join photographer Christopher Payne, former New York Times photography editor Kathy Ryan, and bestselling author Rachel Slade for a wide-ranging conversation around Payne’s Made in America project to document industrial manufacturing across the United States. Payne’s images show a startling diversity of companies, from a pencil factory and humanoid robot maker, to a lab that... The post Made in America: A Conversation with Christopher Payne, Kathy Ryan, and Rachel Slade first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will present the immersive sound installation “Devon Turnbull: HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3,” from Dec. 12 through July 19, 2026, featuring a large-scale, handmade audio system by multi-disciplinary artist Devon Turnbull. The opening of the listening room marks the museum’s kick off to a series of music, sound and design-oriented programming over the next months and is part of the “Art of Noise” exhibition, opening in full Feb. 13, 2026, and organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). The post Devon Turnbull’s Immersive Listening Room to Open at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Dec. 12 first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Join Cooper Hewitt for the next Making Home Saturday Series where we consider the hidden homes of our DNA with artist and biohacker Dr. Heather Dewey-Hagborg. In Session 1, Dewey-Hagborg will discuss her installation and soundtrack for Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial, which explores the architectural and cultural footprint of so-called “biobanks.” Filled with biological samples... The post Making Home Saturday Series: Is Home Where the Body Is? (Session 1) first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

This December, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will present “Art of Noise,” an exhibition celebrating the groundbreaking designs that have shaped how people experience music over the past century. Organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and adapted to the history of the New York music scene for its East Coast presentation, the exhibition will be on view at Cooper Hewitt Dec. 12 through July 19, 2026. The post “Art of Noise” Exhibition Tracing History of Music and Design to Open at Cooper Hewitt first appeared on Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.