Cooper Hewitt Unveils Permanent Collection Exhibition with 125 Design Objects

New York – Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum has launched its first permanent collection exhibition, "Design Across Time." Developed over three years, the exhibition showcases 125 design milestones across various eras and cultures, offering a comprehensive look into the museum's collection of over 217,000 objects.

Museum Director Maria Nicanor emphasized the exhibition's goal to make the museum's permanent collection more accessible. "If you can't see what the permanent collection of a museum is, you wonder what the museum is about," Nicanor stated. She added that the exhibition serves as a vital introduction to the nation's design collection and its diverse narratives.

The 125 selected objects represent a broad spectrum of design disciplines, ranging from an ancient Egyptian cup to contemporary digital works. A team of curators organized the items under six thematic areas: Repeat, Transform, Show Off, Simplify, Tweak, and Play. These themes highlight various perspectives on the design process and its outcomes.

"Design Across Time" is housed on the ground floor of the Carnegie Mansion. The exhibition design was handled by London-based architecture firm JA Projects in collaboration with graphic design agency Pacific. The objects are displayed in vitrines that complement the historic architecture of the building. Enhancing the accessibility of the museum's collections has been a key objective, especially considering that a vast majority of museum artifacts are typically not on public view.