Open Letter to the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum
Dear Cooper Hewitt,
Children’s wallpaper? Really? No seriously, the featured show at THE National Design Museum is about children’s wallpaper? We’re confused. Granted we’re only in Manhattan a couple times per year and we don’t catch each and every show, but the last time we were in town it was nineteenth-century watercolor interiors and before that it was a show on the Rococo style. The Cooper Hewitt is one of the primary reasons we visit Manhattan and for the last several visits the shows have been mickey-mouse. On the last couple of visits we’ve spent more time at Pintaile’s Pizza down the street than at the Cooper Hewitt. What happened to innovative and thought provoking shows like Extreme Textiles and Design ≠ Art. Those were shows we could really sink our teeth into. They were applicable to the design world and out-of-the-box progressive. They pushed the envelope. What happened to Cooper Hewitt’s forward-thinking manifesto and how can we get it back?
You are the national representative for design, and your friends at BUILD are not going to let you proceed down this road. I’m mean what’s next, a show on the evolution of Victorian doilies? We’re here for you Cooper Hewitt, and to help you pull out of the rut we’ve assembled a list of 5 suggested shows – free of charge.
1. THE EVOLUTION OF UTILITY. The nature of electricity, plumbing and heating have gone relatively unchanged compared to the transformations of the fixtures used to dispense them. The show could focus on the dynamic nature of fixture design and how we interface with the more static nature of electricity, plumbing and heating. The exhibit could span the gamut from the Lifestraw to Zaha Hadid’s kitchen faucet design.
2. NOW THAT WE CAN DESIGN ANYTHING, WHAT NEXT? Architects and Designers have proven throughout the last decade that we can design anything and everything. The rise of a design conscious world has opened up possibilities from well designed heaters by Karim Rashid to rethinking pill bottle labeling by Deborah Adler to Jamie Lerner’s redesign of public transportation in Brazil. With design having proven itself successful on such a wide spectrum what should we, as a society, be focusing our design efforts on now? The show could highlight individuals and groups foraging into new design realms.
3. ARCHITECTS AND DARWINISM: As architects continue to shed direct responsibility on the jobsite they are losing the knowledge of how buildings go together. The role of the architect continues to become more academic, esoteric and theoretical, producing paper exercises rather than built-form. As this continues, some architects will become unnecessary; others will expand their responsibilities and scope to secure a role in the future of architecture. The show could highlight individuals and groups who are taking the next step in the evolution of the architect.
4. INVISIBLE DESIGN: Some of the best design goes unnoticed, some of it is supposed to. Sometimes the best architectural (and engineered) solution is inconspicuous and quiet. With a focus on this theme, the show could review extraordinary projects that might otherwise go unnoticed.
5. ARCHITECTURE WITHOUT ARCHITECTS: In 1964 Bernard Rudofsky wrote a book by this name which not only covered many types of built-form, but also formalized the idea of good design exclusive from the profession of architecture. Since then, 45 years worth of building has occurred and while the built-forms may be different the concept is still as engaging and provoking as presented in the original text. The show could focus on examples from 1964 to the present.
So there is the quick-and-dirty BUILD list of ideas; consider them, throw them out, counter-offer or leave them on the table. but as much as we like the Cooper Hewitt, 91st Street is a long way up there and time in Manhattan is valuable. We’re not spending anymore time on the greenline for exhibits that don’t address the substance and seriousness of design.
Sincerely,
Your friends at BUILD LLC
By Donald, April 6, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
How disappointing. I’m just about to do an NYC weekend and was planning on visiting.
Your ideas for exhibits are much more compelling. Likely worth a great deal to them– if they are on the ball.
By Gus, April 6, 2009 @ 2:32 pm
I remember the extreme textiles show – it was incredible! I was drooling all over that formula-one race car with the composite textile shell. Sorry to hear that the shows since haven’t met that level of quality.
By Anonymous, April 6, 2009 @ 2:45 pm
Wallpaper, watercolors and the Rococo style are all important ingredients to the evolution of design. Just because you didn’t enjoy those shows personally doesn’t mean that the Cooper Hewitt is failing as the representative of design.
By Samuel, April 6, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
I just did a little research and see that the Cooper Hewitt’s director resigned some time ago. Maybe there is hope with a new person in charge.
By Richter, April 6, 2009 @ 3:16 pm
I agree with your comments about the recent shows. If the Cooper-Hewitt can’t get their act together, it seems like the Museum of Art and Design in Columbus Circle may pick up the slack. They seem to be doing a decent job filling the void so far.
By selophane, April 6, 2009 @ 8:27 pm
I guess I always seem to catch the Cooper Hewitt at the right times. First there was “New Hotels for Global Nomads,” the a show about transportation, and finally one on limited edition urban vinyl figurines.
By Les, April 7, 2009 @ 3:22 pm
Please leave Cooper Hewitt be. I am concerned that your attack on their direction will result in cancellation of their planned exhibit, ‘The history of thread count in Egyptian cotton sheeting’.
By Cara McCarty, April 21, 2009 @ 10:18 am
Dear Friends at Build LLC,
Thank you, and everyone who posted, for your commitment to Design and Cooper-Hewitt. We truly appreciate your feedback and will share it with all levels of our team. In the meantime I want to assure you that as the Nation’s Design Museum we endeavor to produce balanced programming between historic and contemporary exhibitions – in fact this is what truly differentiates us from design and architecture departments within art museums.
Our 200,000 object collection spans 24 centuries, and while some of our more historic-based exhibitions may not have been to your taste (though Rococo did trace the continuum from historic to contemporary design), we have an exciting array of contemporary design shows which we hope will restore your enthusiasm and entice you to spend more time at Cooper-Hewitt.
Fashioning Felt
On view March 6–September 7, 2009
This exhibition explores the varied new uses of felt—an ancient material, believed to be one of the earliest techniques for making textiles. Made by matting together wool fibers with humidity and friction, felting requires little technological expertise and is an extremely versatile material. The exhibition will begin with historic examples of felts, showcase innovations in handmade felts, and feature contemporary uses of industrial felt in a range of fields, including product design, fashion, architecture, and home furnishings. The exhibition is being organized by Susan Brown, assistant curator, Textiles.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sklNCVzGHQ8&feature=channel
Web site: http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Fashioning-Felt/
Design for a Living World
Opening May 14, 2009
Ten leading designers have been commissioned to develop new uses for sustainably grown and harvested materials in order to tell a unique story about the life-cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design. The featured designers and places include Yves Behar/Costa Rica; Stephen Burks/Australia; Hella Jongerius/Mexico; Maya Lin/Maine; Christien Meindertsma/Idaho; Isaac Mizrahi/Alaska; Abbott Miller/Bolivia; Ted Muehling/Micronesia; Kate Spade/Bolivia; and Ezri Tarazi/China. On view will be the prototypes, drawings, and finished product created by the designers. The exhibition is co-curated by renowned graphic designer Abbott Miller and Ellen Lupton, curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt.
Web site: http://www.nature.org/design/
In October 2009 we open an exhibition that celebrates the 10th anniversary of the National Design Awards, entitled “Design USA: Contemporary Innovation,” and the next Triennial is set to open in spring of 2010.
I hope to see you in the galleries.
Best,
Cara McCarty
Curatorial Director
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
By Donald, April 21, 2009 @ 11:05 am
Felt?
Did I read that correctly?
Okay, BUILD, consider yourselves fully chastened. These guys are totally explosive. Hold on to your… hats.