Wallcoverings

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's "Wallcoverings" department contains the largest and most varied collection of wallpaper in the United States, with more than 10,000 examples. Pieces date from the late 17th century through today and represent many countries of origin.

Textiles

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's "Textiles" collection contains more than 30,000 pieces representing an extraordinarily wide range of woven and non-woven techniques. Extending from ancient to contemporary examples, the earliest pieces in the collection are from Han Dynasty China (206 BC to AD 221).

The Doris and Henry Dreyfuss Study Center Library and Archive

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's library is a branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and contains more than 70,000 volumes, including books, periodicals, catalogs and trade literature dating from the 15th through the 20th centuries. Volumes cover American and European design and decorative arts with concentrations in architecture, graphic design, interior design, ornamental patterns, furniture, wallcoverings, textiles, metalwork, glass, ceramics and jewelry. The Library's Archive contains photographs, correspondence, promotional material, drawings, writings and related resource items for more than 30 American designers, including Henry Dreyfuss and Donald Deskey.

Product Design & Decorative Arts

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's department of "Product Design & Decorative Arts" is home to approximately 40,000 three-dimensional objects dating from antiquity to the 21st century, which form an important and comprehensive resource for decorative art and design. International in scope, the collection contains an exceptionally diverse assortment of objects, reflecting a vast range of historical styles and design movements. Categories of objects within the collections include ceramics, furniture, metalwork, lighting, glass, jewelry, architectural elements and industrial design.

Drawings, Prints and Graphic Design

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's Drue Heinz Study Center for Drawings and Prints houses more than 160,000 works of art dating from the Renaissance to the present related to the history of European and American art and design. Among the world's foremost repositories of European and American works on paper, the collection includes designs for architecture, decorative arts, gardens, interiors, ornament, jewelry, theater, textiles, graphic and industrial design, as well as the fine arts.

Design USA: Contemporary Innovation

October 16, 2009 - April 4, 2010
1st Floor Galleries
This exhibition celebrates the accomplishments of the winners honored during the first 10 years of the prestigious National Design Awards. The exhibition features outstanding contemporary achievements in American architecture, landscape design, interior design, product design, communication design, corporate design, interaction design, and fashion. Developed in collaboration with the renowned firm 2x4, this exhibition focuses on innovation through the lens of technology, material, method, craft, and transformation.

Design for a Living World

May 14, 2009 - January 4, 2010
2nd Floor Galleries
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, Abbott Miller/Bolivia, Isaac Mizrahi/Alaska, Ted Muehling/Micronesia, Kate Spade/Marshall Islands, and Ezri Tarazi/China. The exhibition will feature the prototypes, drawings and finished products created by the designers.

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