NEW YORK.- In 2005–2006, the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum continued progress on a strategic plan to enhance its permanent collections and develop dynamic programs drawing from its wide range of design objects. Development of the collections, increased access to scholarly resources, and innovative educational programming are the major components of the museum’s plan for growth under the leadership of director Paul Warwick Thompson. The recently announced $35-million expansion program will optimize exhibition space within the institution’s historic buildings and enhance education and public facilities. This physical expansion, coupled with a reinvigorated online presence and continued emphasis on educational outreach, will further the museum’s mission to raise awareness about the cultural relevance of historic and contemporary design. “Collections lie at the core of all museums, and our plans for expansion within the Carnegie Mansion will enable us to strengthen ours with new acquisitions,” Thompson said. “We began prioritizing collections-based programming in 2003 with the opening of The Nancy and Edwin Marks Gallery, the museum’s first gallery dedicated to displaying works from the permanent collection. Since then, Cooper-Hewitt’s curatorial focus has shifted to include more exhibitions built around collection objects, allowing the museum to examine the impact of design through reflection upon its own history.”

Collection Growth in 2005–2006 - Cooper-Hewitt’s collection is international in scope and contains 200,000 objects, from the Han Dynasty to the present. The museum’s holdings are divided into four curatorial departments: Product Design and Decorative Arts; Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design; Textiles; and Wallcoverings. Exhibitions and design education programming explore the connections between these areas, and foster a dialogue about design and its role in society. Under curatorial director Barbara Bloemink, Cooper-Hewitt is pursuing an ambitious acquisitions strategy, with criteria aimed at enhancing the quality, depth and coherence of the collection. In the past year, the museum has acquired a number of significant works, in particular examples of 17th/18th-century and 20th-century design. Recent acquisitions of historical importance include: • a pair of mid-18th-century red walnut English George II chairs with carving in the manner of Thomas Chippendale, the first of this influential type of chair design represented in the museum’s collection • a 17th-century English Apostle spoon, representing St. Thomas or St. Matthew; • an Imperial Russian porcelain plate, designed for Kremlin use, circa 1830; • a mahogany “Elephant trunk” table designed by Adolph Loos with glass tiles by Loetz Witwe, made in Vienna circa 1910; • Australian designer Mark Newson’s beechwood chair, designed in 1988 and manufactured by Capellini, an example of creative use of wood in contemporary furniture design.