Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum — Attraction in New York

I was excited about this place based on other reviews. I like design: architecture, engineering, everyday products, etc. The museum bills itself as "devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design". When we arrived, we found a few extremely low-density exhibits on... Social justice? When I say low-density, I mean they have this amazing space and plenty of it and they use it with poor efficiency to show such a paucity of items.

The first floor had a library of books on contemporary socio-political issues. OK, fine, but call it a library, not a museum exhibit. Then there was a mockup of a living room & dining room of a (typical?) black family in the mid-20th century. Except nothing made it specifically typical of a black family - it was a living space that could have been in ANY mid-century family home. And that's fine - most of the man-made objects in it meet the criteria of design - but they were nothing so special and there was very little said about the design of them, again, other than being from the home of a black family.

Another example was an exhibit on a lady who is trying to improve birthing facilities and outcomes in rural Alabama. Hey, that's an admirable goal and there is undoubtedly a need for it. But a design museum is not the place for it, at least not when I'm paying admission expecting to see what the museum claims as its raison d'être.

I don't want this to be perceived as some rant about how everything has gone "woke", though I'm sure it will be by those whose minds are consumed with that ideology. So please understand this: I believe there is definitely a place for such social commentary in our society and there SHOULD be museum space dedicated to that message. I might even go to such a museum deliberately - for example, the King Center in Atlanta. Furthermore, I assure you that I am politically mostly aligned with what I'm sure these exhibits are trying to champion.

But I came to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian DESIGN Museum to see design. I want to see man-made objects and the stories behind their design. I can't imagine another acceptable interpretation of a design museum. So I feel that our 2x $22 admission cost was wasted.

Granted, I hear that the exhibits are changed up regularly, so hopefully we just came at a bad moment. If exhibits like we encountered persist, I would say resolutely that this museum has strayed...

I can't say enough nice things about this place. The setting is grand, the Andrew Carnegie mansion. Beautifully done displays of their collections and changing exhibits. It is relevant to humans who use artifacts, and to our time, and stimulates intellect and emotions in ways some art spaces might not. And it is a Smithsonian museum.

I enjoyed my too short time at this museum by looking at exhibits of objects to accommodate people with disability. I have heard it said that if we live long enough, most of us will have some disability. There were several items that while essential for some among us, could be of service to almost all people.

While not quite an Ironman suit, the exhibit that featured wearable strength with actuators to assist in during sitting and standing up, looked like they could help give back some of what time takes away.

The voting booth also had some great innovations to help insure that at least in voting, everyone is created equal and has every opportunity to stay that way.

Other exhibits about rules for good design, and examples of great design were cool and informative, worth posting in a workplace or sharing among colleagues or family when making choices on how to have the best, most efficient and effective equipment.

They had some very cool stuff about perception and senses in another exhibit. And about color. Wow! Life can get pretty beige, so being treated to examples of the human created world being as daring as the natural world was a thrill. They had a cool exhibit called the immersion room that could change the wallpaper.

I disagreed with some choices, but appreciated the approach in an exhibit that created computer visualizations from symphonic music. I think they had a great presentation for the jaggedness of some contemporary pieces, but needed more organic and sensual presentation for impressionists. But as an example of imagination at work, A+.

This museum is a quality experience, my only regret is I didn't have...

I came here for the National Design Week (we got free tickets) with a friend and it was a great time. The exhibits featured a variety of topics, from peace concepts, urbanism, to technology.

My favorite part about this museum is the ability to interact with some of the exhibits and take part in the creative process. My friend and I were a big fan of the Immersion Room, where you’re able to design your own pattern and project it onto the room. I found this to be a cool experience and a great creative outlet for me to explore. Do note that there is a bit of a wait if there are current groups ahead of you, and you only have 5 minutes to use the exhibit, which proved difficult for me and a few other visitors.

I like how this museum, despite its location on a historic villa, challenges the idea of the visitor as the explorer, and not just the viewer. Museums tend to have the visitor merely be the watcher of the exhibits, and not an active participant in the space. I feel this museum allows everyone of all backgrounds to get in touch with our creativity by literally having us use our senses to make something great.

Some of the docents were also very helpful and informative. I spoke with one docent who showed us the Designing for Peace exhibit and we explored conversations about how peaceful designs transcend into various environments. I appreciate how this exhibit expands the definition of “design” and does not limit it to the confines of “designing” textiles, furniture, etc. The biggest lesson learned here is that design is everywhere, and whether it’s obvious or not, there is a purpose to everything that...