The Smithsonian Institution, or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. Government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson. It was originally organized as the United States National Museum, but that name ceased to exist administratively in 1967.
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in France. The school was built on a radical new model of American higher education based on Cooper's belief that an education "equal to the best technology schools established" should be accessible to those who qualify, independent of their race, religion, sex, wealth or social status, and should be "open and free to all."
Peter Cooper was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and politician. He designed and built the first American steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, founded the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and served as the Greenback Party's candidate in the 1876 presidential election. Cooper was 85 years old at the time, making him the oldest person to ever be nominated for President.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum located in the Upper East Side's Museum Mile in Manhattan, New York City. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the wing of the Smithsonian Institution and is one of three Smithsonian facilities located in New York City, the other two being National Museum of the American Indian's George Gustav Heye Center in Bowling Green and the Archives of American Art New York Research Center in the Flatiron District. It is the only museum in the United States devoted to historical and contemporary design. Its collections and exhibitions explore approximately 240 years of design aesthetic and creativity.
Abram Stevens Hewitt was an American teacher, lawyer, an iron manufacturer, chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1876 to 1877, U.S. Congressman, and a reforming mayor of New York City. He was the son-in-law of Peter Cooper (1791–1883), an industrialist, inventor and philanthropist. He is best known for his work with the Cooper Union, which he aided Peter Cooper in founding in 1859, and for planning the financing and construction of the first subway line of the New York City Subway, for which he is considered the "Father of the New York City Subway System".
The Musée des Arts décoratifs is a museum dedicated to the exhibition and preservation of the decorative arts. Located at 107 Rue de Rivoli in the city's 1st arrondissement, the museum occupies the most north-western wing of the Palais du Louvre, known as the Pavillon de Marsan. With over one million objects in its collection, the Musée des Arts décoratifs is the largest museum of decorative arts in continental Europe.
Ellen Lupton is a graphic designer, curator, writer, critic, and educator. Known for her love of typography, Lupton is the Senior Curator of Contemporary Design at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City and the founding director of the Graphic Design M.F.A. degree program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where she also serves as director of the Center for Design Thinking. She has written numerous books on graphic design for a variety of audiences. She is a contributor to several publications, including Print, Eye, I.D., Metropolis, and The New York Times.
Marian Bantjes is a Canadian designer, artist, illustrator, typographer and writer. Describing her work as graphic art, Marian Bantjes is known for her custom lettering, intricate patterning and decorative style. Inspired by illuminated manuscripts, Islamic calligraphy, Baroque ornamentation, Marian Bantjes creates detailed work, often combining the forms of her disparate influences.
Rodarte is an American brand of clothing and accessories founded and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy.
Alice Cordelia Morse was an American designer of book covers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her work was inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement, and she is often placed as one of the top three book designers of her day.
Joseph Walsh is a self-taught Irish furniture maker, artist and designer. He was born in County Cork and founded his gallery, studio and workshop in 1999.
Uhuru Design is a Brooklyn-based design and build sustainable furniture company known for its reuse of used materials. Founded in 2004 by Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) graduates Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf, Uhuru's acclaimed material reuse projects includes reclaiming and hand-working wood from the Coney Island Boardwalk and Kentucky bourbon distilleries, as well as upcycling found materials.
Eleanor Post Hutton was an American heiress and socialite. Born a "Close", her name changed to "Hutton" with her mother's 1920 remarriage to Edward Francis Hutton.
Peter Danko is an inventor, designer, and artist. He focuses on creating sustainable designs that center on living in harmony with nature and creating a comfortable future. His work often involves re-purposing and recycling and he prefers to use resources he calls OMG: materials which can be seen by the casual eye to Obviously Manifest Green.
Toshiko Mori is a Japanese architect and the founder and principal of New York-based Toshiko Mori Architect, PLLC and Vision Arc. She is also the Robert P. Hubbard Professor in the Practice of Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. In 1995, she became the first female faculty member to receive tenure at the GSD.
Lili Blumenau (1912–1976) was an American fiber artist. She was a pivotal figure in the development of fiber arts and textile arts, particularly weaving, in the United States during the mid-part of the 20th century.
John Innes Kane was an American explorer, scientist and philanthropist who was prominent in New York Society during the Gilded Age.
Lisa Suter Taylor (1933–1991) was an American artist and museum director. Taylor served as the first director of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Decorative Arts and Design from 1969 to 1987, and was the first woman director of a museum within the Smithsonian Institution.
Irwin Rubin was an American artist and educator known for his colorfully painted wood constructions.
Julian Clarence Levi was an American architect, watercolor painter, and philanthropist.
