Cooper Hewitt Museum: A Must-Visit for a New York Cultural Journey with "Living" Exhibits

Have you ever seen "living" exhibits in a museum? At the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, advanced interactive experiences bring exhibits to life, and visitors can even participate in design to create their own unique artworks. How cool is that!

Located in the former home of American industrial magnate Andrew Carnegie, the Cooper Hewitt Museum, known for its decorative arts and design, is a highly respected institution in the design world. It is also the only interactive museum in the United States dedicated to historical and contemporary design. Since its founding in 1897, the museum has amassed a collection of over 210,000 objects, ranging from ancient artifacts spanning more than thirty centuries to innovative works created with cutting-edge technology. These pieces provide inspiration for new creations and tell important stories about how design improves the world. In its many interactive galleries and exhibitions, visitors can use the museum's high-tech tools to unleash their imagination and create electronic design drawings for their ideas.

Museum Highlights

Digital Pen: Every visitor to the Cooper Hewitt Museum can pick up a special digital pen at the entrance. This pen is the key to operating all interactive exhibits in the museum and making the exhibits "come alive."

The digital pen can scan specific icons, automatically read and store information about exhibits that visitors like, and record interactive activities such as drawing and creative design carried out with the pen. This allows the museum to go beyond simply displaying and viewing, offering a platform for visitors to share their own creative designs through interaction.

Immersion Room: This room, once belonging to Margaret Carnegie, is now used as an interactive design room where visitors can project their design ideas and styles onto the walls. Touching the digital pen can change the projected wallpaper and browse the museum's permanent collection.

Models & Prototypes Gallery: Here, you can admire exquisite miniature staircase models (Compagnonnage) that embody classical elegance and the superb craftsmanship of 18th- and 19th-century master carpenters.

Image source: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Not only can you appreciate masterpieces by numerous artists, but you can also showcase your own creative ideas. This popular interactive museum deserves a spot on your New York travel list!

Museum Address: 2 East 91st Street New York, New York 10128

Visiting Hours: Daily 10am – 6pm

Ticket Price: $16, free admission with The New York Pass