subjects in answer to questions received from museum profes- 

 sionals as well as the general public. A number of newly 

 revised "Guidelines" was prepared. These brochures, intended 

 for distribution to a wide audience, provide background infor- 

 mation and tips on the care and maintenance of a variety of 

 collectibles. CAL's preservation video series, in which the first 

 two titles are now available, also aims its information at a very 

 wide audience of non-conservators. 



Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum 



Dianne H. Pilgrim, Director 



Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is the only 

 Museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historical 

 and contemporary design. The Museum's four curatorial 

 departments — Drawings and Prints, Applied Arts and In- 

 dustrial Design, Textiles, and Wallcoverings^-care for, inter- 

 pret, and add to the Museum's collection of nearly a quarter of 

 a million ob]ects. The Museum also houses a Department of 

 Contemporary Design, an outstanding scholarly library and 

 rare book collection, extensive archival material on American 

 industrial design, an African-American Design Archive, and a 

 Latino Design Archive. 



On September 16, 1996, the Museum announced the com- 

 pletion of the first phase of the complex S20 million renova- 

 tion project that began in August 1995. The unveiling of the 

 newly accessible doors of the main entrance of the Carnegie 

 Mansion on z East 91st Street signified the Museum's reopen- 

 ing to the public attet being closed and under construction for 

 one year. Through the generosity of the Museum's Board of 

 Trustees — particularly the leadership gifts of Agnes Bourne, 

 Barbara Riley Levin, Nancy Marks, Enid Morse, and Arthur 

 Ross — as well as members, friends, and staff, the Museum suc- 

 cessfully achieved the goal of raising $7 million, completing 

 the necessary funding for the $zo million renovation proiect 

 designed by Polshek and Partners Architects. The Smith- 

 sonian Institution contributed S13 million toward the total 

 cost of the project. 



The bronze doors, which now use a new mechanical assis- 

 tance system to open and close easily, are only one element in 

 Polshek and Partners Architects' plan that improves the acces- 

 sibility of the Museum. A paved ramp has been added at the 

 front entrance that enables visitors with special needs to 

 bypass the steps to the front doors. A lift has also been in- 

 stalled in the admissions area to bring guests to the Great 

 Hall. The architectural majesty of the original entrance has 

 been perfectly preserved while allowing everyone to enter 

 through the front doors without impediment. 



Thanks to Trustee Barbara Riley Levin's generous donation, 

 the Conservatory has been entirely cleaned and reinstalled in 

 the mansion. The iron and glass structure was completely dis- 



mantled and repairs were made to stabilize the corrosion in 

 parts of the framework. In appreciation of her donation, the 

 Museum has named the Conservatory in her honor. 



One of the most complex aspects of the renovation project 

 is invisible to the visitor. There have been critical improve- 

 ments to the facility's heating, ventilation, and air condition- 

 ing system that required custom-fabricated systems. This 

 vital work will ensure the safety of our visitors, staff, and the 

 longevity of our collections. 



The showpiece of the construction project is the new two- 

 story building, named the Agnes Bourne Bridge Gallery 

 which connects the Carnegie Mansion to the Design Resource 

 Center. The Bridge Gallery will house the Museum's staff 

 entrance, the reception area, public restrooms and, in the fu- 

 ture, a public cafe. The main floor of the new building will 

 serve as a gallery. The Bridge Gallery is projected to be com- 

 pleted in early 1997. 



The final phase of the project, projected to be completed in 

 fall 1997, is the renovation of the Museum's two townhouses 

 on East 90th Street into collection study/storage and 

 curatorial offices. The opening of the Design Resource Center 

 will be one of the major highlights of the Museum's centen- 

 nial celebrations in 1997. Finally, the Museum's second-floor 

 galleries will reopen in the winter of 1998 with an exhibition 

 on Lalique . 



While the Carnegie Mansion's galleries were closed to the 

 public to accommodate the renovation project, the Museum 

 mounted several exhibitions off site. Six Bridges and the 

 Making of the Neu- York Mega/opo/is, an exhibition focusing on 

 the metamorphosis of New York City from a major east coast 

 port to a world center for commerce, finance, and culture, as 

 shown through the work of bridge engineer Othmar Am- 

 mann, was exhibited at the PaineWebber Art Gallery. The 

 Aiant Garde Letterhead, exhibited at the American Institute of 

 Graphic Arts, examined avant-garde art movements that 

 flourished during the first half of the twentieth century 

 through letterheads used by artists, designers, and architects 

 of the penod. Stationary for Futurism, Dada, De StijI, the 

 Bauhaus, and other groups served as typographic manifestos 

 for the avant garde. Another exhibition. Help Design Frederick 

 Douglass Circle, was jointly organized with the Central Park 

 Conservancy at the Charles Dana Discovery Center in Central 

 Park, and documented the drawings, models and computer 

 simulations that resulted from a community design workshop 

 devoted to reenvisioning Frederick Douglass Circle. 



On September 16th, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design 

 Museum reopened its first-floor galleties with the exhibition 

 Mixing Messages: Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture, which 

 explored the power and pervasiveness of visual communica- 

 tions during the last fifteen years. This enormously successful 

 exhibition had its own web site and a satellite installation at 

 the American Institute of Graphic Arts. 



An active participant in the Smithsonian's 150th anniver- 

 sary celebration, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum 

 was used as a filming location for a CBS television special en- 



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