New York’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, recently opened the fourth exhibition in its National Design Triennial series (inaugurated in 2000). Exploring the work of designers addressing human and environmental problems across many fields of design — from architecture and product design to graphics and new media — Why Design Now? is the first of the series to be global in reach.
The title is an apt one, as the exhibition examines why design thinking is an essential tool for solving some of today’s most urgent problems; what draws creative thinkers, makers and problem solvers to this crucial field of discovery; and why business leaders, policy makers, consumers and citizens should embrace design values. Key developments across design disciplines are presented through the work of more than 125 projects, organized into eight themes: energy, mobility, community, materials, prosperity, health, communication and simplicity.
Why Design Now? runs at the Cooper-Hewitt through Jan. 9, 2011.