WASHINGTON, D.C.—“Design is intriguing to the public,” says Jennifer Northrop, director of communications and marketing at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, “because design isn’t art.”
That’s an unexpected statement for an arts professional to make. But Northrop has the reasoning to back it up: “Design is the most accessible form of visual culture — we touch it. We use it everyday. It’s based on solving a particular problem.”
And the museum has plans to make the art of design (or just plain “design,” as the case may be) even more available. On July 24, in conjunction with a White House luncheon thrown by the first lady and an awards ceremony to honor the winners of this year’s National Design Awards (announced in April), the New York–based Cooper-Hewitt will host a number of public programs aimed at educating the public about the field. A series of panel discussions sprinkled throughout Washington, D.C., the events are part 10-year anniversary celebration for the awards, part obvious measure to encourage the general public’s growing interest in design.
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