Admission to the Cooper-Hewitt will be free on New Year’s Day (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
2 East 91st St. at Fifth Ave.
Saturday, January 1, free, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
212-849-8400
www.cooperhewitt.org
As we said back around Labor Day weekend, the last time the Cooper-Hewitt offered free admission, we’ve never quite understood why the National Design Museum isn’t free all the time, like the National Museum of the American Indian downtown and all the Smithsonian museums in DC. But we don’t have to worry about that on New Year’s Day, when the institution once again will open its doors for free. (Admission is usually $15.) Currently the Cooper-Hewitt is finishing up its fourth National Design Triennial, “Why Design Now?” which continues through January 9. The exhibit focuses on such themes as energy, mobility, community, health, communication, and simplicity, looking at social housing, charging stations, cargo carriers, LED replacements, tableware, threshers, and the ripple effect. Also on view is “Ted Muehling Selects: Lobmeyr Glass from the Permanent Collection.”