Cooper-Hewitt’s Exhibition Galleries to Close for Two-Year Renovation

The exhibition galleries at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will close on July 4 for a two-year renovation and expansion. The project, which starts this fall, is part of a $64 million capital campaign that includes a 60 percent increase in exhibition space, improvements to the National Design Library and an increased endowment. During the renovation of the Carnegie Mansion, scheduled to be completed in 2013, Cooper-Hewitt’s exhibitions, events and education programs will be staged at various off-site locations. The show “Design with the Other 90%: Cities,” for example, opens Oct. 15 at the United Nations and runs through Jan. 9, 2012. Admission to the museum will be free from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 4 to mark the closing of the final exhibition, “Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels.” The museum’s terrace, garden and shop will remain open this summer without an admission fee.