Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Announces Fifth Annual National Design Week

NEW YORK, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will host its fifth annual National Design Week from Oct. 9 through Oct. 17. The museum will offer free museum admission, sponsored by Target, along with a series of public programs and a range of online resources for students, teachers, design professionals and the general public to celebrate the important role that design plays in all aspects of daily life.

National Design Week is held in conjunction with Cooper-Hewitt's most visible public education program, the National Design Awards. Now in its second decade, the Awards recognize the best in American design across a range of disciplines. The Award recipients will be honored at a gala dinner Thursday, Oct. 14, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.

First launched at the White House in 2000 as a project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards were established to promote excellence and innovation in design. The Awards are accompanied each year by a variety of public education programs, including special events, panel discussions and workshops.

Public programs include:

Target Design Kids: Kid Made Modern, Saturday, Oct. 9, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Kids aged 5 to 12 are invited to create modern design pieces from everyday and recycled materials with Todd Oldham and crew. FREE. Advanced registration is required at www.cooperhewitt.org. Cooper-Hewitt (2 East 91st St., New York)

Teen Design Fair, 4:00–6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 12

New York City high school students are invited to learn about careers in design. The Teen Design Fair brings leading designers working in the fields of fashion, industrial, multimedia, graphic design and architecture, to meet one-on-one with students. A keynote address will be delivered by Tim Gunn, Chief Creative Officer at Liz Claiborne Inc. and co-host of Lifetime TV's Project Runway. Design colleges from around the country will also be on hand to provide admissions and scholarship information. FREE. Advance registration is required at www.cooperhewitt.org. The Altman Building (135 West 18th St., New York).

Winners' Panel, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 12

National Design Award winners participate in a panel discussion about the state of contemporary design in America. Moderated by Stephen Doyle, National Design Award winner in Communication Design. FREE. Advance registration is required at www.cooperhewitt.org. The Altman Building (135 West 18th St., New York). This program will be webcast live at www.cooperhewitt.org.

The Business of Design Panel, 8:00 – 9:45 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 13

Business leaders discuss how design impacts their overall strategy and affects their bottom line. Moderated by Bob Safian, Editor, Fast Company. FREE. Advance registration is required at www.cooperhewitt.org. Location details to follow. This program will be webcast live at www.cooperhewitt.org.

Design Film Series, Wednesday, Oct. 13

Film screenings of Helvetica (12:30 p.m.) and Objectified (2:00 p.m.). FREE. Advanced registration is required at www.cooperhewitt.org. Cooper-Hewitt (2 East 91st St., New York).

People's Design Award, online voting Sept. 20–Oct. 12

Whether an everyday object, a design classic or an architectural landmark, Cooper-Hewitt invites the public to express their views on what constitutes good design as part of the 2010 National Design Awards program. Design enthusiasts can submit nominations, participate in a discussion board and select their favorite designs by logging into www.cooperhewitt.org. The museum also offers a People's Design Award Facebook application, which allows users to share and discuss their favorite designs with friends and broaden the conversation about good design.

The winning design will be announced Oct. 14 at the National Design Awards Gala in New York City, which will be streamed live on Cooper-Hewitt's website at 9:00 p.m. EST.

Educator Open House, 4:00 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 23

In preparation for National Design Week, Cooper-Hewitt will host an Educator Open House wherein the museum's Education team will share information about the online Educator Resource Center, K-12 school field-trips, Design Directions programs for high school students and professional development opportunities. The online Educator Resource Center features design-focused lesson plans and discussion boards for K-12 educators interested in incorporating design in their classrooms. The site now includes more than 250 lesson plans aligned to national standards for all grade levels and helps teachers of all subjects, including mathematics, science, language arts and history, as well as art, learn ways to promote innovation, critical thinking, visual literacy and problem-solving across the curriculum.

The National Design Awards are made possible in part by Bloomberg and Procter & Gamble.

Media sponsorship provided by Fast Company and New York magazine.

National Design Week is made possible in part by the generous sponsorship of Target.

Professional partners for 2010 National Design Awards and National Design Week include AIGA - the professional association for design, American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, American Society of Landscape Architects, Industrial Designers Society of America New York City.

About Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. Founded in 1897, the museum has been a branch of the Smithsonian since 1967. The museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design on daily life through active educational programs, exhibitions and publications.

Media website:

http://www.cooperhewitt.org/press

SOURCE Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum