First Off-Site Exhibition during Cooper-Hewitt’s Renovation
“Design with the Other 90%: Cities,” the second in a series of themed exhibitions by
Cooper-Hewitt that demonstrate how design can address the world’s most critical issues, opens
Oct. 15 at the United Nations and runs through Jan. 9, 2012. Organized by Cynthia E. Smith, the
museum’s curator of socially responsible design, the exhibition will feature more than 60 projects from 23 countries around the globe. Admission to the exhibition will be free of charge.
The museum’s main facility, housed in the Carnegie Mansion, will undergo renovation,
beginning in fall 2011, as part of a $64 million capital campaign that includes enlarged and enhanced facilities for exhibitions, collections display, education programming and the National Design Library, and an increased endowment.
The exhibition will explore design solutions to the challenges created by rapid urban growth in
informal settlements, commonly referred to as slums. Close to 1 billion people live in informal
settlements, and that population is projected to swell to 2 billion people by 2030. This accelerated urban expansion will take place primarily in developing and emerging economies in an increasingly climate-challenged world. Projects and products at every scale will be included, with a focus on designs that are informed by end users: alternative housing design, methods and materials; low-cost clean water; accessible education initiatives; sanitation and solid-waste management; transportation solutions; innovative systems and infrastructure; and urban design and planning.
“Cooper-Hewitt is delighted to present this free exhibition at the United Nations, where visitors
from all over the world will be able to see how design can address the most critical issues in
developing and emerging countries,” said Bill Moggridge, director of the museum.
“Cooper-Hewitt’s exhibition celebrates humankind’s resilience and practical ingenuity in
cities, drawing attention to projects across the globe that underscore our intent to survive, adapt, include and collaborate to renew and thrive,” said Francesco Vanni d’Archirafi, CEO, Global
Transaction Services, Citi. “Citi’s DNA comes from cities worldwide, and we are very pleased to
sponsor this ground-breaking exhibition at the United Nations as we share a common intent to be part of the solution in cities. Through our Citi For Cities program, we are working creatively with governments and industry to address efficiency reform and embrace the digital revolution to improve citizen engagement, empowerment, convenience and choice.”
“The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support Cooper-Hewitt in their presentation of this
innovative exhibition. These unique projects illustrate how the world is using design to build resilience for the poor and vulnerable in cities and ultimately help advance growth with equity,” said Benjamin de la Pena, associate director of the Rockefeller Foundation.
“Cities” will be divided into six themes: Exchange, Reveal, Adapt, Include, Prosper and
Access. To orient the visitor, compelling information will be presented in the form of maps,
comparative statistics and a video and sound installation organized by urban videographer Cassim Shepard.
“Design with the Other 90%: Cities” is sponsored by Citi.
Generous support is provided by The Rockefeller Foundation.
Additional funding is provided by Procter & Gamble, Deutsche Bank, Smithsonian 2.0 Fund,
the Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation and Smithsonian Institution’s Research Opportunity Fund.
This exhibition is presented at the United Nations in the context of the United Nations
Academic Impact initiative and UN-HABITAT.
Exchange
Increasingly, local and regional authorities cannot keep up with the unprecedented growth of
informal settlements or slums. This section of the exhibition showcases innovative solutions that have emerged as the informal and formal cities exchange design knowledge to meet this demand.
Among the projects on view are community-generated solutions by Shack/Slum Dwellers
International that build the capacity of poor urban communities by addressing secure land tenure,
housing, basic amenities and livelihood through community-to-community exchanges throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America; the Urbanism Manual for Precarious Settlements, designed and produced for use in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which provides a free “how-to” urban design manual for newly arriving settlers; and the Incremental Housing project in Iquique, Chile, and Monterrey, Mexico, which produces half-finished houses that are completed by the residents and contain only the essentials of a built home—bathroom, kitchen, structure and roof—in order to stretch resources further to meet the rapidly growing demand for housing.
Other projects in this section explore building methods, materials and manufacturing, including
a full-scale shelter installation representing an alternative gabions construction method used in Mexico City, in which mesh and wire containers are filled on-site with locally available materials. This low-cost, flexible system can easily adapt to accommodate a range of needs. Also on view will be a plastic formwork kit to produce cast-in-place mortar structures using mostly indigenous materials, in order to quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively produce homes.
To find out more visit cooperhewitt.org
About the United Nations
The United Nations Academic Impact, an initiative of the Department of Public Information,
aligns institutions of higher education, scholarship and research with the United Nations and with each other to address priority issues with which the world is faced. It does that by offering a viable point of contact for ideas and initiatives relevant to the United Nations’ mandate and furthering their direct engagement in, or contribution to, relevant programs and projects.
“Cities” will be shown in the Main Gallery of the United Nations Visitors Lobby. The galleries
can be viewed daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission to the exhibition at the United Nations is free. The United Nations Visitors Centre is located on First Avenue at 46th Street. Public transit routes include the Lexington Avenue 4, 5 and 6 subways to Grand Central Terminal and the M15, M27, M42 or M104 buses. The United Nations is fully accessible.
About the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted
exclusively to historic and contemporary design. Founded in 1897 by Amy, Eleanor and Sarah
Hewitt—granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper—as part of the Cooper Union for the
Advancement of Science and Art, 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.