Curatorial Departments
The Museum’s 5 curatorial departments and its conservation department represent the dynamic range of the collection.
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Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design
The department of Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design houses works on paper in the fields of architecture, decorative arts, gardens, interiors, jewelry, theater, industrial and graphic design, as well as fine arts. There are 128,908 objects from this department which is about 59.02% of our online collection.
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Product Design and Decorative Arts
The Product Design and Decorative Arts department encompasses a broad range of decorative arts, industrial and contemporary designs objects including ceramics, furniture, metalwork, lighting, glass, jewelry, architectural elements and industrial design. There are 32,980 objects from this department which is about 15.10% of our online collection.
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Textiles
The Textiles department represents the full spectrum of woven and non-woven techniques and a wide variety of printing and dyeing methods. There are 26,015 objects from this department which is about 11.91% of our online collection.
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Wallcoverings
Our Wallcoverings department contains the largest and most varied collection of wallpaper in the United States—from hand-printed, bespoke designs to mass-produced décor and everything inbetween. There are 10,018 objects from this department which is about 4.59% of our online collection.
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Digital
Cooper Hewitt’s nascent Digital collection holds a small but growing range of works representing digital design practice from the past decade, including data visualizations, emoji, typefaces, interactive works, an app, and more.
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Conservation
The Conservation department supports the Curatorial Division as well as the Exhibitions and Registrar Departments to preserve the museum’s collection and loaned objects while on exhibition and in storage. The Conservators analyze and treat objects to maximize their longevity, aesthetic quality, and technical interpretation.
