The Future of Museums: Alexandra Cunningham Cameron, Cooper Hewitt

*This event is occurring as a live webinar. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the program.*

The Future of Museums Dialogue Series
The world is rapidly changing around us, and it is questionable if the old frameworks for the development of programs and space programs for museums will still be relevant tomorrow. What would museums for the 21st century become if we were to we take this unprecedented time to explore new missions, visions, and (space) programs for existing and new institutions? Join us for an online series of live conversations as museum expert David van der Leer, Principal of DVDL DD, speaks with museum professionals from around the US and beyond.

In this week’s installment, Van der Leer will be joined in conversation by Alexandra Cunningham Cameron, curator of contemporary design and Hintz Secretarial Scholar at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Cooper Hewitt is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design, and is the steward of one of the most diverse and comprehensive design collections in existence—more than 210,000 design objects spanning 30 centuries. From ancient textiles and works on paper to icons of modern design and cutting-edge technologies, Cooper Hewitt’s collection serves as inspiration for creative work of all kinds and tells the story of design’s paramount importance in improving our world. 

Speakers:
Alexandra Cunningham Cameron, Curator of Contemporary Design and Hintz Secretarial Scholar, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
David van der Leer, Principal, DVDL DD

Alexandra Cunningham Cameron is the curator of contemporary design and Hintz Secretarial Scholar at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Formerly editor in chief of The Miami Rail and Creative Director of the Design Miami/ fairs, she has organized a broad range of exhibitions, publications, and programs and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Financial Times, Vogue, Architectural Digest, W, PIN UP, ICON, and others. 

David van der Leer is a consultant, curator, educator, moderator, researcher, strategist, and writer. He is the principal of DVDL DD, a New York City and Rotterdam-based agency of cultural forecasters, institutional strategists, and design matchmakers, where he advises institutions, government agencies, corporations, and individuals in reinventing the institutions of yesterday and building the most inspirational institutions of tomorrow. Along with his consulting work, David van der Leer is a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation where he teaches a course called (Re)Programming Museums.

More in the series: 
July 14 – The Future of Museums: Nico Wheadon, NXTHVN 
July 21 – The Future of Museums: Alexandra Munroe, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum 
July 28 – The Future of Museums: Amsterdam Museum 
August 11 – The Future of Museums: Scott Cooper, Academy of Natural Sciences, Drexel University
August 18 – The Future of Museums: Damion L. Thomas, NMAAHC 

More sessions may follow