Cocktails at Cooper Hewitt Returns for Another Standout Season

June 13 to Aug. 15; Launch Part at A/D/O, May 30
May 22, 2019
News Release
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outdoor concert

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s popular summer performance series, Cocktails at Cooper Hewitt, returns to the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden. On Thursday evenings from June 13 to Aug. 15, live music, DJ sets and dance performances will activate one of the largest enclosed museum gardens in New York City. A launch party for the series will be held May 30 at A/D/O in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to offer a preview of the season’s lineup along with a special performance. Cooper Hewitt members enjoy free admission to all performances.

The series kicks off at Cooper Hewitt June 13 with music from Tippet Rise Art Center, celebrating Petrified River by Ensamble Studio, a site-specific outdoor installation on view as part of the “Nature—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial” exhibition. Located in the museum’s garden, the work is composed of a 40-foot-long concrete “river” bookended by a “lake” and “mountain,” representative of the transformation of Manhattan from wild nature to an urbanized flattened landscape. Musicians will perform works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Claude Debussy, Steve Reich and Béla Bartók to complement the installation.

Other highlights of the Cocktails at Cooper Hewitt season include DJs and eyewear designers Coco and Breezy, along with special guest Zak Leever, who will invigorate Young Patrons Night with funky beats and smooth jams, June 20. As part of the NYC Pride Celebration June 27, Horrorchata, co-founder of the annual Brooklyn drag festival Bushwig, and friends will enliven the Upper East Side with DJ sets and performances. On July 11, New York-based classical dance ensemble Tom Gold Dance will infuse the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden with their unique approach to choreography, music and design, all set within the framework of traditional classical dance vocabulary. Juilliard returns July 18, Aug. 1 and Aug. 8 for their fourth season as part of Cocktails at Cooper Hewitt, highlighting alumni talent from a wide range of concentrations. On July 25, Artichoke Dance Company’s cross-medium performance will respond to work from the Design Triennial exhibition. The series will conclude Aug. 15 with internationally recognized singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Dylan Dunlap with DJ Jennifly.

Cocktails at Cooper Hewitt will take place Thursday evenings, June 13–Aug. 15 from 6 to 9 p.m., in the museum’s Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden at East 90th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City. Admission is $14 with online advance purchase at cooperhewitt.org/cocktails or $16 at the door; Cooper Hewitt members receive free admission to all performances. Specialty cocktails and light fare are available for purchase from Cooper Hewitt’s Tarallucci e Vino café. Performances held rain or shine.

The full performance schedule follows (subject to change):

Cocktails at Cooper Hewitt is made possible by A/D/O and Enid and Lester Morse. Additional support provided by Moo.

About Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Musem 

Cooper Hewitt is America’s design museum. Inclusive, innovative and experimental, the museum’s dynamic exhibitions, education programs, master’s program, publications and online resources inspire, educate and empower people through design. An integral part of the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum and research complex—Cooper Hewitt is located on New York City’s Museum Mile in the historic, landmark Carnegie Mansion. Steward of one of the world’s most diverse and comprehensive design collections—over 210,000 objects that range from an ancient Egyptian faience cup dating to about 1100 BCE to contemporary 3D-printed objects and digital code—Cooper Hewitt welcomes everyone to discover the importance of design and its power to change the world. Cooper Hewitt knits digital into experiences to enhance ideas, extend reach beyond museum walls, and enable greater access, personalization, experimentation and connection.


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