Design Conversations: Caroline Baumann

Caroline Baumann, Director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, will visit RIT for a Design Conversations lecture on Tuesday, March 8, 2016. This lecture is open to the public.Caroline Baumann became the Director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in 2013, after serving the museum in various leadership positions for twelve years. During her tenure, Baumann has significantly advanced Cooper Hewitt_s mission to educate, inspire, and empower people through design. Baumann_s major initiatives include the restoration, modernization, and expansion of the museum_s home in the landmarked Carnegie Mansion; LEED Silver certification for the museum; a newly expanded and reimagined installation of Cooper Hewitt_s permanent collection; the development and implementation of award-winning, interactive museum technologies and exhibitions; the creation of Design in the Classroom, a free national design education program for students K-12; the rapid digitization of the museum_s permanent collection; and the opening of an 18,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility for the study, conservation, and safe storage of Cooper Hewitt_s permanent collection. Baumann spearheaded the museum_s most ambitious capital campaign to date, which raised nearly $91 million toward the transformation of the nation_s design museum into a dynamic, global resource for the public understanding of design.