Information
Landmark: Museum of Arts and Design (MAD)City: New York
Country: USA New York
Continent: North America
Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), New York, USA New York, North America
Overview
At 2 Columbus Circle in Manhattan, the Museum of Arts and Design draws visitors into a space where craft, art, and design meet, offering a vibrant showcase of contemporary creativity.It shines a light on how things are made, celebrating fresh ideas in materials and techniques, and weaving the touch of traditional craft into the sleek lines of modern art and design.Founded in 1956 as the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, MAD set out to showcase and preserve modern craftwork, from hand-thrown pottery to sleek mid-century glass.In 2002, the name changed to the Museum of Arts and Design, signaling a wider focus on art, craft, and design in today’s culture-much like stepping into a gallery where ceramics sit beside sleek metal sculptures.The museum’s mission is to champion creativity in every field, spotlighting the artistic process and how raw materials can be transformed-like clay becoming a luminous porcelain vase.MAD’s philosophy springs from the belief that craft and design are alive, always shifting to meet the pulse of cultural trends and the hum of new technology.The institution strives to give artists and designers a space to innovate, test bold ideas, and spark the public’s imagination-like a gallery wall splashed with fresh color.The museum sits inside a bold, light-filled structure designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, which first opened its doors in 2008.MAD’s mission comes to life in the building’s façade, where rough terra-cotta tiles catch the light beside broad glass windows, blending tradition with innovation.The design draws you into a bright, airy space where sunlight spills across the floor, making each exhibition feel more engaging.MAD sits at the southwestern edge of Central Park in bustling Columbus Circle, a spot where tourists and locals mingle, just steps from other major museums and a quick subway ride away.MAD’s permanent collection holds more than 2,000 pieces, ranging from the mid-20th century to today, with works in glass, ceramics, metal, fiber, wood, and even shimmering digital media.This collection showcases pieces from celebrated artists, inventive designers, and master makers, each pushing craft and design into fresh territory-like a ceramic bowl glazed in colors you’ve never seen before.This collection bursts with diversity and fresh ideas, showcasing contemporary craft objects-sculptural and functional pieces that play with form, texture, and technique.Design and Applied Arts covers furniture, jewelry, and decorative pieces that marry beauty with everyday use-like a polished oak chair that’s as comfortable as it is elegant.Multimedia works range from video and large-scale installations to digital art that pushes the boundaries of what we call craft.Artist-Made Objects: Showcasing how each artist works with their chosen materials-whether it’s rough clay under their fingertips or ink flowing across paper-and the unique process behind it.MAD is known for mounting vibrant, thought‑provoking shows that explore craftsmanship, innovation, culture, and identity-like a gallery space buzzing with the scent of fresh‑carved wood.These exhibitions weave together rich historical insight and bold, contemporary creations-like a centuries-old map displayed beside a glowing digital installation.Saya Woolfalk’s *Empathic Universe* invites you into a glowing, dreamlike space where identity, technology, and human empathy weave together through vivid stories and sleek, futuristic designs.Woolfalk weaves sculpture, costume, and live performance into an immersive world, where colors spill across the space and every corner hums with possibility.Anne Wilson’s *The MAD Drawing Room and Errant Behaviors* is a site-specific installation where the fiber artist delves into how drawing, memory, and storytelling intertwine, threads curling softly across the room like whispers from the past.This piece draws visitors in, letting them feel the creative process with their own hands, close enough to catch the faint scent of paint.Out of the Jewelry Box is a continuing exhibition where bold, avant‑garde pieces blur the boundary between art and adornment, from shimmering steel cuffs to designs built on unexpected ideas and materials.MAD works closely with contemporary artists and designers, curating shows that push past traditional limits and draw visitors into fresh ways of seeing craft and design’s place in everyday life.At MAD, programs and facilities revolve around a rare mix-hands-on learning and close work with artists, sometimes right beside a table scattered with paints and brushes.The museum runs programs that bring people right into the heart of the creative process, like Open Studios, where you can step inside a sunlit workspace and watch artists shape clay or mix paint, seeing exactly how ideas take form and problems get solved.Education Center: With bright classrooms and multimedia tools at the ready, the center hosts workshops, lively lectures, and hands-on projects for learners of every age.The Artist-in-Residence Program gives artists a light-filled studio and the tools they need to create fresh work right inside the museum.The 144-seat auditorium buzzes with life, hosting talks, film nights, lively panel debates, and performances tied to the exhibitions and the worlds of craft and design.You’ll find us at 2 Columbus Circle in New York City.We’re open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the doors stay shut on Mondays.Admission is $18 for adults, $14 for seniors 65 and older, and $12 for students with ID.Children under 18 and members get in free.The museum’s fully accessible, just a short walk from 59th Street–Columbus Circle, where the A, C, B, D, and 1 trains all stop.The Museum of Arts and Design shines as a place where time‑honored craft meets bold experimentation, inviting visitors to feel the spark of creativity in everything from hand‑blown glass to sleek modern sculptures.MAD brings historic craftsmanship face-to-face with bold, contemporary design, pushing against old categories and inviting visitors to reconsider the cultural and artistic worth of creating-whether it’s a hand-carved chair or a 3D-printed sculpture.It backs artists and designers who push the limits of materials and techniques, adding fresh threads to the cultural tapestry of New York City and far past its busy streets.MAD’s wide‑ranging approach turns it into a must‑visit for anyone curious about how art, craft, and design shape and transform each other-like watching a glassblower’s work catch the light as it cools.
