NYCxDESIGN is guided by core values of community, creativity, inclusivity, diversity, and sustainable design for the greater good. Beyond our annual Festival, our year-round programming provides a platform for NYC’s diverse design talent, from students and emerging designers to seasoned professionals. Each program fosters connection, education, and inspiration, empowering the next generation to use design as a powerful tool for positive impact and addressing the world’s most pressing needs.

Family Program: Design Around Town

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 2 East 91st Street, New York, NY, United States

Play some rounds of Design Around Town, an exclusive-to-Cooper Hewitt board game! Invite your family members to come up with creative solutions to design challenges at an ice cream shop, a school, a stadium, and more.

Disability Meets Design: Hack Your Home with Laura Mauldin

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 2 East 91st Street, New York, NY, United States

A program on tactics and strategies for making our homes more accessible for ourselves and our loved ones. Led by Laura Mauldin, the program includes a presentation followed by a hands-on workshop inviting participants to identify and take action toward making a more accessible world, one home at a time.

Micro and Macro: A Conversation on Interior Design and Architecture

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 2 East 91st Street, New York, NY, United States

A conversation with 2025 National Design Award winner Little Wing Lee and architect Frida Escobedo about their work and the multifaceted relationship between interior designers and architects. Gain insight into their respective design approaches and hear more about how they continue to think on micro and macro scales together.