MAD | Museum of Arts and Design

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MAD | Museum of Arts and Design

MAD champions artists, designers, and artisans, presenting contemporary art and design through a craf
(1552)

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields—presenting artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill to their work. Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from tradi

tional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving 21st-century innovation, fostering a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design.

06/01/2026

Happy Pride! Join Barbara Paris Gifford, MAD Senior Curator of Art, Craft and Design, next Thursday, June 11, for a tour of the exhibition OUT of the Jewelry Box and Jewelry Stories, an installation of nearly 100 works from MAD’s collection of modern and contemporary art jewelry. OUT of the Jewelry Box considers the importance of q***r perspectives in studio and contemporary art jewelry. The exhibition showcases an extraordinary gift from Ron Porter and Joe Price, who have collected and worn art jewelry throughout their forty-one-year relationship, nine of those legally married.

Tap the link below to reserve your spot.

https://madmuseum.org/exhibition/out-jewelry-box

05/30/2026

Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding is now open! Merging opulent materials with technological precision, Rewilding reclaims the female body from art history’s erotic conventions and situates it within a speculative landscape shaped by autonomy and collectivity. The exhibition borrows its title from a concept in conservation ecology: the practice of restoring natural processes and wilderness areas by withdrawing human intervention and trusting ecosystems to regenerate on their own terms. In the world Lichtenstein has created, rewilding serves as a governing metaphor for liberty and release.

Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding is on view through Apr 18, 2027.

Tap the link in bio to purchase tickets.

05/29/2026

The nymphs are coming! The nymphs are coming! 🌿

Opening tomorrow, Saturday, May 30, Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding is the artist’s first solo museum exhibition exploring unbridled femininity, ecological imagination, and the radical freedom of the female body.

On first viewing, Lichtenstein’s technicolor landscapes are lush and uninhibited. But upon close inspection, they reveal thousands of female nudes or “tree nymphs” who cling, swing, frolic, and soar through a natural world entirely imagined by the artist, unfettered and unbothered by the patriarchy or presence of male figures.

Join us for opening weekend and be among the first to experience the exhibition. Tap the link in bio for tickets.

Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding
On view May 30, 2026–April 18, 2027.

05/28/2026

This work by Marvin Lipofsky is rare and very well done. Happy !

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Marvin Lipofsky
1/4 Pounder with Cheese (from the Great American Food Series), 1973.
Glass and found materials

05/27/2026

Rewilding: restoring natural processes and wilderness without intervention.

Jessica Lichtenstein's first solo museum exhibition opens on May 30. Come see as our third floor is transformed into a lush, overgrown terrain filled with densely layered, technicolor landscapes —
feminist reimaginings of nature and the female form.

Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding
On view May 30, 2026–Apr 18, 2027.

05/23/2026

Happy Birthday to MAD Collection artist Chunghi Choo, born on this day in 1938. A graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, Choo is best known for her jewelry and metalwork, as well as her tie-dyed pieces. When making, Choo’s goal has been to create enduring objects, both utilitarian and nonfunctional. She once wrote, “Simplicity, harmony, and grace of form is what I like to see in my work. Each piece is to appear sensuous, joyous, aesthetically fulfilling, a pleasure to view and use.”

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Chunghi Choo
Vessel, 1990.
Copper, acrylic lacquer, electroformed copper, copper electro-appliqué

05/21/2026

Everything in the Haas Brothers' world looks familiar and yet slightly off. The term for this range of feelings is the “ uncanny valley.” Originally conceived to describe robots that attempt to capture human emotional responses ranging from empathy to disgust when looking at such objects. The Haas Brothers applied the concept to taxidermy and were curious, for instance, why humans typically have more empathy for a soft teddy bear than for an embalmed bear. Since the first Beasts appeared in their work in 2013, the brothers have been playing with gender, humor, and personality to make inanimate objects feel alive.

Meet these creatures now on view in Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley.

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Installation view of Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley by Jenna Bascom.

05/20/2026

Next Friday, May 29, MAD Members are invited to the opening celebration of Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding. A multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans large-scale installation, painting, sculpture, and video, Lichtenstein’s densely layered, technicolor landscapes are erotically charged, feminist reimaginings of nature and the female form.

The celebration will include an artist talk with Lichtenstein and MAD chief curator Elissa Auther.

Not a MAD member? Tap the link in bio to join today!

Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding opens to the public on May 30.

05/19/2026

May is Jewelry Month here at MAD! To celebrate, this Thursday, May 21, Barbara Paris Gifford, MAD Senior Curator of Art, Craft and Design, will lead a tour of the exhibition OUT of the Jewelry Box and Jewelry Stories, an installation featuring nearly 100 works from MAD’s collection of modern and contemporary art jewelry. The tour will introduce visitors to some of MAD's most important works in the permanent collection and will investigate storytelling through adornment.

Tap the link below to register:
https://madmuseum.org/events/curator-tour-mads-jewelry-collection

Photo caption: Nicky Newman wearing jewelry by Peter Chang for Crafts Magazine, 1988. Photo by James Johnson

05/14/2026

Have you experienced Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley? We invite you to come explore the exuberant world of Nikolai and Simon Haas, featuring their fantastic creatures within otherworldly realms. The surrealistic, animistic, and zoomorphic, as well as humor and irreverence, abound within the Haas Brothers’ animal kingdom, hinting at the deeper well of emotions the artists seek to unleash and explore. An ecosystem of their own flora and fauna—hybrids of our world and their imagination.

Tap the link in bio for tickets.

05/13/2026

On Thursday, May 28, join mixed-media collage artist and MAD Artist Studio alum Kat Ryals for Design Happy Hour: Fantastical Animal Print Textile Collage inspired by the exhibition Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley. You'll learn to creatively reuse craft materials such as patterned and transparent fabrics, mixed beads, and a variety of trims to create your own funky animal-print inspired collage on board. Drawing inspiration from both natural and fantastical animal patterns, you'll cut, arrange, and assemble materials to produce your own designs!

All skill levels welcome!

Design Happy Hour invites the public ages 21 and up to enjoy an open bar of wine and beer while exploring design techniques with some of the city's most exciting makers and creatives.

Tap the link below to reserve your spot!
https://madmuseum.org/events/design-happy-hour-fantastical-animal-print-textile-collage-kat-ryals

05/09/2026

Last chance! Today is the final day of MAD About Jewelry — our annual benefit sale featuring bold, unique contemporary jewelry pieces by 45 from around the globe. Meet the makers, discover your next statement piece, and support MAD’s exhibitions and education programs while you shop! Open today until 6 pm!

Entrance to MAD About Jewelry is free with Museum admission. Arrive after 5 pm and pay only $5!

https://madmuseum.org/jewelry/mad-about-jewelry-2026

05/07/2026

For the piece Songe, artist Alice Riehl turns to the passionflower to explore female desire in full bloom. The title nods to two sources: the ancient myth of Dibutade, a woman so devoted to her lover that she traced his shadow on a wall before he left — only for her father to remake it in clay and claim credit for inventing sculpture. And Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, where desire blurs the line between reality and illusion, until marriage steps in to restore order.
Riehl flips the script. In Songe, pink isn't passive; it's a force. And female desire blooms on its own terms.

See this work and more now on view in Alice Riehl’s Porcelain Florilegium. Tap the link below for tickets:
https://madmuseum.org/exhibition/alice-riehls-porcelain-florilegium
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Alice Riehl
Songe, 2024
Porcelain

05/06/2026

Is Now Open! MAD About Jewelry is the ultimate jewelry show and sale presented on the Museum’s 3rd floor gallery. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to discover extraordinary jewelry and shop for Mother's Day while meeting over 40 artists from 20 countries. From emerging talents to internationally acclaimed innovators, this is the destination for collectors and jewelry lovers to shop, connect, and celebrate the future of the field.

Entrance to MAD About Jewelry is free with Museum admission. Arrive after 5 pm and pay only $5!

Join us:
https://madmuseum.org/jewelry/mad-about-jewelry-2026

SALE HOURS
Wed, May 5 11 am–8 pm
Thu, May 6 11 am–8 pm
Fri, May 6 11 am– 8 pm
Sat, May 9 10 am–6 pm
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Event photography: Kenzi Hajar/BFA.com
Photos of works from featured artists included:
Eunhee Cho
Yuri Na
Daniela Boni

05/04/2026

Happy First Monday in May! This year’s theme,” Fashion is Art,” has us reminiscing about some of the best fashion and design as art moments here at MAD over the years. Here are just a few.
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Q***r Maximalism x Machine Dazzle,2022.

Michael Sylvan Robinson, Identity Is..., 2021.

2025 Burke Prize: Hai-Wen Lin, 2026

Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe, 2025

Kent Monkman, Miss Chief’s Tipi Dress (Red), 2020, featured in Garmenting: Costume as Contemporary Art, 2022

Kaisik Wong featured in Counter-Couture: Handmade Fashion in an American Counterculture,2017

04/30/2026

Be sure to join us tonight, Thursday, April 30, as Bill Sofield and design historian Daniella Ohad come together for a conversation on Studio Sofield’s influential blending of architecture and interiors and the four decades of vision behind it. From handcrafted interiors to the much-anticipated conversion of New York’s landmark Flatiron Building into private residences.

Copies of the new monograph Studio Sofield Works from Rizzoli Publications will be available for purchase. Tap the link below for tickets.

https://madmuseum.org/events/bill-sofield-conversation-design-legend
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1. Watercolor rendering of the lobby of the Flatiron Building private residencies.
2. Exterior rendering of the Flatiron Building private residences.

04/28/2026

MAD About Jewelry brings together 45 artists from more than 20+ countries for a curated show and sale benefiting the Museum of Arts and Design, the only American museum with a gallery dedicated exclusively to jewelry.

Don’t miss your chance for an exclusive first look! Join us Tue, May 5, for an exclusive first look at the collections as we celebrate this year’s artist cohort with a festive evening of cocktails, early access shopping, and a buffet dinner at Robert .

The general sale runs May 6–9 and is free with museum admission. Open Wed–Fri, 10 am–8 pm with $5 admission after 5 pm.

Your participation directly supports MAD's exhibitions and education programs.

Tap the link below to reserve your spot!
https://madmuseum.org/jewelry/mad-about-jewelry-2026

04/23/2026

Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding opens May 30.

The first solo museum exhibition from multidisciplinary artist Jessica Lichtenstein () will feature an immersive installation of lush overgrown terrain where thousands of digitally rendered female nudes coalesce into forests, ruins, and flowering canopies. Lichtenstein seeks to reclaim the female body from art history’s erotic conventions and situate it within a speculative landscape shaped by autonomy, collectivity, and release.

The exhibition borrows its title from a conservation ecology concept of restoring natural processes and wilderness areas by withdrawing human intervention and trusting ecosystems to regenerate on their own terms. For Lichtenstein, rewilding is a metaphor for liberty and release. Her densely layered, technicolor landscapes first appear lush and uninhabited, but upon close inspection, reveal thousands of minute digitally rendered female nudes who cling, swing, frolic, and soar through a natural world. Unrestrained by patriarchy or even the presence of male figures, Lichtenstein has described her female figures as a feminist reimagining of both nature and the female body.

04/22/2026

Nikolai and Simon Haas spoke with The New York Times writer Ted Loos about their process and the world they've spent 15 years building together, including several of the pieces on view here at MAD in Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley.

On Earth Day, it's a reminder that for the Haas Brothers, the outdoors has always been present and never left the work. As Simon says in the piece, "It's not just the aesthetic, it's an ethos."

Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley is on view through August 16, 2026.

Tap the link below to read the full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/arts/design/haas-brothers-twins.html?searchResultPosition=1
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Haas Brothers portrait by Stella Kalinina for The New York Times
Installation photo by Jenna Bascom

04/21/2026

Next Thursday, April 30th, join us as architectural designer Bill Sofield and design historian Daniella Ohad will be in conversation about Studio Sofield's four-decade practice, the artisanal handwork woven into architecture, crafting elegant design, and what it means to transform one of New York's most iconic buildings, the Flatiron, into private residences.

We'll also be celebrating the release of Studio Sofield Works, a monograph published by Rizzoli Books that details the studio’s journey through the countless projects, highlighting its distinct approach across both historically significant buildings and new contemporary wonders.

Tap the link below:
https://madmuseum.org/events/bill-sofield-conversation-design-legend

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Bill Sofield portrait photo credit: Kate Jordan
Flatiron Building photo credit: Josh Connor

04/19/2026

Today is the last day to visit The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler. Playful, irreverent, and full of heart. Jonathan Adler's love of objects, makers, and the creative legacies that shaped him can be found in every corner of the gallery.
The exhibition offers a window into what makes Jonathan Adler one of design's most distinctive voices. Tap the link in bio for tickets.

Tap the link below for tickets:
https://madmuseum.org/exhibition/mad-mad-world-jonathan-adler

04/17/2026

This is your final weekend to experience the glamorous, witty, and wonderful universe of celebrated potter and designer Jonathan Adler! The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler features more than 60 works from the MAD collection alongside Adler's iconic designs, illuminating the designer’s love of objects, materials, and the makers whose legacies precede his own.

The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler closes Sunday, April 19.

Tap the link in bio for tickets.

04/16/2026

“Passive acts of living, breathing, wearing, and waiting become methods of image-making in my work,” said 2025 Burke Prize Winner Hai – Wen Lin. “ Through kitemaking, I think of this practice as sewing couture for the wind, measuring the spirit, and caring for the sun and sky in the same way we might dress a friend.”

See Lin's sculptural kites now on view at MAD. Tap the link in bio for tickets.

Hai- Wen Lin
Cloud Collar, 2023
Courtesy the artist

04/14/2026

While many think of Jonathan Adler as a designer first, his lifelong love of pottery has been a constant. He made this Chanel teapot during his senior year at Brown University. The piece was inspired by his obsession with fashion, Hip Hop style, and MAD collection artist Adrian Saxe. Adler calls the work a post-modern mash-up!

There is only one week left to explore The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler. The exhibition closes on Sunday, April 19th.

Tap the link below for tickets:
https://madmuseum.org/exhibition/mad-mad-world-jonathan-adler

04/11/2026

Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley is now open!

Come meet the Haas Brothers’ lovable extended family of freaks, beasts, and zoids, joined by an array of colorful acrylic paintings, sculpture, and fiber art. Marrying meticulous handcraft with a fluency in the latest technologies, the brothers’ strangely familiar objet and furniture challenge conventional expectations while blurring the boundaries of art and design.

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, today at 4 pm join MAD Chief Curator Elissa Auther and Laura Mott, Chief Curator of Cranbrook Art Museum, for a conversation with Simon and Nikolai Haas.

Tap the link below to learn more:
https://madmuseum.org/events/haas-brothers-artists-talk-and-book-signing
Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley on view through August 16, 2026.

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2 Columbus Circle
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http://www.madmuseum.org/

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