The Museum of Arts and Design – MAD

The Museum of Arts and Design (also known as MAD) in New York is a research and exhibition center dedicated to art, craft and design.
Founded in 1956 by the philanthropist Aileen Osborn Webb as the “Museum of Contemporary Crafts”, the MAD is located since 2008 in Midtown Manhattan, housed in an iconic ten-story building close to the Central Park, fully renovated on a design by the American firm Allied Works Architecture.
The museum’s mission is “to collect, display and interpret objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design.” The MAD’s vision of design, intended in a broad and innovative sense, is focused on the interconnections between the work of artists, designers, and artisans, with special attention to materials, techniques, ingenuity and manufacturing skills.
The Museum of Arts and Design has a collection of over 3,000 pieces and develops its activity through original thematic exhibitions, as well as by organizing seminars, meetings, screenings, live performances, special events, workshops, and educational programs.
At the museum, a theater, a learning center, a store, and a panoramic restaurant are available to the visitors.
The Museum of Arts and Design is fully accessible to people with disabilities; a limited number of wheelchairs are available free-of-charge.

The Museum of Arts and Design, external view, photo by Eric Scott

The Museum of Arts and Design, entrance.

Installation view of ‘Vera Paints a Scarf. The Art and Design of Vera Neumann’, MAD – Museum of Arts and Design, August 8, 2019 – January 26, 2020, Photo by Jenna Bascom, Courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design

Installation view of ‘Sonic Arcade: Shaping Space with Sound’, MAD- Museum of Arts and Design, New York. (September 14, 2017 – February 25, 2018) Photo by Jenna Bascom. Courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design.

Installation view of ‘Judith Leiber: Crafting a New York Story’, MAD – Museum of Arts and Design, April 4, 2017 – August 6, 2017, Photo by Jenna Bascom, Courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design

Installation view of ‘Fake News and True Love: Fourteen Stories By Robert Baines’, MAD- Museum of Arts and Design, New York (October 16, 2018–March 3, 2019). Photo by Jenna Bascom, courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design