despite being a fan of all things related to design, i’ve never been a big museum girl. something about the crowds and having to be so quiet always makes me a little on edge. but lately i’ve been trying to embrace museums a bit more and take advantage of some of the incredible collections nyc has to offer. two weeks ago by good friend jennifer met me at the museum of arts and design to check out one of their latest shows, extreme embroidery. we were blown away by a number of the pieces so i was thrilled to hear from the museum last week about their new location and new exhibitions. starting in september, the museum will be reopening at 2 columbus circle in nyc with triple the amount of exhibition space, more programming and open artist’s studios that will allow museum-goers to engage in the creative process. MAD (the museum of arts and design) has always been supportive of the indie design world and hope this new space will allow for more interaction and learning for members of this community. for me, the most exciting thing about the space is the first show kicking off the opening, second lives: remixing the ordinary. the entire show will be about “visionary approaches to creative re-use”, an idea i think we can all get behind and appreciate. the show will feature 40 contemporary artists but i wanted to share my favorites above and below. the first images above and below are from artist susi macmurry; her piece is entitled “a mixture of frailties” and is actually made from latex wash gloves, calico and tailor’s dummy. from a distance it’s hard to image that this incredible piece isn’t made of some sort of luxurious fiber, but when you look close you can see the gloves that susie used. i can’t wait to see this one in person.

below, there’s also a piece by artist jill townsley entitled “spoons”. spoons is actually a tower constructed from over 9,000 plastic spoons and over 3,000 rubber bands. this will definitely be a must- see when when it opens. to find more information on the MAD museum or visit their current 53rd street location, click here.