Profile

Having accrued more than 2,000 pieces of post-World War II art, craft, and design from around the world, the Museum of Arts and Design outgrew its modest space across from MoMA and moved in 2008 to a building triple the size in Columbus Circle. Originally called the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (and later the American Craft Museum), it opened in 1956 and changed its name in 2002 to reflect its diverse, international collection that bridges the gap between design and art, modern and folk, and fine art and craft. Today, the museum displays at any time two rotating exhibits and about ten percent of the pieces from its vaults—pieces like a woven tapestry from Judy Chicago, Karim Rashid's stackable porcelain tableware for Danese Milano, and Devorah Sperber's optical illusions made of spools of thread. Perhaps as notable as the collection is the ten-story building that now houses it. A $90 million renovation transformed Edward Durell Stone's modernist, largely windowless Lollipop Building into one that offers superb views of Central Park, thanks to an opaque-and-clear-glass weave around the glazed-terracotta exterior. Inside, floors two through five hold most of the art as well a small gallery dedicated to contemporary jewelry (the nation's first), with interactive flat screens offering information on each piece in the collection. — Caroline Kinneberg

The museum is the only one in the city with open artist studios. From noon—2 p.m. and 3 p.m.—5 p.m. daily and an additional 6:30 p.m.—8:30 p.m. on Thursdays visitors to the sixth floor are free to watch and talk with artists as they weave, sculpt, or throw—whatever their craft may be.