“Tariffs,” groaned one of the guests at Thursday night’s “House Party” for the Cooper Hewitt’s National Design Award winners, as he rolled his eyes and threw his head back for effect.
The impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, his executive ordered-budget cuts at the Smithsonian Institution and the administration’s ongoing reductions in the arts and the humanities were some of the topics that were being hashed over at the Upper East Side museum. The Cooper Hewitt, which is part of the Smithsonian, was celebrating the 25th anniversary of its National Design Awards. Some of the winners — present and past — rely on federal grants and/or small business loans to fund their work, as well as support from federal arts agencies, which are facing slashes by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
Diversity, equity and inclusion, company frameworks that some designers prioritize, are also being scaled back under Trump. Last month the president signed an executive order that will impact funding for museums and programs at the Smithsonian Institution that have “promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” The administration is looking to make significant staff cuts at the National Endowment for the Humanities and possibly nix grants.
Launched under former President George W. Bush’s administration in 2000, there was a time when National Design Award winners were celebrated at a White House luncheon that was hosted by the first lady. The awards still aim to increase national awareness about the impact of design in everyday life. This year’s winners were Kim Hastreiter, Design Visionary; ilumiNACIÓN by Resilient Power Puerto Rico, Climate Action; Nu Goteh, Emerging Designer; Michael Maltzan Architecture, Architecture; Matt Willey, Communication Design; Emerging Objects, Digital Design; Melitta Baumeister, Fashion Design; Little Wing Lee, Interior Design; Terremoto, Landscape Architecture, and, Jules Sherman, Product Design. Sherman, who specializes in pediatric medical devices, said she recently learned that her position has been reduced, but she has two grants pending. She also teaches at the University of Maryland and may pick up some freelancing — having designed consumer products for Target and others before getting into the medical field.
Like any good house party, as many high schoolers can attest, the scene was a little chaotic, noisy and free flowing, in more ways than one. Many of the artistically dressed guests clustered outdoors on the terrace and in the garden, where the bar was seven people deep at one point. Others huddled in conversation in the Great Hall and in what was once the library of Andrew Carnegie’s uptown manse.
One creative and former National Design Award winner, who has a work visa to be in the U.S., criticized the Trump administration, but declined to comment, due to his residency. “It’s scary,” he said.
Two industrial designers also declined to comment publicly about the ongoing arts-related cuts, aside from airing their disbelief, which one said could turn to anger.
The 2025 Fashion Award winner Melitta Baumeister could be found quietly chatting in the Cooper Hewitt’s conservatory with a handful of friends, who were dressed in her architectural designs. The German-born, New York-based designer said the recognition by such a prestigious institution gives her confidence that design matters. Baumeister said, “Now even moreso, design has so much impact on people and on our daily lives. You have a voice with design. It’s even more important to speak through design about the worries that people have, and things that affect them with whatever is going on.”
Although she has an artist green card for 10 years, she said, “That’s also not forever.”
Melitta Baumeister and Michal Plata of Melitta Baumeister at the National Design Awards.
OOII studio
While fashion is often a reflection of the times we live in as well, Baumeister said this might not be the time to be too loud. Recalling how she was envisioning the future with her collection 10 years ago, that is no longer the case, she said. “I feel as though now we don’t want to necessarily see a future. It feels more [about] resistance in a way, or having to do with some sort of protection.”
Her friend Lauren Amos, who hosted a table for the pre-party dinner for honorees, agreed. Baumeister created an elaborate silver polyurethane gown for Amos that included a matching clutch with extended cutlery so she could eat without being fenced in by her oversize sleeves. “The seats were placed so tightly that she had to sit further away so it was very helpful,” Baumeister laughed, adding that the vinyl gown was also “wipeable,” which was needed when some soup was spilled.
As the owner of the luxury boutique Antidote, Amos was more serious discussing how the tariffs will hike up prices, but she too was resolved. “Fashion is pretty hopeful at times like this,” she said. “I’ve also figured out how to use fashion as a tool. I can push people away with it or use it to bring people in with it.”
Lauren Amos holding her extended cutlery and wearing a gown Melitta Baumeister gown with a coordinating clutch.
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Gesturing toward her gown, she said, “Even this is nice, because nobody has come up to me tonight to try to hug me. I’m serious. Earlier tonight I went to see a friend in the hospital, who is dying of pancreatic cancer. I was just feeling a little uncomfortable in my body.”
Given that, Amos would have preferred to stay in, but the dress and the attention it attracted from strangers brought her into a better space and changed her attitude. “It was almost like a performance piece,” Amos said.
Little Wing Lee before receiving the National Design Award for Interior Design.
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Little Wing Lee first connected with the Smithsonian as an exhibition designer for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which has attracted more than 10 million visitors. While the Cooper Hewitt’s honor is “a real recognition of her hard work, taste and commitment to community,” she spoke of the importance of supporting federal workers and the need to keep beauty alive. “The cuts to the Smithsonian are heartbreaking, but I don’t think that will deter the will of designers and our creativity. We’re used to solving problems. Our country is in a real crisis, so we will come together to rally to find some solutions.”
Nu Goteh, winner of the National Design Award for Emerging Designer, with Cooper Hewitt director Maria Nicanor.
OOII studio
This year’s emerging designer is Nu Goteh, who is the cofounder of Deem Journal, said he is focused on what his designs enable. “Deem Journal is all about how design shows up, and questioning who gets to be a designer. Do you design as a means of empowering and inspiring people to create the conditions that form them?” he said.
As for the event’s significance in this current political climate, Goteh said, “The best design doesn’t require funding. The best design comes from human need and human connection. Even with the cuts, design will continue to thrive, because people have the need to be able to thrive. That is the orientation of design. There’s a level of optimism that goes into design. Communities will still find ways to move themselves toward survival.”
