The Smart List is a monthly list of multi-media recommendations on everything design, curated by Interwoven Design. In this issue we share the exhibits and events in NYC that we are really looking forward to this year. As any creative knows, you can’t generate output if you aren’t continually feeding yourself inspiration. In addition to helping us stay informed about art and design, going to the fantastic galleries and museums throughout the city is a crucial strategy for those of us in the studio to stay engaged and open as creative people.

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams
at the Brooklyn Museum through February 20th
This stunning exhibition draws from the legendary archives of the House of Dior to tell the story of the iconic fashion brand. Photos, videos, sketches, and over two hundred haute couture garments bring the history to life, walking visitors through each era of the brand’s evolution. This is a must-see for the fashion aficionado.
Outsider Art Fair
at the OAF New York Metropolitan Pavilion March 3rd – 6th
The Outsider Art Fair is an annual fair “dedicated to Self-Taught Art, Art Brut and Outsider Art.” In 1972 art brut champion Roger Cardinal explained that “a paramount factor in the critical definition of the creative Outsider is that he or she should be possessed of an expressive impulse and should then externalize that impulse in an unmonitored way which defies conventional art-historical contextualization.” It is the kind of art you won’t see anywhere else.
Tomas Saraceno: Particular Matter(s)
at The Shed February 11th through April 17th
The Shed is showing Tomás Saraceno: Particular Matter(s), the artist’s largest US exhibition thus far. Visitors have been especially mesmerized by the massive Free the Air: How to hear the universe in a spider/web, a 95-foot-diameter sensory installation that dominates the space and puts the viewer at the scale of a spider on its web.
Greater New York
at MoMA PS1 through April 18th
Greater New York is an exhibit that focuses exclusively on artists living and working in the New York area. This year 47 artists and collectives are featured in the show, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current exhibit has a special focus on the significance of time and place while showing a wide range of media and artistic styles, and it is an annual show that is worth a look every year.
The Orchid Show
at the New York Botanical Garden though April 23rd
This is The Orchid Show‘s 19th year, and it doesn’t disappoint. This year’s show is ‘Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope’, a bold and vibrant display that uses colorful geometric arrangements to mimic the effect of a turning kaleidoscope. Thousands of orchids create a spectacular display.
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