Cooper Museum

Watercolor Maps

This artwork, created by Stamen Design in 2012, is a free online mapping tool. If you’re interested, you can visit their website at https://watercolormaps.collection.cooperhewitt.org. After coming down from the third floor, I noticed a brightly lit room. Curiosity led me inside, where I saw two large screens displaying textured maps and a console about a meter high on the floor. I approached the console and saw a button labeled “New York.” After pressing it, the map zoomed in on New York, displaying various routes in detail. Intrigued, I tried out the options for several other cities. I love art with non-digital textures, specifically traditional forms like ink, watercolor, crayons, and ink wash. This attraction to textured artwork drew me to these maps, which were both beautiful and interesting. I also noticed that not all countries display detailed routes when zoomed in; only the general outlines of states are shown. These maps are both aesthetically pleasing and fascinating.

Drawing, Textile Design, Flora

This artwork is designed by Leopold Blonder from Austria for the Weiner Werkstatte (Vienna, Austria). I discovered it in a corner, first drawn by the colors and then by the design. The colors are stunning; each section enhances the structure with strong contrasts between light and dark. The three pieces are in different color schemes, representing primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. For example, the first piece (from the left) has a red theme, with tones slightly adjusted, or rather, red mixed with pink and other derivations. The theme is plants, which I personally adore in designs. Even though I couldn’t identify the exact plant or its reference, I loved the floral design. This could serve as inspiration when I’m out of ideas.

Poster, Sports Symbols for Munich Olympics, 1972

These symbols were designed by Otl Aicher for the Olympic Games. I found them on the ground floor in a large room. At first, the room’s exit design made me think it was a shopping store, and I decided to explore it in case there was something interesting to buy. Fortunately, I chose to explore because I have previously researched Olympic sports symbols. I was thrilled to see this poster as it was an unexpected delight. My research showed that each Olympic event’s symbols are localized to reflect the host country’s culture. I also noted that the first use of tools about the sports program to design symbols was in the 1964 Olympics, whereas earlier icons were based on sports equipment. The 1972 Olympics was the second to use human actions for symbols, and from then on, stick figures became the standard. The poster also displayed the grid used for designing these symbols, giving me new inspiration. This museum visit was very rewarding and truly useful.