A New Era of Inclusive Design: Cooper Hewitt Appoints Dr. Michelle Millar Fisher as Chief Curator

NEW YORK — In a move signaling a dynamic evolution for one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum has officially announced the appointment of Dr. Michelle Millar Fisher as its new Chief Curator. Effective July 13, Dr. Fisher steps into a role that will shape the creative heartbeat of America’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the historical and contemporary study of design.

Dr. Fisher will take the helm of the museum’s five curatorial departments and its dedicated conservation team. In this expansive capacity, she will define the overarching creative vision and content strategy for the institution, while serving as the primary steward of its staggering permanent collection—a repository comprising more than 215,000 objects ranging from an ancient Egyptian faience cup dating back to circa 1100 BC to cutting-edge contemporary 3D-printed items and complex digital code.

Dr. Fisher succeeds Matilda McQuaid, a towering figure in the institution’s history who is retiring this spring after an extraordinary, highly impactful 24-year tenure at the museum. As Cooper Hewitt transitions from McQuaid’s legacy of steady stewardship, Dr. Fisher arrives with a reputation as a progressive thinker, a champion of social equity in the arts, and a curator deeply invested in the intersection of material culture and human experience.

Main Facts

The leadership transition at Cooper Hewitt marks a pivotal moment for the museum, which operates as an integral part of the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. Housed in the landmarked Andrew Carnegie Mansion along New York City’s prestigious Museum Mile, Cooper Hewitt uses its vast platform to explore how design impacts everyday life and shapes the future.

• Position: Chief Curator, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
• Appointee: Michelle Millar Fisher, Ph.D.
• Effective Date: July 13.
• Scope of Responsibility: Directing the creative and content vision, overseeing five curatorial departments and the conservation team, and stewarding a permanent collection of over 215,000 objects.
• Predecessor: Matilda McQuaid, retiring after 24 years of service.
• Incoming Background: Transitioning from the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, where she served as the Ronald C. and Anita L. Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts.

Dr. Fisher brings to the Smithsonian a rich portfolio of critically acclaimed exhibitions, books, and advocacy initiatives that interrogate power structures, labor, gender, and the built environment. Her arrival promises to steer the institution toward a future defined by civic engagement, transparency, and accessible design education.

Chronology: A Trajectory of Curatorial Excellence

To understand the weight and perspective Dr. Fisher brings to Cooper Hewitt, one must trace her impressive academic and professional journey through some of the world’s most prestigious cultural and educational institutions.

Early Education and Academic Foundations

Dr. Fisher’s foundational training in art history spans both sides of the Atlantic. She earned her Master of Arts and Master of Philosophy degrees in art history from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. She subsequently pursued further graduate studies at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY), where she earned an additional Master of Philosophy and her doctorate in art history. Cementing her status as a forward-thinking museum leader, she was selected as a fellow in the competitive 2022 cohort at the Center for Curatorial Leadership.

Early Career and Institutional Grounding (2011–2019)

Dr. Fisher’s career has been characterized by an early commitment to collaborative education and institutional reform:

• 2011: She co-founded ArtHistoryTeachingResources.org, a widely utilized, Kress Foundation-funded online project designed to support educators in the visual arts.
• 2014–2018: Serving as a curatorial assistant in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Fisher cut her teeth on major international exhibitions. She was an integral part of the curatorial teams for landmark shows such as Design and Violence (2013), Design and Data Visualization (2015), Symbols and Icons (2016), and the blockbuster exhibition Items: Is Fashion Modern? (2017).
• 2019: Moving to the Philadelphia Museum of Art as the Louis C. Madeira IV Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts, she co-organized the thought-provoking exhibition Designs for Different Futures. That same year, demonstrating her dedication to labor rights within the cultural sector, she co-founded Art + Museum Transparency, the advocacy group responsible for publishing the influential Salary Transparency Spreadsheet.

Tenure at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Recent Years)

Prior to accepting the Chief Curator post at Cooper Hewitt, Dr. Fisher served as the Ronald C. and Anita L. Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston. During her tenure, her work deeply interrogated the intersections of people, power, and the material world.

Among her major accomplishments at the MFA, Fisher co-organized two large-scale permanent collection installations, spearheaded an ambitious contemporary craft acquisition program, and led four successive iterations of the museum’s partnership exhibition series with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Her most recent scholarship focuses heavily on craft education. This research has culminated in a forthcoming book, Craft Schools: A Traveler’s Guide, and an upcoming exhibition titled Think With Your Hands: Learning Through Craft Schools.

Supporting Data and Major Collaborative Projects

Dr. Fisher’s impact extends far beyond traditional museum walls through her independent and collaborative research projects, which have garnered international critical acclaim and prestigious awards.

Designing Motherhood

Perhaps one of her most culturally resonant independent projects is Designing Motherhood: Things That Make and Break Our Births. Developed alongside an independent team, this multidisciplinary initiative encompasses a book, a touring museum exhibition, and an extensive public programming series.

The project tackles the often-overlooked material culture surrounding reproduction, pregnancy, postpartum care, and infant care. Its rigorous interdisciplinary approach has earned widespread recognition, including:

• A Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Award
• A Graham Foundation Award
• The prestigious 2025 Architectural Review Award for Research in Gender and Architecture

The Cooper Hewitt Collection at a Glance

To fully grasp the magnitude of the collection Dr. Fisher will steward, consider the sheer breadth of Cooper Hewitt’s holdings:

• Total Objects: 215,000+
• Chronological Span: Over 3,100 years of human creativity, ranging from roughly 1100 BC to the present day.
• Medium Diversity: Renders, drawings, textiles, wallpaper, metalwork, ceramics, glass, product design, architectural models, and contemporary digital assets such as 3D-printed objects and software code.
• Institutional Home: Housed in the Carnegie Mansion, a symbol of Gilded Age architecture located at 2 East 91st Street in Manhattan.

Official Responses and Perspectives

The appointment has elicited enthusiastic praise from museum leadership and peers across the international design community, highlighting the profound respect Dr. Fisher commands within the field.

Maria Nicanor, Director of Cooper Hewitt

Maria Nicanor, Director of the museum, expressed profound optimism regarding the transition:

"Michelle is a force in the design world," Nicanor stated. "Her arrival marks an exciting new chapter at Cooper Hewitt, one rooted in gratitude to Matilda McQuaid for her leadership and legacy over the past 24 years. From here on, Michelle’s committed curatorial approach and passion for making design accessible to all will energize the museum’s creative vision, propelling it into the future. We are truly excited to have someone with her experience, care and intellectual rigor join the team at Cooper Hewitt."

Dr. Michelle Millar Fisher

Reflecting on her new role and her vision for the institution, Dr. Fisher emphasized the human element at the core of all great design:

"People are the engines and dreamers behind all good design," Fisher remarked. "It is my strong desire to embrace this role by fostering the positive, innovative and humane approaches to both design and the workplace that I have been fortunate to thrive in. I am beyond lucky to join such a dedicated and smart team."

These statements underline a shared institutional commitment not only to showcasing world-class artifacts but also to reforming museum culture from the inside out—prioritizing humane workplace standards, inclusivity, and mentorship.

Implications for the Future of Cooper Hewitt

Dr. Fisher’s appointment carries significant implications for how Cooper Hewitt will engage with the public, curate its permanent collection, and address the pressing social and environmental questions of the 21st century.

1. Expanding the Definition of Design

Throughout her career—from Items: Is Fashion Modern? at MoMA to Designs for Different Futures in Philadelphia and Designing Motherhood—Fisher has consistently pushed against the boundaries of what constitutes "design" and "decorative arts." Under her leadership, visitors can expect Cooper Hewitt to further explore how design intersects with pressing global issues: climate change, labor rights, gender equity, healthcare, and technological ethics.

2. A Commitment to Radical Accessibility

Both Nicanor and Fisher underscored a shared ethos: making design accessible to all communities. Cooper Hewitt’s educational programming, master’s degree offerings, and digital resources are poised to benefit from Fisher’s lifelong dedication to pedagogy and open-access education, evidenced by her early co-founding of ArtHistoryTeachingResources.org.

3. Progressive Workplace Culture and Stewardship

By bringing in a leader who co-founded Art + Museum Transparency, Cooper Hewitt signals a clear alignment with modern movements toward equity, fair compensation, and institutional accountability within the museum sector. Fisher’s stated desire to foster "positive, innovative and humane approaches to both design and the workplace" suggests that her stewardship will extend to nurturing the professional growth of her curatorial staff and conservation teams.

4. Honoring a Legacy While Forging Ahead

As Matilda McQuaid steps down this spring after nearly a quarter-century of defining contributions, the museum does not discard its past; rather, it builds upon a rich foundation. McQuaid’s tenure established Cooper Hewitt as a global authority on textiles, drawings, and contemporary design practice. Dr. Fisher’s arrival builds directly upon this institutional strength, fusing rigorous historical scholarship with an urgent, contemporary perspective.

Conclusion

As Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum prepares to welcome Dr. Michelle Millar Fisher on July 13, the institution stands at an exhilarating crossroads. Armed with a deep historical understanding, a proven track record of groundbreaking exhibitions, and an unwavering commitment to human-centric design, Dr. Fisher is uniquely positioned to guide America’s design museum into its next bold chapter.

Whether examining the ancient craftsmanship of an Egyptian faience cup or interrogating the digital code of tomorrow, Cooper Hewitt under Fisher’s curatorial leadership will continue to remind the public that design is not merely about objects—it is about the people who imagine them, the systems that produce them, and the world they have the power to change.

For more information on upcoming exhibitions, public programs, and the permanent collection, visit www.cooperhewitt.org or follow @cooperhewitt on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.