The Cooper Union

10/16/2026

School of Art Professor Coco Fusco's class recently visited MoMA PS1 to see the first US large-scale museum exhibition of work by artist Teresa Margolles.

10/13/2026

“Primers for a Handmade Utopia” is currently on view in the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture’s Third Floor Hallway Gallery. The exhibition looks at America’s “back to the land” movement from the 1960’s, a moment that proved to be the greatest urban-to-rural exodus in American history. The backwoods of Northern California became the movement’s epicenter, where a patchwork of utopian communes sprouted, together with a distinctly radical mode of hand-built architecture. Although most of these back-to-the-landers did not call themselves architects, their experimental structures offered a reappraisal of what a home could and should be—and how it might inform the lives of its inhabitants.

The exhibition features work from “Handmade Utopia: Back-to-the-Land Architecture in Northern California” (D.A.P./Edition Patrick Frey), a new book by author David Jacob Kramer and photographer Michael Schmelling that celebrates these extraordinary—and under-documented—residences. Their photos and oral histories are presented alongside a selection of handmade tools, archival materials, and a reading library of influential publications from the period.

In conjunction with the exhibition, catch tonight’s discussion featuring the authors in conversation with Cooper Union associate professor Irene Cheng and design critic Alexandra Lange.

“Primers for a Handmade Utopia” is on view through October 29.

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Friday, 12 pm – 7 pm
Saturday & Sunday, 12 pm – 6 pm

Photos by Mia Press AR'28

10/10/2026

Watch an interview with Emilio Martínez Poppe, a 2016 graduate of The School of Art at The Cooper Union, about his work "Civic Views."

10/01/2026

Work by The School of Art at The Cooper Union professor William Villalongo and urban planner Shraddha Ramani reinterpreting the data visualizations of W.E.B. Du Bois is currently on view at the MoMA The Museum of Modern Art. Learn more about the project which was also acquired by MoMA at https://bit.ly/4xXsDRk.

School of Art professor William Villalongo and urban planner Shraddha Ramani reinterpret the data visualizations of W.E.B. Du Bois.

09/30/2026

Drawing Newtown Creek. First-year School of Art students in Professor Marie Lorenz's Foundation class recently sketched the city from one of New York's waterways. Thanks to alumni Patterson Beckwith A'94 and Amy Gartrell A'96, founding members of the North Brooklyn Community Boathouse in Greenpoint and the entire boathouse, who took the class out for their scenic tour.

Photo courtesy of Marie Lorenz.

09/29/2026

If you haven't stopped by 41 Cooper Gallery yet to see Guild & Greyshkul, here's a look of what you're missing.

Guild & Greyshkul (2003-2009) was an artist-run exhibition venue that bridged being a shared studio space and a commercial gallery and engaged with larger questions around what it meant to be an artist at the start of the 21st century. In many cases, Guild & Greyshkul offered a space for emerging artists to have their first solo exhibition including many The Cooper Union alumni.

The current group show is organized the gallery's co-founders Anya Kielar A’02, Johannes VanDerBeek A’04, and Sara VanDerBeek A’98 in cooperation with Adriana Farmiga A'96, dean of The Cooper Union School of Art and Yuri Masnyj A'98, associate dean of The Cooper Union School of Art.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 12-6 pm

Installation images by Jason Wyche.

09/25/2026

Last few days to see the exhibition "What Else Could It Mean? Drawings and Writings by James Wines & SITE" which closes this Sunday, September 27. The show features drawings from SITE’s archive as well as text and stories about the practice known for its whimsical showrooms for BEST Products Inc.

Open to the general public
Monday – Friday, 12 pm – 7 pm
Saturday & Sunday, 12 pm – 6 pm

Photos by Michaela Han AR'28

09/24/2026

From a celebration at the National Arts Club to a brunch featuring a performance by Cooper Union’s student ensemble Poco Poco to inaugurate our newest Golden Legion 50th reunion class, enjoy some moments from last week’s All Cooper Weekend.

Photos by Marget Long

09/22/2026

Read an interview with Phillip Hagen, a new assistant professor of electrical engineering whose research combines radio-frequency engineering, machine learning, circuit stability analysis, and physical prototyping to develop adaptive and reconfigurable electronic systems, at https://bit.ly/4yaAFHq.

Phillip Hagen joins The Cooper Union as a new assistant professor of electrical engineering.

09/18/2026

Architecture professor Nora Akawi was recently named the John and Mary Manuck Distinguished Professor of Design, a two-year appointment aimed at raising the visibility of design as a unifying element of architecture, art, and engineering. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4dK9Hy6.

Architecture professor Nora Awaki has been appointed the two-year endowed professorship aimed at raising the visibility of design as a unifying element of architecture, art, and engineering.